Thailand.

I did not die, disappear or give up quite so easily. I was here for the past two weeks:

People say being young has it’s advantages with over-coming jet-lag, but it has been a week now and my body still has no idea what time it is supposed to be and for breakfast I crave cheese-sticks and spaghetti so I must be an exception to that…

So, Thailand – when I got back, someone asked me how it was and I lamely replied with “awesome”. I had attempted to roll my entire experience of this country into one vastly over-used descriptor “awesome” and was called on it right away. Unamused, my questioner looked at me as if to say “why was it so awesome and why did you contribute to the over-kill of the word awesome?” I stood silent for a moment because I hadn’t really thought to elaborate on why the place was so fetching. The weather, the far-off location, the food…all of those criteria that make a vacationers paradise seemingly exotic are very relevant when it comes to describing Thailand, they just seem to fall short or offered as a stand-in for something greater…

The moment we stepped out of the Bangkok airport the heat blasted us in the face. I’m an idiot and even though this wasn’t India, from seeing the film adaptation of Burnett’s A Little Princess, where the actress describes to her friend what life is like on the other side of the world, I had romantiscized visions of the air smelling like spices now that I was in the Eastern Hemisphere. It did not smell of cinnamon or turmeric, it was just really hot except that was fine for me in the middle of February considering I live in Chicago.

I will write more…alot more on my experiences. I just wanted to put something down and share some pictures. Bangkok, where we first stayed for three days, is generally not a very beautiful city I would say. There is certainly a lot of beauty within. The temples are gorgeous. The people’s kindness is not over-exaggerated. The food and the consistency with which Thai people eat is something that I was able to adhere to right away. Being able to get a meal any time of day in a city…I find that attractive. I should not have much trouble unraveling why Thailand was such an “awesome”, “amazing”, “impressive” country.

Me trying some tamarind. (Our guide was kind enough to inform us that if you consume too much of this sweet, sticky fruit it acts as a natural laxative…and then offered us more.)