The Road Less Traveled
Surviving The Big Wet

The Road Less Traveled By Pattaya Pete

I was reminded by a friend from abroad of just how many years I have been living "in country". This month represents my 15th year living here and 18 years since I made my first visit. I must say it almost feels like yesterday when they opened the doors of the airplane and I got my first smell of the warm tropical air of Asia. It was actually S'pore that introduced me to a culture so much different than my own. Every sound, smell and experience was fresh, exciting and new. I lived on an island and was the only Farang (Orang Putih as they say in Malay) living there.

My day consisted of catching fresh shrimp at a local farm, watching birds and being single as I was and still am, going to a nearby island in Indonesia. I found Thailand through Scuba Diving and so the story began. How about you? Do you remember that first Thai girl or boy you kissed and had your fling with? Is the experience now of living or coming on holiday still as fresh as it was then? For me, that sometimes seems like the hardest thing to realize here. Acclimation is normal for sure but I miss that "fresh feeling".

It sometimes feels like a miracle that I can still enjoy Go-Go action as I do and most of the girls that know me will tell you I am always smiling when watching their dance shows. I really feel like I get a great thrill listening to those people who are having their first experience in Thailand, living vicariously as they say. I have found a couple of exercises helpful in maintaining that joyful attitude about living here in "the land of smiles".

1. If you've been here awhile, take a trip back home. You'll then remember again just how lucky you are.
2. Do something different than the norm. Take a holiday to Cambodia or up North and do some country living.
3. Learn a new language or get better at the local one.
4. Participate in a charity or something you can lose your self in.
5. Get healthy. Sometimes too much beer or whisky, smoking, eating the wrong food at the wrong time as well as, yes, too much sex, can create enormous stress on the body and subsequently our attitudes. Try a short fasting exercise, you'll be amazed of how good you'll feel and the new found appreciation for food and drink you'll experience instead of just going through the motions. Deep breathing is a non time intensive exercise that will rejuvenate your body and emotions and costs nothing. Try inhaling for 5 seconds, hold for 15 and expel for 10. The matrix works the same for any number you decide is comfortable. 7 - 21-14. You get the picture. This also has a great sobering effect when you are too inebriated or stressed.
6. Try a different sexual adventure. Hey...it used to work for me and I think I'm going to take my own advice on this one soon. Don't let me get too into this one as we are producing a family magazine here. Rainy days are always fun and so are bananas and strawberries?

In summary, it's sometimes easy to acclimate to what becomes your “normal” environment. So much so that things become boring or "hum drum". It usually takes an illness or having a young, close friend passing on to wake your life to the surface again. Take a deep breath, and look around. Smile and share your joy. You are alive and free and in Pattaya. A wonderful time and place to be alive!

The Road Less TraveledSurviving The Big Wet

The Road Less Traveled
Surviving The Big Wet