Associated Content: Articles for Peanuts

As some of you may know, my interests in travel do not stop with backpacking around. If possible, I’d like to make a living in the travel industry as well. The “if possible” part, however, is a big ‘if.’ Travel writing is incredibly attractive (get paid to travel around and write about it!), but it is also incredibly competitive and low paying – certainly not lucrative enough to fund travel costs. I’d like to pursue expedition travel agent and tour operator opportunities when my SE Asia travels conclude, but well paid positions in this market are also difficult to obtain. Starting your own company in this field requires substantial experience, capital, and connections.

Regardless of the difficulties in profiting from having fun, I’ve drafted a few travel articles and found an online company that literally pays peanuts for them. I submitted two articles about a week ago and got paid $4.51 for one and $4.62 for the other. Ha! The company is called Associated Content (associatedcontent.com) and accepts articles from anyone writing about anything. This is hardly a way to make a living or a name as a travel writer, but is good experience if nothing else.

Here are the links to my published articles. I’m working on several others that I’ll submit soon.
Thailand: A Backpacker's Paradise
Hostels: The Secret to a Cheap Vacation

The one named “Thailand: A Backpacker’s Paradise” received criticism almost immediately from an American (I think) living in Thailand. He claims that Thailand is getting much more expensive and says that the costs I list are incorrect. I’m not sure where this guy lives in Thailand, but I know that costs in the south are substantially more expensive than the north, which is where I spent most of my time. All costs listed are costs experienced. But hey, criticism means someone actually read the article. Woo-hoo! Another online writing site that actually focuses on travel is called Matador. They maintain a “bounty board” where they list subjects for which they are looking for article submissions. Each opportunity has set requirements for content and format. This of course limits what I can write, but is closer to real freelance work and pays much more. Ehh. Drop me a line if you know of other sites like this. Travel writing may not be in my future, but I suppose it’s worth the old college try. It’s not like I’ll be strapped for time over the next 6 months!

Thailand Top Experiences

My Thailand travels are far from complete (still have to hit the south), but five weeks and ten towns have provided sufficient adventures for a “Thailand Top Experience List.” Counting down to the best, here we go:

10) Climbing up to Mae Hong Son’s Wat Phra That Doi Kongmu 474m above the town
9) Exploring the ruins of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai8) Fearing for my life while bussing on northern Highway 1095, snaking along narrow roads at lethal speeds with mountain on one side and a 1000 ft drop off on the other

7) Motorbiking around Sukhothai and Pai

6) Trekking, elephant riding, and bamboo rafting in jungle and mountains outside of Chiang Mai

5) Thai cooking class in Pai

4) Not getting mugged, beaten up, shot, stabbed, raped, or otherwise defiled (yet)

3) Not going to work everyday – hip hip horray!

2) Rocking out to Dragonforce and Green Day with old Thai dude on bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

1) Thai-time with dudes in Chiang Mai, old guys in Mae Hong Son, and girls in Mae Sariang (see “Thai-Time” post below) - nothing better than mixing with the locals

Thai-Time

Near the top of the list, Thai locals love fireworks, Buddha, Playboy, and Sangsom. Not a bad combination, all be it a strange one. Sangsom is a sweet rum, but many locals refer to it as ‘Thai whiskey.’ Everyone from partying teenagers up to shady old men drink this stuff like it’s going out of style. What I’ve started referring to as “Thai-time” is when friendly locals invite me to join them in polishing off impractical volumes of Sangsom. What’s great is that the reverberated theme is always “just be happy.” Even the locals who know minimal English know this phrase and live by it. How simple and sweet is that? Thailand is awesome.

Stuck in the North

So I am still stuck in the Northern vortex of Thailand. Perhaps they put something in the water, because I’m finding it impossible to leave and go to the south. The scenery is awe-inspiring, the people are happy and friendly, the food is awesome, and everything is cheap. Whenever I think about voyaging south, I think about how much effort that would entail and then I compromise with a bus ride to the next town over. I think it’s settled: the white-sand beaches, secluded islands, and beachside climbing will have to wait until later in the trip. Perhaps February.

Since last post I’ve been to Pai, Soppong, and now Mae Hong Son – each a little smaller and more beautiful than the last. In Pai I took a Thai cooking class and learned how to make traditional curry, stir-fry, and Thai soups and salads. There was also a lot of emphasis on specific ingredients and spices and tricks cooking with a wok. Totally sweet. In Soppong I checked out this enormous cave called Tham Lod. In Mae Hong Son I’ve just been trekking around a lot and hanging out with other backpackers and a few locals. Aw yes, it’s a good life.

