Our "couch" in Bangkok. It was so hot that when I woke up everywhere my body had touched the bed was wet.

It’s 11:42 and I’m lying on the mattress in the room where Andrew and I are couchsurfing, physically and mentally worn out but having trouble resting. The constant otherworldly humidity coupled with the lack of sleep has finally caught up with me and I feel like a dilapidated building just biding its time until it crumbles. In addition, a chemical-induced torpor has set in, diminishing my patience and leaving me frustrated with the lack of writing I’ve done since being here. For a few hours I was sitting, staring at the computer, unable to concentrate, trying to flesh out a draft of the experience I had at a club the other night but only able come up with two sentences that actually have nothing to do with what I intended to write about.

Since arriving in Bangkok we’ve been out a lot. Last night Andrew and I attended a couchsurfing meetup/dinner with some guys we’ve met over the past few days. At the meetup we met a bunch more people (many with fascinating names), had a shitload of home-cooked food and chatted with people from all over. Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Thailand, Turkey, and a handful of people from our own homeland (United Satan of Ameriqa) were well-represented. The night culminated with a delivery Thai massage. Our host, Bee (not sure if it is her real name), called up some masseuses who pick up extra cash by practicing their craft on the road after hours. At the time Bee called the masseuses I was already exhausted but it was only supposed to be 45 minutes before they came so I decided it would be worth sticking around for.

Forty five minutes is a literal term for some and an incredibly poor guesstimate for others but my mind didn’t really care as much as my body so I stayed. During the wait I went out and tried a Thai blue-colored Gatorade for comparison with the Chinese blue-colored Gatorade (best-tasting Gatorade color in China). Surprisingly it tasted like shit but as the guy from Blues Traveler sings, “I know no matter what the waitress brings I should drink it and always be full.” I often repeat this line to myself as a pseudo-mantra.

Anyway, the massage was a rip-off; it cost 200 Baht for one hour. In US currency that is $6.41 (as per exchange rate at the time of writing). I felt so cheated, like a duped tourist who fell for the most obvious of scams. Oh well, lived, learned. Honestly I’m not sure why I concentrated on writing about the massage, because that wasn’t the highlight of the night. The highlight was seeing so many people, many strangers, coming together, hanging out, sharing and enjoying each other’s company with such genuine interest. There was an immense sense of family and goodwill that was very impacting and emotional. My history on earth has been filled with cynicism and doubt; for so many years a negative interpretation of people and their motives was the native–and only interpretation–I had, that was just my perceived reality. I have spent years unlearning this, and replacing it by learning to be more positive, accepting, open and non-judgmental. Last evening, for me, was an exercise in what life can be like when you’re around truly positive, genuine people. There was no feeling that our interaction was a commodity; there were no expectations. I have experienced it before, already with multiple people I’ve met on this journey, but never in such an abundant quantity.

This is becoming too feel-good so I think I will change topics.

Tonight Andrew and I are going to take an overnight train and then catch a “high-speed catamaran” to a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand called Koh Tao. I know nothing about the island but someone told us it isn’t very crowded, so it should be a great break from this chaotic city. Andrew’s friends from Colombia, Rich and Catalina, are there so we will probably hang out for a few days, then return to Bangkok and make our way north with Lauren! Meeting up with another compatriot will be nice, hopefully then this blog can feature the different perspectives of three writers on similar experiences. In any case, this should be interesting!!

Here are some photos of where we’ve been staying and from around the area; I will post even more soon!!