2 night markets in a night

I touched down at 6.05pm Thailand time,

Took a 150 baht taxi to the hotel.

The transport here is actually pretty cheap. So I’m a lil too pampered to walk all over the place this time round

But I didn’t do much research so. I guess i decided to take a walk and get lost

The fst market was Chiang Mai night market.

The second one was at tha phae gate.

They kinda sell pretty much the same things.

Same things probably u find all over Thailand anyway.

I think I used to be really excited about night markets.

Now I hardly feel anything for materialistic things or clothes and all.

Funny this time I start appreciating the lanterns and fairy lights.

Chiang Mai can be kinda pretty I guess. At least… it feels gentler than Bkk I don’t know why. Maybe the traffic honks lesser.

I wonder how much coffee I’ll drink tomorrow

Again. I don’t intend to plan. I’ll probably sleep in a little ~ who cares

Anyway, chiang Mai travel tip – look out for this red taxi. It’s $30 baht per pax flat rate anywhere – old town is pretty near everywhere anyway. But if u travel alone, they will ask for more because it’s supposed to be a ride share. Looks like below – they will call out to you it’s called songthaew (read song tell – with a nasal sound on the tell)

The two night market are in maps 🙂 google maps works well in Thai. I followed the map and walked around to Chiang Mai night bazar. No hiccups except a small scary alley. Which honestly… wasn’t that scary after all.

I love the feeling of this but I was stuffed by the time I found this

And I dropped half of this on the floor🥲 I couldn’t fin it anyway. I still have 2 toast in my bag. When did I become the kinda traveller who buys ~ plain water

He looked so bored. This is right after he gave me the puppy eye. 🍪

There’s a really chill n loud bar here. I wish I still drink. And…. Well. They play Thai bangers. Suddenly All I want is to go back to my hotel and do squats n glutes

Elephants is growing on me

Many place feels like jodd fair in Bkk. Just maybe… a lil quieter. The busker at my dinner place sings pretty well

This reminds me of someone who had a dream to be a musician but he gave it up. He is doing so well now though. I wonder what he would say if he sees the guitar chuck flat on the floor like that

So goodnight goodnight

The Night at the airport (coolangata aussie)

It’s exciting to be polish. He said.

And living on edge he does indeed.

The first i met this crazy guy, was outside the airport, at 2am.

He just lost his passport…

and as the story goes….

I’ve slept in twice, in the airport and was almost robbed once while dozing off.

slept once, in a train station…

no big deal…

so the cheap skate me decided that since the flight is 9 am in the morning, i might as well camp over at the airport again.

uh uh. wrong move matey…

because this time, the gold coast coolangata airport lock up at 11pm…

It’s winter

and, its in the middle of no where… nice planning indeed.

A nice man offered to drive me to a hostel as he was leaving the airport and spied me lounging on a long chair. ” the airport will be closed in 10 minutes, you need a ride?”

i blinked. closed? err.. “nahz, i’ll just camp out here” so much confidence in myself to brave the winter night. (come on I swam in the sea in 19 deg wind. whats winter in a warm jacket right?)

so i dragged the bags out and set up camp outside.

few minutes later, a mean fatso of a security guard came along and shoo-ed me off to a corner, guess where?

outside the dumpster 😦 urgg..

misery always feels better with company~ so i had to invite the other over nighters to join~

and the cold wind blow~~~~

laid out my midnight snacks and breakfasts on a high chair beside me for encouragement, eventually finishing he lot before 1am kicked in… and all I crave for is a warm bag of mac french fried. so much for perseverance!

and so i fell asleep as usual.and then, polish guy came along.

“guys… how are you guys. I am sitting at the corner there and i think i am freaking out”

i barely open my eyes as my other sleep deprived friends ignored him

he gawked for a moment and walked away slouching.

i had to approach him and found his camped in all his personal artifacts strewn all over the airport floor.

personal artifacts are : a guitar case, 2 books, one laptop his water bottle, one towel. a photo album of him and his girlfriend,and his famous “its exciting to be polish” plate

so this guy is on a 6 months scholarship… and brings only one tower to cover his ass?

and yes. he lost his passport. and oh by the way, he is a double major scholar learning quantum physics and mathematics…. =.=

he fumbled around again finally left all his personal artifacts with me for safe keeping before hopping into a cab off to find his passport.

he came back empty-handed.

then he told me ” i am so stress, i am going off for a run”

like… what? its 4am! and you lost your passport, visa is up, got a flight to catch, a load of luggage, a weird polish plate, and its freaking 8 deg winter in this ungodly desolated airport!