Thai Cooking Class in Pai

Cave Lod in Soppong

Lake in Mae Hong Son

Property of the US Army

Alright, so there are many things that are different and unique about Thai people, but this one is just plain strange. A popular fad right now is to wear clothing that says “US Army” or “Property of the US Army.” Young people, old people, both girls and guys. They certainly don’t support America’s invasion of Iraq or anything that the US does internationally. They have very few guns (only the police have real hardware) and very little violence. I have yet to be confronted in a negative manner for being American, but it’s clear that the US government and military are the bad guys. Yet it’s cool to wear US Army shirts and carry US Army handbags. These dudes are weird.

Another popular trend is to brandish the Playboy bunny logo. Shirts, socks, hats, you name it. This is great – the US Army and Playboy, alive and well in Thailand.

Thailand is Super Cheap

I’ve said that Thailand is cheap, but have offered few examples. Here are some good ones:

-Thai Massage (1 hour): 100 Baht ($3)
-My Room in Chiang Rai (per night): 80 Baht ($2.50)
-Train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya: 15 Baht (50 cents)
-Bus from Chiang Mai to Pai: 80 Baht ($2.50)
-Bottle of Sangsom (Thai whiskey): 130 Baht ($4)
-Meat on a Stick from Street Vendor: 10 Baht (30 cents)
-Pad Thai or Curry from a Street Vendor: 20 Baht (60 cents)
-Bottle of Water from 7-11: 7 Baht (20 cents)
-Haircut in Barber Shop: 50 Baht ($1.70)

Everything isn’t always this cheap (my room now in Pai is 150 Baht ($4.70) per night), but it’s still pretty damn cheap. If you don’t go to overpriced touristy restaurants and buy a lot of random crap, Thailand can easily be budgeted at under $10 per day.
With beer at the relatively expensive cost of 50 Baht ($1.70) per bottle at bars and the occasional restaurant, I’m averaging a bit above $10/day. But the potential is certainly there and it’s totally sweet. Go Thailand.

Don’t Go Number 2 in Bus Station Bathrooms

Seriously. Hold it back. Had a bit of a scare yesterday. I had to drop some brown little friends off in the bus station toilet, and didn’t mind having to squat over the hole in the ground to do it. I started to mind considerably, however, when I realized I had far less wiping material than I thought. Couldn’t stand up, couldn’t stay squatting forever. Then my legs started to shake from holding the position. Crap. Literally. I rummaged around in my bag until I found sufficient materials (goodbye guide book pages 1-4), but it was certainly unpleasant. At least there wasn’t any Senator Larry Craig action. It could have been worse, but probably best to avoid the situation all together.

Let’s see, last post I was in Chiang Mai. From there I hopped a bus to neighboring (and sort of rival) city Chiang Rai. Before taking off, I met this old Thai guy named Mr. Jamnien. He was also going to Chiang Rai and we got talking and he sat next to me on the bus. I brought out the iPod for the journey and this perked Mr. Jamnien’s interest. We rocked out to Dragonforce and Green Day the whole way to Chiang Rai - head-banging and air guitar to boot. What an awesome little old man.

Chiang Rai was holding their annual “Four Nation Friendship Festival” when we got there. Representatives from Laos, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, and China were all there for this big ceremony and parade, complete with plenty of fireworks, fire balloons, and crazy performances. It may just be because it’s festival season, but these dudes love their firecrackers like no other. They were shooting them off non-stop for 4 days. I even saw a 5 year old girl tossing M-80s into the street.I’m in a little town named Pai now – still Northern Thailand, which I can’t seem to leave. At this rate I’m going to need another full month just to check out the south. Good thing I’ve got plenty of time – yeah unemployment! More later.

Trekking, Marijuana, and Solar Panels

The mountains, jungle, and villages around Chiang Mai are totally sweet. Just got back from a 3 day trek hiking around and was able to get off the beaten track to truly witness the beauty of Northern Thailand. We hiked about 50km in humid jungle heat, with the majority of it on mountains, bathed in waterfalls, and slept in cool little bamboo huts.

