The press in Bangkok is commercial. Everything is for sale. A stroll down Sukhumvit Road road lands you in the hornet’s nest of merchants hawking merchandise from fake Polos to particular PEDs.
Minding your manners with a simple no thank you does little to fend off the vendor who like one of unsound mind continues to mumble to himself.
“100 Baht!”
“OK 50 Baht!”
The unilateral negotiation continues even after the disinterested customer has marched well past his mobile kiosk.
As day gives way to night, the solicitation takes on a darker form as the proprietor stops pushing products and starts peddling sex.
Caught in the crossfire of the trade are young, innocent girls who have been sold into a lifestyle of submission.
Perhaps more shameful than the local pimp is the shameless global consumer who misconstrues the stamp in his passport as a visa to act disgracefully.
The pervasiveness of sex tourism in SE Asia does not make its existence any less deplorable. While patrons of the trade would like to pretend their participation is nothing out of the norm, curiously these pathetic persons make a concerted effort to avoid eye contact with those who may judge in the alternative.
Everything may be for sale but that on its own isn’t a reason to buy.
I woke up and the power was off. I combed through my phone to figure out what I had did, who I had called, and what texts I had sent.
Actually, none of that is true.
This is my third time in Bangkok and The Hangover has yet to happen in both senses of the word. The only anxiety I had was not from keeping up my daily post so I’m trying to sneak in an a-live one before the clock strikes.
The pic of the rooftop Aloft pool should make up for inattention to my blog readers.
The knock on American travelers is that we will fly to the ends of the earth to visit a new country but we still order McDonald’s when we get there.
This isn’t a redundant post for why you should try cockroaches when you’re in Bangkok or goat testicles in Beirut. Having lived in Mongolia for the last four months, I’m taking the opposite stance: eat local.
And for me eat local means eating foods of my native locale not local foods. That’s why I’m savoring this 290 Baht ($9) Subway foot long turkey on wheat with Thai peppers.
Street food and sound prices will come post this sandwich after I regain my sanity from living on whatever Mongolian restaurants claim to be ‘Western’ food.
Next time you are traveling and somebody (probably someone who doesn’t travel and most likely a cyber antagonist) questions why you detoured for a Whopper, tell him ThePointsOfLife said it was OK.
I did have a Chang beer with my meal so that counts for something.
You know what really grinds my gears? I’ll tell you.
I hand my passport over to the immigration officer, present my half smile, and try to think about baseball as he studies my every move and swipes my passport.
Seconds that seem like hours later, the sweet sound of ‘stamp stamp’ then my freedom is handed back to me.
Days, weeks, months later or whenever I’m feeling down on life, I flip through my passport to relive the memories by analyzing the glory days of stamps past.
“There’s Canada, wow that place is lame,” I remark as I keep flipping through. “Oh, here’s one for New Orleans, what a crazy country that is.”
Temporary solace turns to anger and frustration as I rifle through page after page of indecipherable garbage: stamps on stamps on stamps, got stamps on stamps on stamps.
Why Mr. Immigration do you stamp so haphazardly? Who do you place your stamp in the middle of an empty, crisp page? Worse, why do you not make sure you have enough ink before you stamp?
Final complaint: why do you stamp my passport Mr. KL immigration, you know I’m taking the next Air Asia boat out of here?
When I am served a glass of champagne and some fresh OJ, my programmed response is that it must be time to take off. Down the glass in style, tilt the seat back against policy, then wait for that noise of the engine revving.
Check, check, check, Beijing we have…
We have nothing. We are stuck. The announcement is: “Sorry we have technical problems.”
Two things come to mind:
1. Glad we weren’t airborne.
2. Can I have more champagne?
The passenger in front of me was more perturbed by the delay so when I flagged the flight attendant to my seat she was justifiably uneasy. With a warm smile I turned to her and asked, “Can I have more champagne?”
For a second she was confused. Then she realized I wasn’t going to admonish her for something out of her control. After a sigh of relief and a gentle laugh, she brought me more bubbly.
I’m not worried that we are delayed because the arrival in Bangkok was scheduled for midnight so it isn’t like I’m going to miss the Monday night party. Furthermore, how’s being short with the flight attendant going to make the plane take off sooner?
