Trang- The Gateway to Island Hopping!
I’m sitting in a hotel room in Trang, Thailand. Looking up, Aljazeera Television keeps me company. Today is my first day traveling solo. Auriane and I have gone separate ways for a little while- she to Cambodia and I to the beaches of the south. We both had strong callings.
It’s so funny. Before starting this trip I cringed at the thought of traveling with another person. In more recent years I’ve traveled independently- visiting friends and family- but doing the traveling portion solo. I was worried how it would be to have another person around. The imagined responsibility, hindrance on flexibility and spontaneity, and having someone there to experience it all- all? Again, it made me cringe a little bit.
It took a while to settle into the traveling routine again. About 5 days to fully kick the habit of throwing toilet paper in the toilet- septic systems are not strong enough for it. A few days to get used to the temperature, food and time changes. But it didn’t take as long as I thought it would to get used to traveling with another person.
Perhaps we’re pretty similar people but we seemed to fall into an understanding of the other with almost immediately. The quiet times were comfortable and stories and adventures easily shared with a good laugh.
What can I say, I miss having someone to experience the in-between-adventure times with. And it’s been like 7 hours.. I’ve heard it before that commitment is the gateway to freedom. Yes, it might be more challenging sometimes to have someone with you for the ride- but there are amazing advantages and rewards too. Then again it is only 7 hours on my own, maybe I’ll become more open to meeting new people during the next while.
Hmmph.
Also today I continued to suffer from food poisoning. I thing I’m pretty much in the clear now but I do not feel strong just yet.
After eating breakfast today ( coffee and pineapple) I went downstairs in the hotel and spoke to the travel agent. These guys are pretty helpful. She told me the trains were all booked up for the next few days. Learning: Always book train tickets in advance. She went ahead and found a flight online for about $100. Instead of taking a 15 hour train ride- which I was looking forward to- I’d buy the flight and stay the night in a hotel before heading to the Islands. This was the much more expensive option- buuuuut I needed to learn a few things.
Trang looks like the most Western style city I’ve seen here so far. Big houses, restaurants, play grounds, and even a Home Depot equivalent. There’s a wealthy, positive atmosphere here and I would love to explore it a bit more but I’m done with big cities for a while and again, the beaches are calling.
Back to Aljazeera Television, I wonder what it’s like for the reporters. Traveling all over the world- I wonder if they ever get lonely. I think the key is to connect with people. To push ones self. To get down time to recover from food poisoning but march on right away afterwards. Yep yep.
Once again, here’s to putting one foot in front of the other. May I find connection, inspiration, love, adventure and health- and may I be able to offer some of it too.
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P.S - I’m feeling homesick- and by that I mean I miss my family- and by that I mean I miss connecting with them. Had the inter net not been so slow today I would have given it a try- it’s almost 8am there and I’m off to bed.
Feeling sick and tired. Just off the plane. Also, found black mold in new hotel room bathroom. Ugh. Travelling with another person means being able to afford nicer places too!
It’s so funny. Before starting this trip I cringed at the thought of traveling with another person. In more recent years I’ve traveled independently- visiting friends and family- but doing the traveling portion solo. I was worried how it would be to have another person around. The imagined responsibility, hindrance on flexibility and spontaneity, and having someone there to experience it all- all? Again, it made me cringe a little bit.
It took a while to settle into the traveling routine again. About 5 days to fully kick the habit of throwing toilet paper in the toilet- septic systems are not strong enough for it. A few days to get used to the temperature, food and time changes. But it didn’t take as long as I thought it would to get used to traveling with another person.
Perhaps we’re pretty similar people but we seemed to fall into an understanding of the other with almost immediately. The quiet times were comfortable and stories and adventures easily shared with a good laugh.
What can I say, I miss having someone to experience the in-between-adventure times with. And it’s been like 7 hours.. I’ve heard it before that commitment is the gateway to freedom. Yes, it might be more challenging sometimes to have someone with you for the ride- but there are amazing advantages and rewards too. Then again it is only 7 hours on my own, maybe I’ll become more open to meeting new people during the next while.
Hmmph.
Also today I continued to suffer from food poisoning. I thing I’m pretty much in the clear now but I do not feel strong just yet.
After eating breakfast today ( coffee and pineapple) I went downstairs in the hotel and spoke to the travel agent. These guys are pretty helpful. She told me the trains were all booked up for the next few days. Learning: Always book train tickets in advance. She went ahead and found a flight online for about $100. Instead of taking a 15 hour train ride- which I was looking forward to- I’d buy the flight and stay the night in a hotel before heading to the Islands. This was the much more expensive option- buuuuut I needed to learn a few things.
Trang looks like the most Western style city I’ve seen here so far. Big houses, restaurants, play grounds, and even a Home Depot equivalent. There’s a wealthy, positive atmosphere here and I would love to explore it a bit more but I’m done with big cities for a while and again, the beaches are calling.
Back to Aljazeera Television, I wonder what it’s like for the reporters. Traveling all over the world- I wonder if they ever get lonely. I think the key is to connect with people. To push ones self. To get down time to recover from food poisoning but march on right away afterwards. Yep yep.
Once again, here’s to putting one foot in front of the other. May I find connection, inspiration, love, adventure and health- and may I be able to offer some of it too.
---------------------------------------------
P.S - I’m feeling homesick- and by that I mean I miss my family- and by that I mean I miss connecting with them. Had the inter net not been so slow today I would have given it a try- it’s almost 8am there and I’m off to bed.
Feeling sick and tired. Just off the plane. Also, found black mold in new hotel room bathroom. Ugh. Travelling with another person means being able to afford nicer places too!