On the last day we were hiking by some villages and witnessed a large scale marijuana burning frenzy. Apparently farm authorities were spotted in the area and all the villagers had to eliminate “excess” weed stockpiles. From what I understand, they’re allowed to have a certain number of plants that are considered happenstance. The fires were huge.

I also learned something else in the countryside that is big time advanced for a country that’s still considered a “developing” nation. The Thai government is issuing solar panels to any villagers that want them. Don’t have power, but would like power? Here’s your complimentary solar panel. Rock out. Villages may not have a toilet that flushes, but they’re juiced with green energy. Bangkok may still be one of the world’s most polluted cities, but Thailand is employing some smart environmental-friendly policies at the same time.

That’s all for now. Off to Chiang Rai and Pai before heading to Southern Thailand. woot!

Random Thoughts: Motorbikes, Ruins, and Little Yellow Shirts

Since last post, I have traveled to Ayutthaya (old capital with temple ruins), to Sukhothai (oldest capital, when Thailand was Siam, with more ruins), and to Chiang Mai (sweet mountainous pub-town city). Besides seeing the sights, drinking the beer, and fraternizing with locals and other travelers, a few random thoughts have crossed my mind, so I’ll share them with you here.

Motorbikes are kick-ass. Almost as sweet as unicorns (for those who caught the reference). Until now, I’ve thought of them as quite an annoyance while trying to navigate obstacle-ridden streets – always shooting past you, going way too fast. In Sukhothai, however, there was a 12km road between hostel-town and ruins-town, and a motorbike rental wasn’t much more than a bicycle rental. I selected the black one. Holy crap could that thing move! I could get it up to 120km/hr in practically no time at all. I was scared I would get a speeding ticket until I noticed everyone else going just as fast. No wonder they love their motorbikes – they’re freakin awesome!

The ruins themselves, I must say, ranked a bit shy of the motorbike. They’re pretty cool looking, but a bit bland after a few days of exploring them. Mostly huge stone Buddhas, some have lost their heads, giant stone and brick temples, a bit on the crumbling side. Cool, but not much to keep the excitement going. The motorbike, however, showed no sign of excitement loss. Holy sweet Jesus that thing rules. Got to get one when I get back.

Something else that’s pretty interesting here is how everyone, seemingly all the locals, eat at food markets instead of going to grocery stores to cook at home. There are hardly any grocery stores, and the markets stay in business all day and all night. Food vendors generally group together, put out little plastic tables and chairs, and make essentially any Thai food you want for about 20 Baht (65 cents US). Pad Thai, rice with curry and vegetables and pork and fish, noodles with anything, just about any Thai food for cheap as can be. I’ve stopped going to restaurants, even cheap ones, because this is way better. Way to be, Thailand.

Alright, last few notes. I found this pretty cool: The standard work attire for all workers with any relation to the government or state is a yellow collared shirt with a little Thai Kingdom symbol on it. No suits, no ties, regardless of gender. Just a little yellow collared shirt. In Bangkok it was especially funny to see everyone outside of office buildings with little yellow shirts. But it’s still about half of all locals sporting them in other towns. It’s great – simple and a bit comical.

The people, generally speaking of course, are super friendly. They all know some English, though many are fluent, and are eager to practice. I remember thinking that the Japanese were friendly, but they’re also fairly reserved and wont talk to you unless prompted. Thai people are more outwardly friendly and enthusiastic in their cute little yellow shirts.

Right-o. Off to a trekking adventure in the mountains around Chiang Mai. I’ll post again in a week or so. Hope all is well with you kids.

Bangkok: Go Go Gadget Insanity

After 28 hours of airplanes and airports, I arrived in Bangkok International, just in time to stand in line for 2 hours to get my passport stamped. Horray! I managed to horde off all the dudes trying to rip me off and hopped in a regulated taxi so I could spend another couple hours getting to my hostel. Apparently the airport is quite a ways from the city, sort of like Dulles to DC, with a super rush hour of its own. Fortunately, we’re working with Thai Bahts so the taxi fare was a grand total of $5 US.

Bangkok is out of control. Big time. The streets are littered with food vendors, trinket vendors, dudes trying to pimp out Thai girls, tuk tuk taxis, women washing dishes, and mopeds whizzing around all the obstacles as fast as possible. Ridiculous glamorous Wats (temples) are scattered throughout the city in the midst of penis gardens (priceless), “Buy Your Buddhas Here” shops, and multiple red-light districts (you like girl? perhaps boy? no? how about young boy?). I stopped to pet a cat today and a lady tried to give it away to me.

