Hoy, esto LJ es para a efecto de ayudandome con mi espanol.

Welcome to my new blog about my experiences in Bangkok, Thailand. I got tired of saying the same things to different people, so I'll put it all here. My pictures can be found at http://flickr.com/photos/gaoist

--Gabe

So yesterday, I ended my trip with a little meditation. It was freaking hot in the room, but besides that, it was cool. Afterwards, I went out and got some food from a little stand on the sidewalk. This is one of the places where you have to order your food, so I ordered the 1 food I knew I liked and I knew she could make, pad thai. I think it's appropriate that my last meal in Thailand is real authentic pad thai from some anonymous cook on the sidewalk.
Well, when I got my food, I started digging it, and it was good. But, I guess I was still in a deep mood from the meditation, so I wanted to give thanks.
I started by thanking the life forces of the plants and the egg that had to be destroyed so that I could eat, and I also thanked the cook for preparing the food. I then took a bite but stopped. It's not like the cook made the noodles.
For the noodles, I had to start with the wheat. I had to thank the wheat that grew and the farmers that grew the wheat and picked it. Then I had to thank the people who took the wheat and processed it into flour. Finally, I had to thank the people that took the flour and turned it into the noodles.
Now, this whole process had to be repeated for the soybeans that made the tofu, and also for all the random veggies. At last settled, I proceed to eat, and then I stopped.
I'm not done thanking the people I need to thank. I need to thank the people that created the machines that produced the noodles, the machined that packaged the products. The people who transported them to the markets, and then the people who sold them to the cook. I'm getting sick of giving thanks, as I really want to eat this good food. But then I realized I'm STILL not done.
I have to thank government for creating money, and the cultures that allowed (and hopefully helped) all these operations. I had to thank the people who designed all the machines used. I had to thank the people that mined the material used to make my ceramic plate and metal utensils. The list goes on forever, and I didn't even mention the oil, the peanuts, chili powder, water, or the equipment that the cook used!
Man, Christians/Jews/Muslims have it easy, they just thank god and that's it. Trying to thank every single person that was involved in the process of getting that pad thai on my plate is impossible. And I STILL could give thanks to the biochemical processes that keep me alive, or the physical processes that created the Earth as a mineral rich planet. This is one complicated world.

I'm back in the Taiwan airport. Unfortunately, I can't even go outside this time as I had to go immidiately to transfer. Well, I was sitting bored until I remembered that there is free internet in this area and presto, here I am. The first flight was fine. I realize that I don't have an economy ticket, but a step above economy ticket. This gives me a personal screen and I can choose which movies to watch. Did I want this? Hell no, I'd rather have some of my money back, but this was the cheapest available seat.

Only 1 12hr flight left.....

This is my last night in Thailand! I spent the day going to a snake farm and meditating. I might have done more if i didn't wake up at 10:30am. Anyways, I spending tonight packing and then gonna get a massage. I'll post all my "What I miss about Thailand," "What I like better in U.S." "What have I learned." After I get back. I have a 3hr layover in Taiwan, so I can do some writing there.
Ahh, my last post from this smelly internet cafe which costs 2cents/min.

Now that I got my (still broken) camera back from canon, I can upload the last of the pictures I took. After it broke I was still able to take video, so I have a bunch of 1second videos that I eventually take stills from and upload.
Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJOU8civgyU to watch a monkey drinking from a bottle

Anyways, so I was sitting there, and crunched all the numbers, trying to figure out how I spent so much money. Well, I figured as much as I could and could account for all but $120. I can easily see $120 being spent in odds and ends. There are a few big variables, like food, that I'm not sure about (I guessed $250 for all my food (roughly 225baht/day which is an overestimate somedays and an under some other days)). The fact that I spent over $800 on shopping is kind of nuts.
Anyways, UPS said my tickets were delivered, but there is nothing here for me... so, I'll deal with it in the morning.

Sparky left me, I'm all alone again :(. Anyways, i'm finishing up my shopping (christmas shopping, in december? why would i want to do that), and gonna go to the dentist tomorrow, so everything is coming to an end. Seriously though, next time I travel, NO shopping for anything except jewelry. I have a ridiculous amount of stuff. And, all this stuff is one of the reasons why I didn't travel much inside Thailand. Oh well, live and learn.

3 days!!!!!!! w00.

Well, I was soo close to getting rid of the cockroach. I have a window that is made of glass slits, so all I needed was the bug to walk down one and leave forever. It was sitting on the top of one of the slits, and I was about to go after it (to scare it away) w/ a towel. This is when I learned that cockroaches can fly. Ugh, well, it looks like I'm stuck with this guy for the next 5 nights, so I might as well give it a name. So far, I think I'm going for Sparky.

For the most part, mosquitos have been the only bug that has bugged me in Thailand. In bangkok, i'd come back with a few bites on my ankles, but nothing bad. On Koh pangyan, I HAD to wear bug spray or i would be assualted. In Chiang Mai, I saw my first cockroach. Unfortunitely, it wasn't my last. Yesterday I felt something go over my foot while sitting on a bus. I look down and see some cockroaches walking around. I know have had cockroaches and pigions walk across my feet.
Now, an annoying bus ride is livible, but just 30min ago, i was taking a dump when I see a cockaroach walking around in my bathroom. I watch and somehow it squeezes itself pass the door into the main room. Fuck. Well, lets hope I don't wake up with a dead cockroach in my mouth because then I'll surely puke for a good few minutes.
Even sooner, I was sitting on the sidewalk 10min ago, and saw some cockroaches around me, I jumped up and looked around and realized I had sat only a few feet from a drain. Ugh. Well, statistically, I've had no issues in the past 3-4 days, so tonight should be just the same.... I wonder if keeping the fan on all night well help keep them away. Another ugh moment would be if I open up my luggage when I get back into U.S. and find a few dead cockroaches. Anyways..... ugh.

Here I am in a country thousands of miles away from family, so if you're able to be with your family today, please appreciate it, as not everyone can.