And just as I’m writing this the flight attendant brought a bootleg iPad with some movies for me to watch.
I have to say I never had thoughts one way or another about Air China besides a vehicle getting me from point A to point B, but this business class seat and the service has made me hopeful, if we ever get off the ground.
Were you expecting another shameful Blog Giveaway post promoting myself? (If you act now, you can still get a copy of my book! OK, I’ll drop it.)
It saddens me that my time as the featured blogger on BoardingArea has come to an end. We’ve had such a great time together, wouldn’t you agree? By the explosion in blog viewership I would concur.
I would like to give many thanks for the great comments, the insightful feedback, and the critics out there who will keep me on my toes from making more legal, blogging, and grammar faux pas.
Before they snatch the mic away from me and before my gate to BKK service with uncertain service to Burma is called (there is only 1 Gate in the Mongolian Airport), I would like to invite you to keep following me on all the usual social media platforms or check me and the other up-and-coming bloggers on Prior2Boarding or directly on ThePointsOfLife.com.
I trust you have found my blog to be a bit different from others and hope you welcome that my tone and style of writing is a little more explicit than the norm.
I’ve made a slide show to commemorate all the time we had together.
Till next time,
Keep Churning My Friends, both new and old.
Alexander
JD/MBA/WorldExplorer/Author
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You were always on my mind, you were always on my mind.
A wise man once said, “Take 1/2 the Clothes and Twice the Money.” I wonder if that wise man is now regretting his own advice as he makes his way down to the South Pole. Regardless, my friend and fellow T-Bird Alum Lee’s words have been with me since I started Part II of my MBA in Travel and Tourism in 2009.
When I first set out on Part I of the MBA Tour, I had no idea what I was doing. Arriving at Dubai Airport, I looked like the Arab Elle Woods carrying these two bags, plus a backpack, plus a roller.
Marhaba, I’m here for the MBA program.
From Dubai it was off to Mexico then Czech Republic with these dead weight Samsonites (as reliable as they are) holding me down. I still remember trying to get on the London Underground when the door shut on Mr. Samsonite and I thought he would be gone forever.
Today, I take it personally when I have to check bags and always try to avoid the suspecting stares from those behind the ticket counter as they try to convince me otherwise. For me, carrying on has less to do with fees and more to do with pride that comes from a bag well packed.
I’ve narrowed down my travel checklist of what I must bring which has reduced my luggage to the following:
Still not the lightest traveler to ever do it but it does give me the space to throw in that extra shirt for the Roxbury.
While nobody has asked me, “What do you pack when you travel,” I’ll use the blogger’s creative license to pretend that someone has. This list hasn’t changed much over the years and is kept in my darling Blackberry so I can erase each thing off the list whether I’m packing to leave or making sure I didn’t forget anything while on the road.
Here it is:
FINANCE
Passport + cover
Wallet
Money bag (coins): all those loose bills/coins not worth being converted.
VIP lounge pass + airline award card: E.g., your Citi Exec Card, your Ink club card.
Booking credit card: Mongolian airport made me show the card I used to purchase my ticket. I didn’t have it so that was a hassle.
Debit card: Charles Schwab, you know who it is! No fees internationally.
Passport photos: For all those visa issues.
Money Clip: I prefer my gunmetal money clip. I can feel it in my pocket and haven’t been robbed yet, except by taxi drivers.
SIM card: AT&T Unlimited International Data SIM if using local card while living abroad.
Keys: You may need these when you come back.
Business cards: If you don’t have a business card for that random billionaire you meet, you may look foolish, especially in Asia.
ELECTRONICS
Laptop + charger + case: I spell each out because laptop with no charger is like Instagram with no filter.
LG G3: Blackberry’s camera sucks and doesn’t support Spotify.
Blackberry: Love this damn thing.
USB charger (2) + wire (2): 2 of each are necessary because one always breaks and I have too many devices.
Jambox + Charger: Watch out for the TSA.
Camera + waterband + case + cleaning kit: The infamous creeper cam.
Camera: The real camera.
Camera chargers
Extension cord: I used to bring an extension court that was 6 feet long because hostels never have plugs and hotels didn’t have them in convenient locations. Puzzled looks by fellow travelers subsided when they started using it.