As wild as the streets are, the red-light districts make the rest of Bangkok seem tame. The (in)famous scene has definitely earned its reputation. Soi Cowboy is one of the many red-light districts, and was a few alleys over from my hostel. Inside each of the 40+ bars is a stage populated by about a dozen mostly naked Thai chicks with ID numbers hanging off their G-strings. You can tell the waitress which number you’d like (or just select with your eyes – she knows you’re looking) and they come sit beside you within minutes, at which point they can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves. If you buy them a drink, they promote their seat to your lap, where they can’t seem to sit still. I can’t attest as to what happens next, but I think we can all imagine what the next step tends to be. (No, I didn’t sleep with any Thai prostitutes – the experience was for educational purposes only). The ease and transparency of it all is what makes it so unbelievable. And in sharp contrast to Amsterdam’s red-light district, the girls here are actually good looking.

The people here are also bat shit about their king, which I’m finding very interesting because I really don’t think it’s just for show. There are old fashion pictures of the guy on damn near every building and street corner, which are hilarious, along with proclamations of “Long live our King” and “We love the King.” Apparently he was in the hospital recently, just got out, and happened to be wearing a pink shirt. Pink shirts were immediately being snatched up at such a rapid pace that per-visit purchase quantities were limited. Nuts.

Traveling solo for the first time is certainly revealing positive and negative aspects. The freedom to do exactly as you please while only taking care of your own needs is great. Not being able to comment on observed craziness or exchanging random banter is not as great. Luckily, it took no time at all to befriend fellow backpackers at the hostel to party with at night. Of the dozens of people I’ve been hanging out with, almost all are mid to late 20s Europeans who have been traveling for several months and plan on continuing their travels for up to a year. It’s silly how Americans are shocked by someone taking a 6 month tour while Europeans will say “Is that all?”

According to my backpacker companions, the rest of Thailand is completely different than Bangkok. Which may be a good thing. It’s a blast here, but a bit too wild to stay for much longer. Off to Ayutthaya to check out the ruins of Thailand’s former capital. Sukhothai and Chiang Mai next.

So anyways, I’m still alive – haven’t been raped or robbed yet, haven’t been infected with any strange diseases (that I know of) yet, and haven’t even been thrown in jail yet. Hum… Something is going to have to go amiss eventually for some good story telling material. Hope all is well with you guys. Until next post, woot-face!

Prepare for Launch!

Oh boy, this is going to rule...

After a few months of pondering an escape from DC, I finally up and quit my job, got a roommate replacement, and purchased a one-way ticket to South East Asia. Take that, USA! This blog will chronicle my adventures in the region and share any revelations or inspirations that I may encounter along the way.

Without a return ticket, I have no set schedule or itinerary. High level plans, however, place Thailand first on the list with possible travel around Cambodia, Vietnam next, tentatively followed by Malaysia. Basic action plans involve sight-seeing, climbing, observing culture, and seeking out unadvisable experiences. Travel time relies almost completely on how long the money holds up (horray unemployment!), but the ballpark is around 6 to 8 months.

After missing Christmas last year while traveling around Japan, my family wants me home for the holiday this year. Apparently they want me home bad enough that they’re willing to fund the airfare for a round trip ticket. Without any appointments penciled in during the week of Christmas, I agreed to the stateside excursion. While this results in approximately 60 hours of airport/airplane time (not kidding), it also provides a West to East coast road trip with my sister on the way in, and additional time in Portland on the way back out. Not too shabby.

Portland is where I am right now – visiting Daria, checking out the job market, and marveling at the sweetness that is this town. Unlike most US cities, the streets here are filled with original non-franchise stores, microbreweries, and restaurants. I must have walked at least 10 miles yesterday and I saw one Subway (sandwiches, not underground rail). No McDonalds, no Burger King, no other crappy fast food joints. Just one Subway tucked off the road on Hawthorne Blvd. I stopped to look at it, realizing it was the only franchise on the entire street, as a passerby says “hi” to me. Portland teems with individuality, originality, and innate friendliness. Call me crazy, but it seems to me that these are the very qualities that most of America critically lacks.

Alright, starting to ramble, so I’ll wrap it up. Launch to Bangkok is this Wednesday (Nov 7^th), so I’ll post again later once I have something exciting, or at least interesting, to write about. Until then, Woot-face!