World Wide Wanderment

My couch surfing host’s driver gave me a ride to the bus station. I planned to catch one of the many daily buses to Pai. Unfortunately the faster and more comfortable minibus I hoped to catch was already full so I ended up waiting in the bus station for an hour and half for the next bus, a local bus. The two primary ways of getting to Pai are by minibus, faster and slightly more expensive, or by local bus, slower and slightly less expensive. Frankly the difference in cost wasn’t enough to sway me either way, nor the difference in comfort which is quiet relative on such a twisty road. Catching the earlier mini-buss was mostly just about getting there as soon as possible to start the search for somewhere to sleep. Like many popular backpacker destinations most guesthouses in Pai don’t take reservations. The guesthoueses just trust that as one guest leaves another is likely to show up looking for a room. At any given time half of the guesthouses will be full, but walking past a few door to door you’ll easily find one with space. The guesthouses know from experience that most people do not stay a predetermined amount of time and they don’t want to get into the position of having to tell someone to checkout because someone else is comming. Here in Pai many people stay for weeks… or even months. Talking to one GH operator they said the longest guest they’ve had was 8 months and counting. Most people staying that long though get out of the guesthouses and just rent an actually house. Anyway I ended up on the local bus.

I like local buses they always have the most character. Having the most character is really a euphemism for being least comfortable and having the greatest number of things falling off of them. Seriously though I always like the people better on the local bus, it’s typically a mix of locals and travelers, unlike the minibuses which tend to be 100% foreigners. Well, let me clarify and say I like the local buses for day trips, over-night trips become a different story all together although in that case I’d really prefer a trains and then VIP (sleeper) bus…. I digress… On this local bus I met some fun local guys who very much wanted me to go have a beer or twenty with them as soon as we got to Pai. I kept telling them I had to find somewhere to sleep first and that after finding a room I’d be happy to join them in there debaucery, but they didn’t want to wait… Although really there was no waiting really involved since they were already drinking on the bus.

I was actually a bit surprised by the two local guys I befriended on the bus, namely because they looked typical local for the area yet on the bus ride one whipped out a iBook and started playing music from it for his friend. I took the opportunity to ship out one of my cameras memory card and ask for some Thai music which he was very happy to do. Thai music is a interesting mix… I’ve never been good at describing music, but they listen to the standard international popular fair (from Christina Aguilera to Rappers I’ve never heard off) as well as a Thai version of that sort of music… most of the Thai music tends to be swoony love songs. Talking to him more I learned he works in marketing and graphic design, but I didn’t get much more than that. It left me wondering what marketing and graphic design looked like in Northern Thailand.

On arrival in Pai I started to my search for a bed. I’d gotten to town fairly late in the day and it took longer than I expected to find a room. It didn’t occur to me until later but I got into town on the first day of a big Thai holiday weekend… hence the local Thai’s on the bus coming home from city jobs for the weekend. Eventually the nice people at Good Life, a restaurant I would come to know and love, helped me find a bed in a dorm room a few doors down from them. It’s pretty typical that when one guest house is full they’ll point you towards their friends guest house that has space, which make the searching much easier. The dorm room was good enough for the night to set my bag down and allow me to search unencumbered the next day for something better. Now I could go back to good life for a well earned beer and dinner.

Good Life has a great setup. They only have a handful of rooms, maybe even just a handful that is missing a few fingers. Their restaurant is small and cozy, highlighted by two large community tables, a long bar with swings instead of chairs and another community table surrounded by floor cushions for seating. It serves a pretty simple menu, a little Thai food, a little western food, and lots of beverage options especially in the Tea, Coffee and fresh fruit shake/juice section. It was swinging on a chair there that I met two women, Lucky and Sarah. They helped educate me on the layout of Pai and what was going on around Pai. On there advise I promised to check out the bungalows just outside town on my planned search the next day.

