Land of Smiles.

And there I stood, in all its irony and awkwardness, with Emirates crew on the front line and British Airways stewardesses right behind. Me - little Asian girl, a suspected immigrant, who was carrying backpack and shorts too short and shoes too worn out. Technically I'd be swallowed in between such line-up of beautiful men and women who were so polished and energized, but ironically I stood out for my unmatched size and attire.

That's how Singapore has gotten me back on my feet.

Only two and a half hour earlier, I was still in the land of smiles.



Thailand treated me too well and she got me fall in love with her on the first day of arrival. Warm, genuine and most hospitable of all, not to mention the food that you could never, ever go wrong with. She could never be as holistic as Bali or India, but she is real and she is warmest.

On the train en route Chiang Mai, I was pondering on my own thoughts and this came up: after all, what makes a trip so great? what would you deem as fulfilling? I thought of travel companions, of places, culture, scenery etc. but personally, it is the unexpected that keeps you afresh with each and every journey. It might be a random local coffee you stumble upon, a secluded beach, or random conversations. Funnily it's these things off the list that call for a memorable trip. Having no presumption nor standard, when we hit the pot luck it multiplies ten times and make us feel like the world's explorer: "Noone would have experienced this place like I do, because I have seen, and have done things uniquely."

My unexpected finds have always leaned towards people. From the first person I talked to upon landing in Bangkok to the last one before checking in for Singapore. Laos girls whose English vocabulary amounts as much as my Thai, my anonymous street knight who rode me to Ekkamai Soi 10 without thinking twice, only to dismiss at once despite my rambutan reward, friendly bus assistants who would gladly show this foreign girl how to get around by bus without uttering a single English word - and also the folks on board that helped a lot at this point. Opting out from taxi and trying bus/khlong saen saep in Bangkok is by far the best decision I've made, connecting me to places so fast, efficient, cheap and full of pleasant surprises. Bus people are the kindest!!!

I am grateful to take this trip on my own, carrying my backpack and carrying home travellers' stories and encounters. It would be half the fun without hanging out with them even just for a short while. I've just recently thought of, and noticed this stream of travellers globe-trotting, meeting one another at a point, drifting away and reconciling by chance, or by secondary connection. We talk without taking photos, we eat with all our senses and we send postcard to our family and friends.
It's such a source for culture exchange - with context always flexible as one constantly moves. And stories, even though sharing the same format (where are you from, where do you do go, where have you been, what have you seen here and there...), could never be mirrored. It's so beautiful to me like star connections - you have many many points and you just draw a line between them randomly to form shapes and signs and equations. Among those I can still remember, mine were:

train conversation about religion, women and the usual doubts about growing up
a fling which could take up too much space here
long walks
knowing that most travellers enjoy their time in Vietnam
almost accidentally seeing a naked guy
feel like living in a musical
thoughts about female travellers from Europe versus guys
thoughts about travellers from the West and the East

Well, I didn't really go for any pinpointed activity except for a cooking class, I didn't see any spectacular scenery nor being pampered with Thai massage (NO??!!). Overall, it was rather to live slowly and take my time and to show up in unfamiliar places. And thank God I did just that.



Still waiting to finish the roll and see my photos. By the way I filled up one MUJI passport notebook while in Thailand. It feels nice to have passport notebook and have each one a destination, no?