Money Makes the World Go Round

No matter where you go in the world, you will need money. Some places are predominantly cash based and you will be hard pressed to be able to count on paying with a credit card. Other places encourage the use of credit. Ultimately you need to be ready for both. Here are some practices I have found useful.

Travel with 2 different credit cards from two different banks. Check your limits before you go to be sure they suit your needs. Also bring your debit card. Keep these three in three different locations. (2 on you and one at hotel) Always arrive in acountry with $50 cash in local currency. This requires some on the go planning but is a step not to skip. When you arrive late at night and the currency places are closed, it is dark and rainy and you are hungry, only local currency will get you food and a taxi ride to hotel. If you forget you will walk 10K in the middle of the night with no food in search of your hotel!

Shop around a bit for a good currency rate place. Remember that there are buy rates and sell rates. You need to look at the buy rates ( lower of the two) Also you need your passport to convert money, so plan to have it with you for that part of the day that you are on a currency run.

Pulling local currency from a bank ATM is best. Best rate, least fees. Pull your daily max. (500-700 CND) then stash most of that with passport and 1 card at hotel (use room safe). Put money for the day in deep front pocket with another card.

Have a third spot (secret hiding spot- I don’t want to know) but this spot should be close to you flesh and have your 3rd card and $100 USD in twenties) It is presumptuous but often true that USD is a currency understood in many places of the world.

By taking this approach you will reduce the impact of an unfortunate incident such as loss or theft. Having plans B and C are important when plan A fails.

Thai Massage in Bangkok

After careful research I felt ready for this experience. My research taught me that there are a wide array of possible massages in Thailand. They can be broken down this way. The “soapy massage” usually 1600-6000 Baht involves a scrub down and rub down followed by sex. The traditional Thai massage that includes a “massage”

by a scantily clad lassie and sex. The price for this type is usually negotiated but it in the same range as the first type.

The type I experienced was also called a traditional Thai full body oil massage. The big difference is that no one was soliciting outside the massage parlour. When I entered I was presented with a menu and the prices were in the 500-700 Baht range. Seemed pretty safe. The large Samoan woman did a great job overall. There was a language barrier that was not easy to overcome. There was an awkward moment when she handed me an itty bitty nylon sock looking thing at the very beginning and said “underwear”. It took me some time to discover the little leg holes in the skimpier-than-a-speedo-type thing that I was ordered to wear. The massage itself was lovely. And while I had prepared my pleasant but appreciative “no thank you” should a happy ending be offered (apparently even in the most proper and legit places this is still a thing) I had practiced for nothing as I think my Samoan friend knew I wasn’t there for that. 

When I was wearing only that little sock on the forth floor of an unknown massage parlour in central Bangkok I remember thinking to myself: “This is only costing $30 CND and it couldn’t possibly get anymore minimalist, I must remember to blog this experience”.

A Trip to Remember

On the train home now, the final leg of the journey. Traveling 1st class which I booked by accident(really) is a great reminder of the incredibly high standard of living we enjoy as well as the ease with which priveledge has come my way as a white, highly educated, male, born in Canada, I have it pretty good. This was so clear to me as I travelled Mainland South East Asia this past month.

In the “things I noticed” category I have to start with these questions:

Do you have a roof over y head? Do you h

Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have walls?

Do you have something other than a dirt floor?

Do you have a “bed” or a horizontal space to sleep?

Do you have clothing? Do you have shoes?

Do you have running water? Is your water drinkable?

Do you have a heat source for cooking?

Do you have a table and chairs?

Do you have a toilet? Do you have a shower?

Do you have electricity?

Do you have a heaand helpful and pleasant

Moving to the “things I missed” category, I will start of with my wife, although she is not a “thing” she certainly does “everything” that and her company were missed, Next on the list is the ability to throw the TP in the toilet. This is followed quickly by the ability to turn a tap on and drink water. I missed the availability of fruit and vegetables. Understanding the language of the people around me. I missed seeing people that looked like me. I missed driving my car and petting my dog. I missed my  cottage and my comfy couch at home. 

On the list of “things I will remember” I must include: being a part of the Hong Kong Protests, getting tear gassed and everything. Sad to think that those young people are subject to up to 10 years in jail for doing what they were doing. Another thing I must include is reconnecting with a long lost friend from 45 years ago. He showed me Hong Kong and Macau like only a native could. The opulence of Macau also gets on the list. It is incredible how much money can be spent in one place! Surviving the Typhoon and narrowly making it off the island only to be denied boarding of my plane due  to a clerical error on dates in my visa. The escort to the hands of the Chinese military was pretty scary. Missing the entire week of “adventure travel” as a result of this was also memorable in an absence of memories sort of way. The perfectly orchestrated chaos of the Vietnamese streets will stay with me whenever I cross a street. I understand what the seconds before being hit by a vehicle feels like! The time we spent teaching English to the students in the orphanage and how welcoming and friendly they were was very memorable. Having my wallet stolen in Saigon was memorable as was the Mekong Detta and Cu Chi tunnels. 21 years they lived in those tunnels. Dam war! Once in Angkor Wat, the tuk tuk driver and theTemple were amazing. My final great memory would have to be the Thai massage. 

Sharing much of this adventure with my daughter was awesome. I think we solidified our relationship or possible just want to kill each other, not sure.

By and large, I recognize the incredible opportunity that I just had. If ever you get the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand, take advantage! It is an eye opening experience and one you will cherish forever!