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Thailand
Thailand was a huge paradigm shift from Indonesia. Indonesia was like a six lane dirt high way. Years and years of tourism had created a well worn, but highly disorganized, tourist industry that I compare to a six lane dirt highway. Then suddenly the Indonesian economy broke itג€™s back and this was followed by mass political and social unrest and this was followed by bad press. The traffic that had previously frequented this highway stopped coming and what you as a tourist where left with was the liberty to go any where at any speed and do anything because the highway was yours. Then came Thailand. Thailand is a twelve lane super highway with paved roads to every corner of the country in a constant traffic jam. The tourism industry is so developed in Thailand that tourists out number locals. Where in Indonesia I was the only tourist on the bus, in Thailand the driver was the only non tourist. Where in Indonesia I owned the highway and could do what ever I wanted, in Thailand I was a sheep in a flock, herded in mass. The greatest difference was that in Indonesia the Hindu religion forbid stealing, those caught steeling would be beaten to near death. While in Thailand, under the same religion, the entire contents of stolen back packs were sold shamelessly on the street.
Other factors, such as the fact that I was used to living large, and other stupidities contributed to the rapid loss of all my money and even some money I did not have. I managed a few days on Ko Pi Pi before I bought a one year return ticket from Thailand to Ahman and from there Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Israel
Israel is like a second home to me. I used to summer in Tel Aviv. I have a lot of family there and speak the language. My father also keeps an apartment with a view of the most popular beach in the country, and there I stayed in between trips to visit close relatives. I quickly found a job and settled into the Israeli life style, which in brief is never sleep. My brother came out to visit me, also looking for a job. He ended up getting one in Malmo, Sweden and only stayed in Israel for two weeks.
Greg and Lea, continuing on their around the world honey moon, stopped in Tel Aviv on their way to Amsterdam and Portugal.
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I met up with some other old friends like Tomy and Lee, some of the oldest friends I have whose father went to high school with my father. I also met up with my friend Guy who let me borrow his surfboard for my first ever attempt at surfing.
About one month and a half into my job in Israel I was finally out of debt and was ready to make strides into the positive when a last minute e-mail from my father let me know that he was having a convention in Greenland and wanted me to come. Last minute trips are hard to organize but this one was to Greenland. The travel agents mocked me at the mention of the idea. I soon realized that a trip to Greenland would have to be organized in Copenhagen.
I got a US one month return ticket to Copenhagen and left the next day.
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This is one of my favorite images
This is my good friend Hal. I took this picture on his birthday. I think he likes to be in pictures. |
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