Plans

This thing that is so often made, seem to always fail me.

Plans create a false sense of expectation in the future. These should neither be made nor thought of. Most especially for a caveman like me.

Plans came and went, and I am still here.  A weekend alone is exactly what I need.

A plethora of letters and postcards have been accumulating in my room. Soon to be sent out. My apologies in the delay.

As I was on my usual walk, I couldn’t help but be drawn to this. The love affair with two wheels is something I can’t seem to shake from my mind.

So today I am off into Bangkok.
To where, I do not know.

Plans are thrown out the window.

Kick Back and Relax

Woke up this morning only to find myself in house to myself.

I felt as if I had time had gone in reverse, and I was back to my first couple of days in Thailand. I quickly decided that it was going to be a day to myself. As ironic as it may sound, after getting settled in, I just haven’t been able to relax as much.

Clothes, Check.
Camera, Check.
Money, Check.

I was ready to be on my way.

I headed to the Sky Train with no real destination. I put 35 Baht on a card, and jumped on the next train out.

I found myself in a new area, not yet explored. First on the agenda was food. After walking around with a grumbling stomach, I decided to walk into a random Thai restaurant.

I was instantly greeted by my 4 favorite friends.

Only if you have been to Thailand can you understand.
Sweet, Sour, Spicy, and Salty.

My stomach seems to be slowly shrinking to match the portions in Thailand.

Not your usual cup, but I am beginning to love them.

Lunch was followed by a walk in the surrounding areas.
Only in Bangkok, can you be surrounded by sky scrapers and busy streets, and find a beautiful park as you turn the corner.

Walking home, I thought I ran into another friend from San Jose. I could have sworn it was Doreen on the scooter.

Awesome 2-stroke motorcycles are found in alleys all around Thailand.

After a quick stop at home, I headed back to school for a Thai Language class. I am determined to learn the language before I leave.

The afternoon sky in Thailand once again amazes me.

The King of Thailand is quite a heroic figure in Thailand.

Chulalongkorn University is quite a nice place to attend. Built right in the center of the city, but has beautiful structures.

Felt nice spending my day walking around on my own just processing all of the thoughts in my head.
Just taking pictures and enjoying the scenery all around me. The feeling can start to fade, as you get more and more accustomed to a place.

 

Going abroad has been quite an eye opener, and it is still only my 3rd week.
I am excited to see what is to come.

Hua Hin Happiness

Sitting through 9 hours of class today was quite difficult. Lack of adequate sleep put me in a trance today

Wednesdays can’t get any tougher, as I have to sit through 3 classes, each being 3 hours.

To make things worse I spent Tuesday rrelaxing on the Southern coast of Thailand. I journeyed out to the beach of Hua Hin. Located 3+ hours out of Thailand, it was by far one of the least crowded beaches I have been to in a long while.

The bus station is quickly becoming one of my frequent stops.

Most would despise the long rides in public transportation but I find them to be quite peaceful.
I use the time to write and process my thoughts.
For me it’s a tour of the many parts of Thailand I have yet to see.

The clouds of Thailand are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I can sit there staring out of the windows for hours on end.

I could not help but snap a shot of the sleeping couple in front of me. There was something quite serene about the view I saw.
Simple, but for some reason it stuck out to me.

The bus stopped at what seemed like the middle of the road and pushed us all off. A quick walk down the quiet roads of Hua Hin and I was greeted with paradise.

As I walked into the deep blue that seemed to go on forever, I was greeted by the warmth usually only found in bathtubs.
I couldn’t help but jump into this oasis of the deepest blue.

Papaya salad had never tasted so good.

 

Rain came and went throughout the day, but in the water I stayed.

It truly is a scene that cannot be grasped simply in photographs.

 

As always this journey had to come to an end.

As the sun set I quickly realized that I had no idea how I was going to get home.
After about an hour of running around frantically, I was able to find a way home.

Traveling like a caveman has its perks, and it definite downfalls. As Always things worked out and I was home before I knew it.

A great day in what felt like paradise. Not a care in the world existed out there.

Life was simple.

Shades of Gray

Life is never black nor white.Never right nor wrong. Always shades of gray.

Monday night was a time of laughs. Of fun and excitement. Of new friends and old. And as always definite shades of gray.

Soon after taking a couple of pictures, I found myself in front of the camera instead of behind it.

The photographer for the night.

Old Friend

Monday morning came faster than normal. As the sun rose, so did I.

After a long trek into new areas of Bangkok, I was greeted by a surprising email. An old friend, living only a couple of countries away, was headed to Bangkok the very next morning.

A 6 AM ride on the sky train the next day and I too had landed at the airport.

As I arrived to the pickup area, so did she.

Both she and I were hungry, so a visit to the street market was in need.
Breakfast is not the easiest to find in Bangkok, so we resorted to Papaya Salad. Feeling as if I was now a native, I asked for extra peppers. I am not so sure if peppers fist thing in the morning were the best idea.