In the morning I had breakfast again at good life, again bumping into Sarah who was there for her morning coffee served in a French press. Then before it got to warm I took my walk to explore the town in better detail by daylight. It doesn’t even take an hour to walk every street in Pai and having not found anything I loved, I started the walk out of town over the river. Over the river there are dozens of bamboo bungalow operations, some look like bamboo versions of tract homes back home. I walked further and finally found a wonderful bamboo bungalow at a place called Eden Garden. It is next to the more expensive an posh Sun Hut. It is kind of a miniaturized version of Sun Hut. Where Sun Hut has 5 hammocks around a large garden to relax in, Eden has 2 around a very small garden. Where Sun Hut has a full restaurant/cafe, Eden has a few snacks available if you can find someone to sell them to you. For half the price and the ability to walk next door I was quiet happy with Eden Garden. So happy in fact that my two or three days planned in Pai quickly turned into a week…

So these are just a couple of random photos from that I took the first few days in Pai… I do just love funny signs. It constantly amazes me in places like this where there are endless numbers of fluent and native English speakers that no one every seems to bother to ask one of them to proof read a sign or a menu… The Thai’s certainly do care about keeping you safe.

In real time, I’m about to leave Thailand… on Feb. 27th, but I’ve backdated this post so when I publish the next month worth of blogs this doesn’t continue to show up as the most recent. Yes I’m still a month behind on the blog… Sue me and you can try to take everything I have. At least everything I have with me which you’re about to learn exactly what that is. I’m suspecting learning this will dissuade you from suing me.

First a little tangent… A strange thing happened just after I landed in Bangkok, I checked me email and found a message from Robin. Robin is a former roommate of mine whom I pretty much haven’t heard from since she moved out a several years ago. The message was to say she had finally made her dream of moving to New Zealand come true. Go Robin! Then about two weeks later I get another unexpected email from Amy, a girl friend from about 10 years ago that I recently got back in touch with. She emailed to announce she was up and moving to China! Amy started a blog and the first few entries documented her physically moving to Lahasa, Tibet. She also started a blog and a few days ago in one of the first few entries she made a list of everything she brought with her. It got me thinking that it’s about time I make a list of everything I have with me.

Like nearly everyone, I get criticized for having too much stuff with me; however, I must say that I pale in comparison to her. It’s different for everyone; she’s moving to one location, she only has to move her stuff once. I move around weekly, sometimes daily, I can’t afford quite so much stuff, and I am traveling in vastly different climates over the next year. As such there are a few things that I use infrequently but still need to carry. Anyway, here it is, my worldly possessions for traveling the world (or at least this part of it). If there is an asterisk next to it that means it’s something I bought it or had it shupped to me in route.

I’ll preface it by saying I get criticized for having too much stuff, but that I pale in comparison to her. Say that is just part of an game all travelers play called “Your bag is bigger/heavier than my bag.”. In truth it’s different for everyone because everyone’s travel and needs are different. She’s moving to once, to one location that she can and needs to make a little comfortable. I move around weekly, sometimes daily, so I can’t afford quite so much creature comfort type stuff but need different practical things. I am traveling in different climates over the next year and as such there are a few things that I use infrequently but still need to haul around, big heavy hiking boots for example. Someone only traveling in the south of Thailand where even at night the temperature never drops below 25′C can obviously get away with a lot less weight. Someone with out the need or desire to have a nice camera and laptop with them can also get away with far less weight. On the other side of the spectrum some of the fire dancers I’ve been hanging out with that carry props and costumes for street performances that make my pack seem incredibly light weight. So here it is, my worldly possessions for traveling the world (or at least this particular part of it). For fun I put asterisks around things that I picked up along the way to differentiate from things I brought from the US. In hind sight I would have brought less clothes and bought more clothes here. You’ll also notice a few of the things listed as unused, many of which I am about to leave behind having realized the futility of carrying them. Some however I would have brought anyway because I still know I’ll need them later like when I get to somewhere like Tibet to visit Amy in June or July.