Headphones + case: Shure headphones only, not those crappy Beats.
External hard drive: What’s worse than running out of space?
Memory card converter: In case you meet someone that takes a bunch of pics and you no longer believe they will send them to you when they get home.
Power Adapter: Multi-prong power adapter has replaced extension cord.
TRX Ropes: Gotta stay swoll ya’ll.
Portable charger: That Blackberry is my lifeline so I bring the quick power charger so I can keep up with my 2 BBM contacts.
TOILETRIES
Eye cover: TUMI from Delta is the best.
Toothbrush
Cologne: I prefer my Bvlgari from my Emirates flight.
Deodorant: Optional.
Razor
Camelbak + hands free: For those hangover days when you don’t feel like sitting up to drink water.
Toothpaste + floss
Pen: I keep my Park Hyatt Sydney pen with me at all times so I can fill out the immigration card with chicken scratch (they never check the info) and get out quick.
Advil: See Camelbak.
Prilosec: See Camelbak.
Deet
Cyrpo: Can’t mess with food poisoning anymore.
Toiletries bag: I actually write down toiletries bag so I pack the bag itself.
CLOTHES
Gym Shoes
1 Loafers
Sandals
1-2 pair of Jeans
Belt
Boxers
1 white v-neck and one other t-shirt: Wear it over and over again.
3 Going out shirts: Never know when that urge to visit the Roxbury calls.
1 Shorts
Board shorts
Gym shorts
Sox
Dry fit long sleeve
Dry fit short sleeve
Jacket/Hoodie
Travel pants: The best pajamas in the world, the Givenchy pajamas from Singapore Airlines is what I wear on all flights and to some business meetings.
As far as twice the money goes, I’m still working on that.
Do you ever go to an ophthalmologist and tell him of your chest pain? He should know everything about the heart right? After all he is a doctor. The same can be said of attorneys who by their title of counselor are expected to know everything about every law.
I’ve been posting about my Blog Giveaway, a FREE flight on Southwest Airlines when somebody messaged me that I may be breaking the law by not including a “no purchase necessary” provision like they do in all those Mcdonalds commercials for monopoly. As I’m in Mongolia and no longer have access to Westlaw, I was unable to do thorough research as to the necessity of including this provision. As far as I’ve read, the rule applies to broadcasters but the definition of what is a broadcaster wasn’t explicitly explained.
Anyhow, the point of the giveaway wasn’t to turn a profit but to get everyone to give my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong, a read so they can abandon their life in the cubicle and start searching for ThePointsOfLife. See what I did there?
But, because I am a lawyer and because people are too litigious I have responsibly changed the Terms and Conditions of the contest to eliminate the necessity of purchasing a copy. If anyone did purchase a copy feeling they had to do so out of necessity then return the book right away, Amazon will gladly refund you your money.
To enter for a chance to win, simply adhere to the following Terms and Conditions of the contest:
Take a photo of you enjoying the book anywhere and Tweet/Instagram @thepointsoflife with the hashtag #cubiclefree.
To ensure fairness, entrants must also email me abachuwa at gmail dot com a screenshot of where they got the book from and corresponding Twitter/Instagram page.
To ensure fairness, family and Facebook friends are excluded. (You’d think they would’ve bought the book already anyway.)
One entry per person.
Contest ends January 5th, 9PM EST.
The winner will be selected at random.
Flight booking must be made within 1 calendar year of January 5th.
Not redeemable for cash, not transferable.
This contest will have one winner.
No shady business, I am an attorney. (And now a more schooled one.)
Reading the book no matter how you come into contact with it makes you eligible for this contest so long as you abide by the other requirements. Is that explicit enough?
This is the debut of my Travel Guide section where I answer the first question muttered once you are forced out of the Lounge, get spoiled on the Flight, and make it to your 5-Star Hotel. Now what?
To answer this question, I had to dig up my old economics textbooks from my days at the University of Michigan for some inspiration. After an hour of hard work, I crafted the Guns And Butter: A Better Way to Travel methodology, the handbook for what you should do, skip, and attempt to do if you have the time and resources when traveling to new locales.
