Final Thoughts, Observations and Learnings...

As I sit here at the Coffee Bean (my first Bean fix in 3 weeks if you can believe it) reflecting on this latest adventure, I’m having a difficult time deciding what to highlight from this magnificent journey. There’s just so much more to share with you. I never did a posting on the amazing show we saw in Bangkok. It was quite a production. There were elephants and goats on stage, people flying around and even a canal built into the stage. I mean someone actually dove into the water and it was neck deep. It was wild.

I also never blogged about the amazing 4-D show my friend and I went to at the aquarium. It was one of those IMXA films and was only 20 minutes long but it was really cool. It was called Monsters of the Deep. It was a 3-D film with the kind of chairs that move and jerk. It was like a ride at Universal. I screamed more than once. The funny thing was, right before it started this family of five walked in and the dad was telling one of the younger kids that it was going to be scary. He told his son; if you get too scared just take your 3-D glasses off for a minute. I kind of smiled to myself, thinking how scary can this be? Honestly, I had to take my glasses off twice doing the movie!

Okay, I know most of you don’t have hours on end to read this, so I’ll try and be brief. I said try. Here are some of the Traveling Hillbilly’s final random thoughts, observations and learnings.

1 - The Traveling Hillbilly has never met more gracious people than those of Thailand. They truly do inspire one to be a better person.

2 - True happiness really is all about perspective. It’s about being grateful and appreciative for what you have, not something we should always be searching for. The Thai people seem to be very happy in general, regardless of their financial situation or what material things they have. They seem to have a genuine appreciation for life itself.

3 – Everyone drives scooters and it’s amazing what you can do with a scooter. It was nothing to see an entire family on a scooter, often carrying dogs, groceries or any number of items. Folks make “taxis” (tuk-tuks) and food stands out of them. In both Thailand and Cambodia, scooters seem to be used like we would use a pick up truck here. It was crazy.

4 - The Traveling Hillbilly is always so relaxed and happy when traveling. I wish I could bottle that feeling and maintain it long after coming home.

5 – I think it would be more difficult to learn Thai than Chinese or Japanese. They have 44 letters in the alphabet and 24 of those are vowels! In my time there about the only word I learned to say was “Thank You” and it still took over a week to get it right!

6- There really is no shame in “serving.” Here in the states we seem to look down on jobs that seem to serve others. A lot of folks don’t want to “work for the man.” People strive to be their own boss. “It’s an honor to serve” is part of the Thai culture and my time there gave me a whole new perspective. I am truly inspired by the way they live their lives and what proud people they are.

7 – As a non-seafood eater, the food in Thailand and Cambodia is better than a lot of places in Asia, certainly better than the food the Traveling Hillbilly had in China (no chicken feet). It is however, a little blander than the Thai we typically have here. One of the things I love about Thai food is all the spices make it so flavorful here. However, they like it spicy, as in HOT, very HOT, so I think they tone the spices down a little for us. I have to say though, no McDonald’s for the Traveling Hillbilly on this trip! Did I ever mention there actually was no McDonald’s in Siem Reap? Can you believe it? There may actually be some folks who have never tried a Big Mac! Of course 10 minutes after arriving in Phuket, we saw a sign for a McDonald’s open 24 hours!

9 – I have never seen such HUGE jellyfish as the ones in Phang Na Bay. Forget about sea snakes, the jellyfish were reason enough to keep this hillbilly from jumping out of the kayak!

10 – There were not many American tourists in either Thailand or Cambodia. I guess the 18+ hour flight scares a lot of us off. Maybe that’s why there isn’t a McDonald’s on every street corner.

11 – I’d love to see more of Cambodia. My brief time there was amazing. Angkor Watt and some of the other temples there are truly sites to see. They are unlike anything the Traveling Hillbilly has seen before. Plus interestingly enough, the cars there have the driver’s side on the right just like in Thailand, but they actually drive on the same side of the road as we do. It was a little unnerving.

12 – As crowded as some of the streets were between the people, the scooters and cars (especially in Bangkok) you never really heard horns honking. Again, I think this goes back to the graciousness of the people. They just get along, don’t complain, aren’t in a rush. It’s all very civilized.

13 - 4 cities is just too much to try and do in only 15 days. In order to give yourself time to truly get to know and experience a city, you need at least 4-5 days there. You don't want to always be rushing to the next destination. You need time to kick back and relax. After all you are on vacation.

14 - Would I go back? I definitely want to go back to Cambodia. I think there is so much more there to see and experience. I would like to go back and see more of northern Thailand but as I mentioned before, I don't care to go back to Bangkok.

The Traveling Hillbilly has always loved to travel. There are no ‘to do” lists, no agendas, no stress. You get to meet amazing people, try new food and learn about new cultures. I always come back a better, more enriched person. This trip was no different.

Thanks for allowing me to share this amazing experience with you. I hope you enjoyed the journey and learned something along the way.

Now the big question is, where to next?