Written By: Aidan Kelly
I like to think that I have traveled Europe a fair bit. I have seen London, and been to France, down the Italian peninsula, and back up into the ancient castle above Prague. So when I say Thailand is by far the most picturesque foreign country I have been in my life know that I have some experience.
Everything there is green. Green grass, green trees, green mountain sides, green tea, and green curry. Green and wet with torrential downpours that seem to occur at least once a day that last around ten minutes before they let up and the sun peeks out to light up the blue sky and the surrounding mountains covered in jungle. On top of the tallest mountain Bhubing Palace sparkles under the sun and is bathed in golden light at night. The Palace is the King’s winter residence in the northern capital of Thailand and serves the important purpose as a lighthouse for gauging how far from home I am on a late night. Down in the city below the mist covered mountains Chiang Mai is sprawling. The University campus where I studied boasts almost 35,000 students over a 14 square kilometer campus. Thankfully the university has a number of electric buses that run for most of the day or I could never get anywhere but class. Speaking of driving, it is maniac. Drivers take the painted lanes as gentle suggestions while speeding along at 80kph(50mph roughly) or more cutting across lanes and often using the shoulder as the passing lane. Further, there are few to no pedestrian crossings meaning crossing the road is often a harrowing experience. Thankfully drivers here seems more attentive than those back home as they do not want to damage their cars. I am quite thankful I did not have to drive anywhere as I am not sure my nerves could take it. That said the food more than makes up for the Mad Max like insanity on the roads.
The first thing about the food here is that it is cheap. Really cheap. The most expensive meal I had was Pad Thai with river prawns and it was about seven USD or 220 bht and worth every penny. Usually, a full meal and a drink is less than five dollars at a restaurant. Street food is even cheaper. Usually about a dollar for a to go container of hot chicken, pad thai, or bowl of curry all of which they will make right in front of you just to get your hunger up before you have to go hunt for a seat at a public sitting area. All of the food is fresh as well. Once when walking back from class I saw a truck filled with chickens parked at the entrance of a butcher shop, a guy walked out with two plucked and bloody chickens went for about a block then stepped into the kitchen of his restaurant. We went there to eat later that night. I got a northern Thai dish called Khao Soi. It is a curry with fried wheat noodles over it, some lime, and a chicken leg then served steaming hot. You can smell the spice as they take it to your table.
Of course, what really makes any meal is the people you bring along. The program I attended employed several English speaking students as ‘Thai Buddies’ to help us navigate the city and find good places to eat. They were invaluable friends and guides for everything from finding places to get that Mexican food I had been craving for the past three weeks or booking a car to take us out of town for the weekend. This is not to forget the people who were in it with me. There is a certain kind of creature that is willing to take the leap into the unknown. To travel to the literal other side of the world with no friends, a basic or no understanding of the language, and be excited about the adventure. These are the type of people who will become your best friends in a matter of days simply because they insisted upon it. These are the people who will take the risk of going on a boat tour during monsoon season and when that boat is thrown about like a toy in a toddler’s bath and torrents of rain soak the hapless passengers in freezing water they are the ones to breakout into song singing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of their lungs over the sounds of the other passengers vomiting in the back.
There is no replacement for the experiences you will have or the people you will meet abroad. There is simply nothing like going to a far away place detached from your family and friends at home, a place where no one has heard of you nor you of anyone else. It is a place of no expectations where no one has in interest beyond the here and now and they intend to make the absolute best of it no matter the circumstances. There are wonders in the far away places. From the ancient temples left to ruin for the past 500 years deep in the jungle, to the simple foods that you might eat on the side of the street, and most importantly the people who will discover these things beside you.
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