Gregory Palisade Pack
Clothes	Packed in 2 Eagle Creek “Fold-its”, 1 large cube, 1 small cube and one cube for socks
	Vasque Full Leather Boots	Worn maybe 5 times, mostly on Treks
	North Face Gortex XCR Rain Jacket	Un-used
	2 Pairs White Cotton Socks	Un-used
	3 Pairs Wool Socks	1 Pair used on Trek, other pairs un-used
	1 Pair Black Nylon Socks *	Given to me in Bangkok by the Banyan Tree hotel, which require you to wear shoes into the swanky roof top bar, they loaned me shoes
	Blue Old Navy Fleece Pullover	Used a LOT, in the north and Laos
	Green/Grey Plaid North Face Short-Sleeved Button down Shirt	Worn maybe 5 times
	4 Pairs Cotton Boxers	Worn frequently but I don’t need 4 pairs
	3 Pairs Poly/Nylon Boxer Briefs	Worn more frequently I wish I had more
	Red Prana Woven Cotton T-Shirt	Worn frequently
	Blue Prana Woven Cotton T-Shirt	Worn frequently
	Blue Life is Good Cotton T-Shirt	Worn somewhat frequently
	Red North Face TekWare T-Shirt	Worn frequently
	Green Gramichi Quick Dry Nylon Pants	Worn frequently
	Off-White Hemp/Cotton Karate Pants	Worn frequently
	Grey Nylon North Face Shorts	Worn frequently
	Beige Nylon Mountain Hardware Shorts	Worn very frequently
	Beige Nylon North Face Pants	Maybe worn once
	Blue/Grey Long Sleeved Prana Shirt	Worn frequently
	Bathing Suit	Worn Daily in the south
	Red Quicksilver Rayon/Polyester Short-sleeved Button down shirt	Worn once
	Grey Heavy North Face Pants	Used frequently in the North and Laos
	Blue Nylon Hat	Lost the first week
	Chacos (Teva like sandals but better)	Usually on my feet
	*Grey Long Sleeved Heavy North Face TekWare Shirt*	Shipped from home, picked up last week un-used
	*Yellow North Face TekWare T-Shirt*	Shipped from home, picked up last week worn twice already
	*Blue Thai Fisherman Pants*	Bought in Koh Phangan, used mostly when spinning fire
	*Purple/Green Scarf*	Bought in Mae Sai from a Long Neck Karen Woman – Used frequently in the north and Laos
	*Blue/Orange Sarong*	Bought in Koh Phangan, used infrequently as blanket and yoga mat
	*Camouflaged Hat*	Bought in Pai prior to Trek, used on trek and maybe a few more times
	*Cheap Flip Flops *	Used a LOT, easier on/off than Chacos
Non-Clothes
	Black Diamond Bullet A Very Small Back Pack	Used almost daily until I got my NEW shoulder bag
	Black Pillowcase	Un-used
	Waterproof Stuff Sack	Un-used
	Sink Drain Plug	used 4-5 times
	8 individual sized packets Woolite	Originally 10, 2 used
	Brunton Compass	Un-used
	Small Binoculars	Used once in Kao Yai National Park
	Tetris Keychain Game	Un-used, I had this in Europe 8 years ago
	Spool of Thread and needle	Un-used
	Spyderco Knife	Used briefly and now broken
	Sailing Gloves	used a few times riding motor bikes, planning on using them kayaking
	Camelback	un-used
	Silk Sleep Sack	Used about 50% of the time
	THE Hotel Laundry Bag	Stolen at Chris and May’s Wedding Used Regularly
	Quick Dry Pack Towel	Used Infrequently
	Thin Nylon Duffle Bag	I put my big pack inside it when I fly – Used 3 times so far
	Camera Tripod	Used very infrequently, but after the fire photo session totally worth every gram
	*Incence*	Used occasionally to chase off mosquitos
	*Santa ??? – Incense wood from South America*	Gift from Bryan, awesome, chases off mosquitos and smells great
	*Cotton Hammock *	Bought in Koh Phangan and used every day there, used occasionally since then
	*Purple Shoulder Bag *	Bought in Luang Prabang, Laos and used it for one week until my heavy camera blew out the zippers, now used to house my stinky fire poi
	*Monkey Fist Fire Poi*	Bought from a friend in Koh Phangan, stored in above mentioned falling apart purple bag
	*Travel Speakers*	Bought in Koh Phangan (finally) used frequently since purchase
