For me the Fourth of July is not as big of a deal as it used to be when I was younger. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that for the last for 4th of July's, I've been out of the country (2008-2009, Taiwan, 2010 Kenya, 2011 here in Thailand). I haven't had a genuine and legit 4th of July in years, and I miss it. Last year, despite being in Kenya I had an amazing fourth of July. I stayed with my cousins at their apartment in Nairobi, we had some great food, some beers and I met a lot of cool people. There's something about traveling or rather living abroad that brings out the best in people. Everyone is excited to reconnect with traditions, people are just closer, more open with each other because they are so far from home. Last fourth of July, despite being on the otherside of the world, was a welcoming, exciting and awesome time. For the fourth of July this year I went to a bar in Bangkok that had an American theme going on for the night. Drank some Buds, ate some really crappy hot dogs, watched a little baseball action and chatted with some fellow Yanks. But it wasn't the same as a real fourth of July.....it's all about the people, family, friends and good company on the 4th. Granted there is something cool and exciting about meeting new people in a strange place and sharing a tradition with a roomful of strangers...but it's just not the same as spending it with some good friends and family.
I'm heading up to Pai on Wednesday...taking the overnight train from Bangkok to Chaing Mai and then a 4 or five hour bus up to Pai. To be honest, I'm really looking forward to getting out of Bangkok. I'm not a big fan of polluted and overcrowded cities....and I'm excited to just chill out in a peaceful village for a few months. Plus, I've been battling an annoying stomach bug for the last few days (I'm not sure where it came from; I've been avoiding street food, eating lots of rice etc... but I did drink some Coke with ice in the glass so who knows)....been spending a lot of time in the hotel just feeling not so good... I hope it'll get better with some clean air and good living up north, we'll see how it goes...
As for the election yesterday, everything seemed to go smoothly and it was really quiet walking around the city, mostly just foreigners walking around the markets and shops. Hopefully I feel better before my overnight train up North....but happy fourth of July everyone!
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