Sometimes I Wonder Why I Wander?

Trip Start Jun 05, 2006

Trip End Jul 15, 2007

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Flag of Thailand Ko Phi Phi Leh, Thailand
Tuesday, July 25, 2006

It is hard for me to believe that it has been over two months already since I set sail from New Orleans. I have not written an entry since my little motor bike incident. Well..... Luckily I was able to get the $50 deposit back on the bike with no real problems. Other then that I have had a really rough few days. I try not to focus on the low points of my travels but there is no other way to put it then, I had a real crappy week! Anyway we are all family here! Just to name a few incidents that have happed to me since my entry on July 15 regarding the homosexual Indian who propositioned me for "man love." I had my Visa/debit card stolen ($1300 charged to my card,)a bus I was on caught on fire (literally >>>ON FIRE,) I gashed myself up in a motor bike crash, I ended up in some strange house with a bunch of hustlers trying to run a tourist scam, I got some really bad family news from home, I stepped on a Sea Urchin, I had to chase a girl down in a bus station to get my $9 back after she sold me a fake bus ticket, and now my foot has gotten infected from the motor bike crash

Johnny Nomad in Malaysia 1

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I thought coming back to Thailand would be a nice change and a chance to relax. I thought I would like Thailand this time around for the same reasons I disliked it the first time. Thailand is a wonderful place for holiday tourist. Don't get me wrong the islands are absolutely stunning. Yesterday I went to lagoon where they filmed the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach." The problem is that all the really nice areas of Thailand are infested with obnoxious tourist! After a few beers I turn into one as well. I hate that I am admitting this but I am getting too old for "Spring Break!" And anyway that is not what my travels are about anymore. I flew half-way across the world to learn and experience another way of life, not to get drunk with 18 year old Irish kids. If I wanted to hang out with Europeans on a beach and get drunk I could have booked a flight to Greece for much cheaper!

Ko Phi Phi was slammed by the 2004 Tsunami. An estimated 3000 people died on this small island alone. That is 3 times the number of casualties of hurricane Katrina on an island that you can walk from one side to the other in less then 10 minutes. Over half of the casualties here were tourist. Crazy to think how easily that could have been me.

I am on an amazing Thai island on the Indian ocean and the highlight of last week is my $9.21 hotel room

Johnny Nomad in Malaysia 2

! In very un-Nomad fashion I passed on the $3.95 option for a luxury dive equipped with: a clean towel, hot water, air con, and the biggest highlight of all......COLOR TV! It has 1 channel in English which happens to be none other then the Home Box Office -HBO BIG BOY! I have been looked up in a windowless box watching hours of TV. I watched the Miss Universe Pagent last night. And I personally think Miss Canada got screwed! Lets look at this in retro-spec. The highlight of my last week was lying alone in a strange foreign hotel room (that rents rooms by the hour)watching a beauty pageant? Even worse then that is that I have an opinion on Miss Canada!!! That does not sound healthy to me people! What has gone wrong in my life where I find hot water and a clean towel luxury items. Most of you probably do not know this but I own a house! I actually own 2 houses, and a college diploma! Sometimes I ask myself what is this all about? Not to mention I am not a single day closer to finding "The Alchemist."

On a more happy note "The Johnny Nomad Experiment" is blowing up! This site has gotten over 1200 hits this month alone. I have gotten replies from as far away as Iceland to Australia! It's not sane!

"All I can say is that my life is pretty plain.
I like watchin' the puddles gather rain
And all I can do is just pour some tea for two
and speak my point of view
But it's not sane, It's not sane!" -Blind Melon (No Rain)

All part of the journey......Misadventures in the quest for understanding! -Johnny Nomad

PS: I am officially announcing that my career as a "biker" is now over. Not a big loss...I never really looked good in leather anyway!