	*Headphone Extension cable for above speakers*	Bought in Bangkok shortly after realizing the super short cable included with the speakers was a nuisance
	*Tennis Ball Poi and Tennis Ball Metor*	Used occasionally
Toiletry Bag	Small Eagle Creek Toiletry Bag	Used Daily
	Travel Alarm Clock	Used frequently
	2 Toothbrushes	Used Daily (it’s cheap insurance in case I lose one)
	*Small Scissors*	Bought somewhere to trim my facial hair
	Big Pick Style Comb	Used infrequently
	Small Travel Mirror	Used occasionally
	Nail Clippers	Used frequently
	Sowing Kit from THE Hotel	Used once
	*Actifed – ie. Sudafed*	Bought in Luang Prabang when I had some serious sinus congestion
	*Paracetamol – ie. Tylenol*	Bought in Luang Prabang when I had some serious sinus congestion
	Big Tube of Colgate Toothpaste	Almost gone and hoping it’ll be gone soon so I can but a small tube
	Pumice Stone	Used more frequently than I would have expected
	*Travel Packets of Tissue*	For toilets without toilet paper. Bought a 6 pack in Pai, just ran out and bought another 6 pack in Khao Lak
	Tea Tree Oil	Used occasionally – mostly on feet
	*Salt Crystal Deodorant*	Bought in Pai, will dump soon in favor of a cool little prepackaged replacement
	*Salt Crystal Deodorant in case*	Bought in Chiang Mai (2nd Visit)
	*50mL bottle Pantene*	Bought in Pai before finding cool natural shampoo that I just lost…
	*All Natural Shampoo*	Bought in Pai, lost in Bangkok
	Ear Plugs	Used twice on trains
	Neosporin	Used infrequently
	*Vicks Camphor/Menthol/Eucalyptus*	Used during sinus congestion
	*Peppermint Oil*	Probably not really essential oil, bought in Chiang Mai (2nd Visit)
	*Lighter*	I saw no reason to bring one… but know I have 3 in different places. For Incense, Candles, Fire Poi, whatever
	*Lighter #2 w/ LED light*	I have two with cool little LED lights built in for finding your way in the dark one of which is here in my toiletry bag waiting for the other to be lost or stolen
	Hair Gel	Used infrequently
	Condom	Just one and it’s still unused
	Zilactin	Unused – Topical medicine for Canker Sores which I get from time to time. I think I get them when I’m stressed out… funny I haven’t had need for it while traveling
	*Travel Soap*	Comes and goes, used occasionally
	Razor	Used every few days
	Razor Blades	2 lasted me two months, I just bought 5 more today
	Floss	Unused – I never use floss I don’t know why I brought it…
	*Q-tips / Cotton Buds *	Just bought unused
Books and Things
	Lonely Planet Thailand	Used occasionally
	Lonely Planet India	Left in Chiang Mai my second week and just picked back up last week
	Book – Kite Runner	Excellent book, thank you Patty Read on the train from Ayuthya to Chiang Mai, dropped in Chiang Mai
	Book – Sailing Promise	Finally read in Koh Phangan, dropped on 2nd visit to Chiang Mai
	Book – Bhagava Gita	Unread – Dropped in Surin the first week, just to big and heavy to keep carrying
	*Lonely Planet Thai for Travelers*	A good Thai phrase book, bought in Chaing Mai (1st visit) used daily
	*Thai 101*	A tiny but horrible Thai phrase book bought 2nd day, dropped in Chaing Mai (2nd Visit)
	*Book – Are you Afraid of the Dark*	A horrible novel, bought because there was nothing else before the 2nd train ride to Chaing Mai DUMPED in Chaing Mai
	*Book – The Tao of Pooh*	Given to me in Bangkok by Andrea, return a few days later in Pai
	*Book – Lost in Transmission*	A good novel, bought in Veng Vien, Laos, dropped in Chaing Mai (2nd Visit)
	*Book – The Corporation*	Picked up in Chaing Mai (2nd Visit), finished today, but I think I’ll carry it India
	*Book – Kitchen Confidential*	Bought in Chaing Mai (2nd Visit), not started yet