 

We headed back to my place to eat soon after getting her settled.
Kevin soon after got up so we decided to take her on a tour of the city.

Food is a constant desire throughout the day. Even after a meal, I can’t help but be drawn back into the next restaurant.

It is always strange seeing people you know being featured in magazines. I guess he is quite the man in Thailand.

On our walk back home, we ran into a local Muay Tai fight going on right outside of the local mall.

Decided to put my zoom lens to use and snap some shots of this local sport I had been dying to see.

After heading back to my place. I decided that a warm welcome was in need. Once again people would join at room 1208 for a time of fun.
More of that to come later.

Traveler Becomes a Tour Guide

Wanting to post, but instead will travel.

A new post to come, but for now I will continue on my journey.

 

New places, and new faces to come.

Weekend in the Marketplace

Life in Bangkok has been quite busy lately. I haven’t gotten the chance to post as often as usual, but I am hoping to get back on track.

The weekend has been full of exploring the land of markets in Thailand.

Almost everywhere you turn you find a marketplace of some sort, but Saturday morning we headed to what was the markets of all markets.

Walking through the market I spotted this beautiful Honda. Reminded me of home. I miss Sunday rides through the California Redwoods.

As usual we all were excited for food.

As far as the eye could see, there were things of all sorts for sale.

Hydration is key in a city like Bangkok. Fresh fruit drinks are in abundance.

I couldn’t help but fall victim to the freshly fried spring rolls.

Children of all ages are skilled in all kinds of things.

The day came to a close, as we all were overwhelmed by the amount of things for sale.

We headed home, only to get ready for a true night in Bangkok.
The night was long and consisted of great fun on Soi Cowboy.

—

After waking up this morning, we all concluded that breakfast was needed.
Went up to grab Kevin from our room, and we were back off into the market.

Why carry your child, when you can just cart them around?

I couldn’t help but snap a couple shots of these children and their grandmother relaxing on a warm Sunday morning.

The busy market sidewalks proved to be comfortable enough for Kevin to fall asleep on.

Once again, I am surrounded by the serene children of Bangkok. They are often my favorite subjects to photograph.

Although I have only been here a week, I feel like this is already starting to become my home.
My daily walks are accompanied by greetings of friendly locals who now know my name. I no longer feel like a “farang”, but instead feels as if I am a local myself.
The people of Thailand have been more accepting than many of my lifelong neighbors at home.

I think this is a change I can get used to.

Overwhelmed with Joy

I woke up this morning to what I thought would be a normal day.

Get up. Upload pictures. Blog about my journeys in Thailand. Eat. Explore Thailand.

This all came to a screeching hault as I opened my laptop.

An influx of emails reminded me how much I miss my friends and family back in the States. Although I thoroughly enjoy spending time away, having the people I love around me is a feeling I long for.

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support people have given me.
Many say I am easily pleased, but this truly is more than I had ever expected.

Thank you all for supporting the Caveman and the travels.

Although I cannot always be with you, I feel as if you all are accompanying me through my journey into this new world.

So I decided that although this is out of my usual fashion, I would blog today not about my travels, but about all you readers.

Thank you all for reading.

Pattaya Pleasure

It was a normal Friday morning. I sat in front of my computer writing, blogging, and thinking about where the day would take me.

My roommate Emerick was gone, and Kevin was sleep.  I was antsy to get out, and  I craved a day to myself.

I decided to head out alone.Packed an extra shirt, shorts, and headed out. Just me, my backpack, and public transportation

I headed to the main bus station where I found a ticket to Pattaya beach, 2 hour bus ride, for only 113 Baht ($3.75).

Why not?

A long ride on the bus allowed me to see areas not yet seen. Being constantly around the city, I had almost forgotten how beautiful of a place Thailand is.

As I arrived I was ready to head to the beach. I had decided I was not going to stop  until I saw the sweet sands of Thailand.

That quickly failed as I came across my first vegetarian restaurant.

Spicy “duck” curry with Pineapples, grapes, and a side of Brown rice. Nothing short of perfection.

A scooter and food stand all in one is not at all unusual in Thailand.

Finnally I had arrived at the beach

Clear waters with temperatures that would make you feel as if you were taking a bath are abundant in Thailand.

Although the water felt great, the influx of tourists and corporations has led to the detriment of these beaches.

Drinking out of a freshly cut coconut on a beach in Thailand is quite a feeling.

It was the Queens birthday, and the streets were filled with people and a parade in honor.

Possibly the coolest Bus I have seen to date. I have come to the conclusion that my next car will be a bus.

Pattaya beach turned out to be quite beautiful.

 

 

Quick Press

Only a quick post this morning.

Got an email this morning from one of my best friends.
It really made my morning to get the email. I love hearing from you all who follow the blog.
To all who follow the blog: Feel free to email me, I would love to see pictures of what you all do with the stickers.

Cavemantravels@gmail.com

There will be more to come about my Friday Journey to Pattaya Beach.
I hate to have a morning with no post but for now I will leave you with a couple of pictures.