and off he went.

an hour later, the exciting polish returned. brandishing: his passport.

wet passport.

the funny man started folding toilet paper in each leaf of the book while animatedly told me how he went jogging and found it on the pavement… (no joke)

i frowned and said ” you know there is a thing… called the hand dryer…”

he stared at the washroom bemused and got up ” why do you make more and more sense as you talk” lol.

and so…

the night at the airport – a cold, happy ending~

p.s. it is exciting to be polish indeed 🙂

kind strangers

the last I got a free something (i am sure there are many more small kind vesture, but that is the most recent i remember) was probably in munich, a kind old lady gave me a huge sunflower.

its rainy any she approach us inconspicuously, sat at the bench nearby.

“hi ladies, this is a one day ticket, but I am done for the day, so I am giving this to you. have a nice trip. just make sure you are back by 12, cause it expires by midnight”

I blinked at her. “you are giving it to me?” surprised.

she smiled and tipped the cards over. and said”be careful to keep it, don’t let the station personnel see us passing the cards over” – because cards r not transferrable.

I thanked her and she simply smiled n  walked away. I was still a little shocked as she turned around the corner n disappear in sight.

🙂 I will give away my used parking coupons with extra time left, more often from now.

thank you kind lady!

side note, me to kerrin: “lets come home late tonight! lets tram all the way! its all free!!!!”

(i Don’t know why i post this…. i ended up getting lotsa freebie in this trip. a free frisbee, some free dinner… free pizza… free home stay… yet i feel as though i am getting a little too old to travel like a hippie…)

illegal, licence-less road hazard biker

How i love the feeling of vietnam.

how i love this freedom.

how i love biking, without a licence, no questions asked

how i love travel.

Vietnam biking: 

how i love the wild estacy of “legitimately” running a red light

i mean, vietnamese really has no understanding of red and green light.

I LOVE RUNNING RED LIGHT!!!!

then again, i got chicken, when the cars came so close to my dangling feet on the bike,

so yea, my Vietnamese friend had to ride me…

on a VESPA! no less!

But hey, she said i ride well! 🙂

vespa bike keys and coupon for parking (free parking!)

 

do note though, don’t film while biking. robbery occur very often.

my vietnamese friend said i was lucky. Everyone the street was staring…

the impossible of Ho Chi minh,

Anything under the sun seems to be possible here in Ho Chi Minh, vietnam.

Crossing the road, feels like a scene in the lord of the rings.

or at least that’s how i feel.

because if the lights shows green, the motorcycles will ride.

if the lights shows red, the motorcycles will still ride.

other than motorcycles, the taxis can stop anywhere, on the road side, in the middle of the road, do a 3 point turn in the middle of the road, or even end up on the road curb buying a ban mi (french bread).

more impossibly, musicians (mostly elderly couple) could stand IN THE  MIDDLE of a busy road and play their music. some motorcyclist would stop by casually and tip them a few hundred dongs (Vietnam currency) while the motors behind would patiently express their support by honking several times.

pedestrian are all honk trained. As i eventually realized, they have all mastered the skill of crossing like a boss. Once you take a first step out, Never look back.

Like this brave street peddler. the traffic moved and configure around her while she casually made her way across while i half jog half ran, half froze before reaching the shore beyond.

other than traffic,

I seriously consider vietnam the only place you could see men in suit and tie/ women in heels and dress clothes, half squatting upon short stools, along a narrow dirty broken ally way, sipping hot Pho in midday under the sun.

the best part though, is after they complete their meal,

the normal thing to do, is to sweep all the left over right onto the floor.

a typical food hut

A cleaner would clean it up once the left overs have piled op on the floor.

Once i ventured into a cafeteria, satisfying my last craving for Pho before returning home.

It came to my notice that in Vietnam, food sharing between different group of patrons is a normal thing. though not the conventional way; making friends and sharing.

For untouched food, vegetable, mint leaves, spring rolls, fried rice dough etc,

the seller would rearrange them and place them onto some other patrons table.

It was fortunate of me to be fiddling with my camera, before touching my food, (and i sure was tempted to try the rice dough)

However the waiter came up in a rush, and haphazardly asked “how many dough have you eaten”

well how many have… the other table eaten? did they drool upon the whole bowl…..

the good thing though, is It all works with trust. no further questions asked.

Of course, i ate none. I wonder if i will ever get used to sharing food this way.