Thats about it for my “big” pack, books I’m reading make it temporarily into my “small” pack or my day bag. I think I’m missing a book or two that I read quickly and discarded. I think I finished Bill Bryson’s “Lost Continent” here… I think… It’s late and I can’t think clearly. Oh, and my journal I carry most of the time in whatever pack/day bag I’m carrying see way down at the bottom. Now for my “small pack”, which is actually quiet large since it’s my camera/laptop/etc.. bag

Lowe-Pro CompuRover (Smaller Pack)		This pack is designed to carry a laptop and camera which I wear on the front when carrying my big pack on my back, it is not my day pack. It’s too big to be used as a day pack unfortunately
	10-20 Blank DVDs	I burn photos to these to send home, in theory
	*2 CDs of Software (Anti-Virus and Video Editing)*	Bought in Bangkok
	Camera (Nikon D80, 18-200 VR Lens, UV Filter)	Used almost daily I do get tired of carrying all 2kg of it though
	Circular Polarizing Filter for Camera	Used frequently – Thank you Hansi and Jennifer
	Camera Bag (just a case basically)	Used almost daily, used inside my day bag
	Camera Flash	Used occasionally
	LumiQuest Pocket Bouncer	Used once, not a big fan
	Camera Lens Cleaning Kit	Used infrequently, I think I use it more on other peoples camera (which have never been cleaned) than on mine
	Camera Memory Cards 1-2GB and 1-1GB	Used frequently
	Lens Pen	Used for regular lens cleaning
	Camera Battery Charger	Used about weekly
	Rechargable battery charger (flash uses AA’s, speakers use AAA)	Used occasionally – It’s nice not to be throwing away alkaline batteries
	Ipod/Sync Cable	Used infrequently – In the room I’m usually listen to music directly from the laptop
	Sony in-ear headphones for Ipod and Laptop	Used somewhat frequently
	Cables for hooking Ipod to stereo	unused (most stereos already have cables waiting for an Ipod to be plugged in)
	Kennisiton Universal Charger	Used frequently until it died in Laos, they sent a new brick to Elena which she is bringing me in India
	Adaptors for above to charge Laptop/Cell Phone/Ipod
	Acer 5672 WLMi Laptop	Used almost daily
	Power Cord for Acer Laptop	bought in Bangkok shortly after uninversal power adaptor died
	USB Hard Drive 120GB	Used very frequently
	Motorolla Razr V3 Cell Phone	Lost in Chaing Mai
	Charger for RAZR V3	Used until phone lost, not sure why I still carry it
	*Charger for Nokia 1110i*	Came with replacement phone bought in Chaing Mai
	Pen Sized Mag Light	un-used
	Colman Headlamp	used frequently during power outages and where there are no street lights
	Whistle	un-used
	*Plastic Folder*	For important papers (Insurance, Passport Copys, etc) bought in Bangkok
	*Plastic Folder*	For less important papers (travel articles, notes, letters, postcasrds) bought in Bangkok
	Heavy Paper Folder	Destroyed a few weeks ago
	Pad of Engineering/Graph Paper	Just in case I want to sketch something
	Manila Envelopes	For sorting and mailing
	Sunglasses	Used occasionally, surprsingly less then I would have thought
	*Bug Spray*	Used occasionally when needed – on second bottle both bought in Thailand
	*Sun Screen*	un-used
	Cliff Bar	Just in case… unused
	First Aid Kit – Tiny, literally like 10 band-aids and a piece of gauze	Unused
	3″ Square Post-it notes	Used frequently – notes for friends and bookmarks in LP
	*Duck Tape*	Used frequently – mostly for blisters on feet on second tiny roll
	Flickr Photo Cards	Used frequently
	Extra USB cable	used a few times
	*Naruda Poem from Elena*	Picked up with stuff in Chaing Mai, read several times
	Travel Wallet w/ Passport some extra cash and a credit card	Carried on body when moving, left in room when stationary
	Small lock and 3 keys	Used a few times to lock luggage, used once to lock door
	Voice Recorder	Unused
	Check Book w/ stash of extra cash and a credit card	Unused
	Leathman Juice Pro	Used frequently, espeically to make/repair poi, also used as knife
	Keychain compass and LED light clipped to pack strap	Used frequently I love this little thing, shame the LED is dying
	Tiny screwdriver for taking apart laptops/electronics/etc…	Hey it was unused, but I just used to to fix the LED on the keychain Compass/LED
Day Bag		Usually my shoulder bag, use to be my Bullet Backpack
	*Shoulder Bag*	Bought in Bangkok, modified to be strong in Pai, with an inside pocket too… I love this one and prefer it to a back pack
	Journal	Used frequently or writing and storing important papers
	*Nokia 1110i Cell Phone*	Bought in Chaing Mai
	*Sock Poi*	My first set of Poi Picked up in Pai, still my favorite, with me everywhere
Wallet		Almost always in my pocket
	Cash	Used Daily
	Credit Card	Unused
	ATM Card	Used frequently (weekly)
	CA Drivers License	unused
	Engeering License	unused
	Bussiness Card from Mom and Elena	unused
	Red Cross Card	unused
	AAA Card	unused
	Insurance Info	unused

Well, I think that’s it… every last little piece… I weighed everything flying from Chiang Mai to Phuket. Big Pack=23kg, Small Pack=12kg, Shoulder Bag 2kg, all total 37kg. Multiply by 2.2 to get to pounds.