A more detailed primer is in the link above but for the sake of simplicity here is a quick overview:
A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy
Anything on the line (Production Possibilities Frontier for my fellow economists) is an efficient use of your time depending on your tastes and preferences.
Anything inside the line is inefficient as should be avoided.
Anything outside is aspirational but may be impossible to do given the constraints of time and resources.
The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa.
And with that, let’s head to Liberia, Costa Rica!
Scrolling through the Country Count List and clicking on Costa Rica will reveal to you everything you need to know about this country from the stupid fees of the airport to the fees of Frontier. Aside from those annoyances, Costa Rica is a must for anyone searching for adventure and an adrenaline rush. Luckily, getting there is as Easy as Steps 1, 2, 3.
I stayed at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort which is adjacent to the Four Seasons. While the resort is nice enough, (a full review will be done later in the Hotel Reviews section) the location is inconvenient. The cost to get to and from the airport is $40-50 depending on your bargaining skills and level of patience with your taxi driver and tour guide. Furthermore, there are not many dining options outside of what’s in the hotel, the 4 Seasons, or the marina leaving you to miss out on delicious local food.
Look for the Red Taxi and do not pay more than $40. I don’t care what the cost of petrol is!Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort
The real fun comes when you find a way out of the fortress of the hotel and plot your ziplining adventure. A note of caution: Don’t book through the hotel, it is over the top expensive. Contact a local ahead of time for a more reasonable rate. I ended up paying $140/person for the following:
Ziplining, Tarzan, and Rappel
Hot Springs, Water slide, and Volcano
Waterfall
Local Dining
Upside downCan you spot me?The hot mud baths.The showers. Insert your own joke.More mud.Sitting in the natural hot springs was great after ziplining.By far the highlight of the trip and even more fun than the ziplines, the water slide luge.Some TLC for all of youChased it.
Getting out to the ziplines and mustering the courage to do one of the most enjoyable activities required the most Labor though it was well worth it. Eating delicious Costa Rican foods requires some work but is more appropriately aligned with Lazy. Everything else fell within that spectrum.
Lunch is servedBetter than pizza at the hotelSeriously, why would Hyatt think I would go to Costa Rica for pizza?
Day 2 the choice was Tamarindo and the airport for $150 for two or head to the Four Seasons. I think we made the right choice:
Four Seasons PoolFour Seasons: When you have made it in life.Four Seasons private beachImperial. Damn right.
But next time, Tamarindo is definitely on the list.
Is something amoral or immoral? I used them interchangeably in my article “Is it Amoral to Uber?” then thanks to a nice reader realized the error of my ways. Immoral means wrong and amoral means lacking moral sense. I meant the former but used the latter and I’m glad someone politely pointed it out. The alternative is Yahoo Answers where people rip you for being the dumbest of the dumb which I would meekly accept for not double checking the correct meaning. Bottom line: even I, the great professor, will admit when I’m wrong.
And now back to the FREE Flight on Southwest!
People are definitely getting the book after reading this Blog Giveaway so I’m going to continue to shine the spotlight on my FREE flight on Southwest before my time as a featured blogger on BoardingArea ends this Monday.
In case you missed it here are the Terms and Conditions:
The winner of this blog giveaway receives a FREE flight aboard Southwest Airlines using 8000 of my Rapid Reward points. 8000 Points is enough for a one-way trip across the country.
I’m even paying for the taxes. Again, the winner gets a FREE flight on Southwest Airlines!
To enter for a chance to win, simply adhere to the following Terms and Conditions of the contest:
Take a photo of you enjoying the book anywhere and Tweet/Instagram @thepointsoflife with the hashtag #cubiclefree.
To ensure fairness, entrants must also email me abachuwa at gmail dot com a screenshot of where they got the book from and corresponding Twitter/Instagram page.
To ensure fairness, family and Facebook friends are excluded. (You’d think they would’ve bought the book already anyway.)
One entry per person.
Contest ends January 5th, 9PM EST.
The winner will be selected at random.
Flight booking must be made within 1 calendar year of January 5th.
Not redeemable for cash, not transferable.
This contest will have one winner.
No shady business, I am an attorney.
Pets fly free on Southwest if you win this contest!
