Bangkok – miscellaneous

Nothing exciting. Did some shopping (boring stuff: shower gel, etc.), got a CD burnt with the pictures taken so far on my trip, and went to the internet cafe where I spent most of the afternoon and evening updating my blog, writing emails and I also talked to Veronika on Skype. She became my best friend in NYC over the last 6 years and I miss her! I miss our weekly conversations and also talking to little Maximillian It was pretty cool being able to talk to her AND to see her – she had her second child two weeks ago at home. It happened so fast that they didn’t have time to go to the hospital. It was so nice to talk to her and see her and I wish I was in NYC right now! You’re a great friend, Veronika and I’m glad we met!

Rooftop swimming pool & internet

Today I spend some time at the pool on the rooftop of my guesthouse. It’s cloudy, but still nice and warm. There are a couple of people including a group of 5 Danish people, probably in their 50s, having a beer at the pool.  Later I go to the internet cafe to update my blog and also chat with an American friend who lives in Shanghai and another friend who used to live in NYC and now lives near Vienna. Thanks to skype it’s fairly easy to keep in touch with people And if you’re one of my friends who doesn’t have SKYPE yet, I strongly recommend you get it

In the evening I have fetuccini with pesto for dinner. Not a good idea to eat Italian food in Thailand – I better stick to Asian food while I’m in Asia

Thai store, friends and SKYPE :)

81.5 degree fahrenheit = 27.5 degree celcius – that’s the temperature I wake up to this morning. I turn on the a/c. – It’s the cool season in Bangkok, well actually it’s still the monsoon season as it’s lasting a little longer this year than usual. But any time now the “cool” season will start. But don’t get this wrong, it’s not really cool; I wear shorts and tank tops all day long. It’s actually nice and very warm, almost pleasant – not as hot as it was when I was here the last time in July & August 2006.

Today is a rather boring day. I spend quite some time in the internet cafe – checking websites about visas in SEA (Southeast Asia) and scuba diving (liveaboards – Similan Islands). Then I go to a few more travel agents to gain more insights on the visa situation, which doesn’s really help. Eventually, I end up in a department store off Khao San Road. It has 4 floors and NO tourists; only Thai people shop here. Can you belive that?! It’s only around the corner from the “tourist ghetto” and there are basically no tourists. I buy some really cheap but nice flip-flops (and will throw away my old ones – remember I said I want my backpack to be lighter, not heavier), and a BATH PLUG! That’s one of the few things I still needed so I can wash my clothes in the sink. The people there (at Tang Hua Seng Supermarket & Dept. Store) are really friendly and seem pleasantly surprised to see a foreigner here.

The evening I spend again at the internet cafe next to my guesthouse to update my blog, talk to a German couple from Munich who are also traveling around the world, but in the opposite direction. They’re staying at the same place, we exchange room numbers and plan on meeting up for lunch or dinner within the next couple of days. It’s really nice how easy it is to meet other travellers here. Even though I’m traveling alone, I meet people everyday to have a nice conversation with. Another nice conversation I’m having this evening is with one of my best Austrian friends back in New York City: Veronika. It is wonderful how you can talk through SKYPE and even see each other (they have webcams in this internetcafe) no matter where you are in the world. It feels as if Veronika and I were having one of our weekly conversations back in NYC

This makes me think of my friends in different places of the world and how lucky I am to have met them!

…and missing NYC not so much a day later

So the more I think about New York City and my life there the more I do not only remember the good, but also the not so good things. Furthermore, to hear from former colleagues that the situation at my old school continues to deteriorate (and to hear who else left) makes me really sad   I don’t miss the drama there from last year! I don’t miss the feeling of disconnectedness I had in the city more than any other place. I don’t miss the huge number of garbage bags on the streets more than once a week. I don’t miss having to do my laundry at the laundromat. I don’t miss the dairy products that won’t go bad. (Remember my Piladelphia experiment!) I don’t miss the fast pace of the city. I don’t miss having a different roommate every year. I don’t miss the high rents. I don’t miss the anonymity of the city. But I do miss my old friends who are still there! Thanks to Skype however, we can still talk