Fortunately for the duration of my stay in Chiang Mai there was space available with my couch surfing host so I never needed to move.

On Friday (Dec. 1st) several of us (the German couch surfer and three of the women from Bangkok) headed to Wat Doi Sutep. My unbelievably gracious couch surfing host had her personal driver take us on the 30 minute drive up the windy hill to the wat above Chiang Mai. Normally the drive is made in the back of a Songtaew and is prone to making people feel ill. The Wat is absolutely beautiful and from it’s perch high on a hill above Chiang Mai you do get a nice view of the city, which is a big part of why it is completely overrun with tourists. This is one of the ways I’ve considered doing a Vippanasa meditation retreat at. The full retreat they suggest is 21 days, but you can go or shorter periods and I’m thinking maybe 3-5 days. Somewhat removed from the crowds there is a meditation center that seems to isolate the meditators from the chaos, but I’m not as sure about doing it here any more. Regardless it was worth the trip up the hill just to see the beauty of this wat.

On Saturday (Dec. 2nd) I spent the bulk of the day catching up on email, photos and blog. It really is nice being somewhere so comfy with free wireless to use to my hearts content. I’m thinking I should plan a day every week or two where I deliberately stay somewhere with free internet just so I can catch up on uploading photos and the blog.

Saturday night I headed out to the night market one last time, this time with Crystal and Myuko (two students studying in Singapore). Near the top of my list was to get one last inexpensive massage before leaving Chiang Mai. At this point I think I’m averaging more than one massage per day for the time I’ve been in Thailand. It’s just to inexpensive to not constantly indulge in. Usually it’s just a 30-60 minute foot massage, which includes legs and usually a few minutes on the shoulders and upper back. That usually runs 50-80 THB per half hour (US$1.50 to US$2.50). At Peak Plaza at the night market I found a wonderful little massage stand where I’ve been several times now, usually getting a 30 minute foot massage followed by 30-60 minutes of body massage. The quality of the massages vary, telling them how firm/soft you want helps, but if you find someone you really like you go back like I have been to this particular place.

After massages the three of us hung out for a drink and a game of Jenga at on of the many bars in peak plaza. Our waitress suggested couple interseting variations on the standard Jenga, which was nice, but she also kept coming over every few minutes to suggest which block we should remove next. Often she’d even start removing the block herself. Then quiet suddenly we were reminded of the unexpected and surreal experience Thailand can throw at you. The music aburptly changed and a half dozen drag queens marched out on to the stage in the middle of the plaza to put on an impressive cabaret show. The Jenga playing continued on for the next hour interspersed with drag show performances. The combination made for one of the most interesting series of photos I’ve ever downloaded from my camera. It went something like this:

If you enlarge the last photo of me standing with the drag queens you’ll notice the Jenga tower just poking it’s head up in the foreground…

Upon returning to the guesthouse our host treated us to another amazing meal. Do take note of the decoration of on the pumpkin bowl they made for the pumpkin soup. Everything I ate here was as delicious as it was beautiful.

With this last wonderful, but bizarre experience, my time in Chiang Mai had come to an end. I’d stayed much longer than planned, mostly because I met such wonderful people although the comfy lodging helped too. The couch surfing Russians had come and gone quickly, traveling on a very fast pace. Olaf, the German, had stayed around even longer than I and all but one of the vacationing students and volunteers had moved on as well. My time here was more entertaining than I’d ever expected, I could happily of stay here much longer and I’m sure interesting new characters would have shown up. However, there is still much more to see in Thailand and the interesting characters, local and farang (Thai for foreigner), are eveywhere.

Leaving Chiang Mai my plan was simple. I was to head around the Mae Hon Son loop, stopping in Pai for a few days as I headed around and tried to find somewhere to visit the hill tribes that weren’t super touristy. I still wavered some on the ethics of visiting the hill tribe villages and I wasn’t really interested in the super popular with backpackers hippie town of Pai, but friends of friends raved about it so it was worth a short look… Like so many things when traveling what one plans and expects often has no bearing on what one does and experiences.