So. I took a 'real' vacation . . .

As you can tell, the quality of internet access in Thailand as China was not great. That, and I decided to switch off the urge to be productive or efficient. Scary, I know - apparently that's what a vacation is supposed to be . . .

In any case, it's going to take me a few entries to digest my trip; for today I will share some of the immediate reflections with you, in the form of a list.

1. Travelling ain't easy. I did three consecutive days of airports to get to the beautiful tropical island of Koh Samui, Thailand. It turns out the best cure for jetlag is to clear customs repeatedly, get shoved on to a plane with 240 pushy Chinese people (more on that later) and haul your suitcase from here to Kingdom Come. Which was worth it, by the way.

2. Canadians are incredibly fortunate people. In China I saw a number of elderly or disabled people (some missing limbs) begging in public places. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the lack of care given to these people. I have always felt fortunate but having seen people in the world living in shacks with no running water, I realize how much I have taken for granted. Not that everyone in Asia is poor, but the majority of people are struggling to make it.

3. The Thai people are as friendly as New Brunswickers, and I wish I could speak their language. Everywhere we went on Koh Samui, people smiled, said hello and waved to us. The island is half rural, half tourist, with visitors outnumbering locals 3:1. The people there are so laid back, they laughed when I asked what time the sun sets. Apparently that's a non-starter for them - a fact which was confirmed to me when the European man behind me at Bangkok airport lamented "The Thai people move at a snail's pace." Good on ya, I say. If I lived on a tropical island I wouldn't hurry, either!!

4. There is a difference between mainland China and Hong Kong. My one regret on this trip was not seeing more of mainland China. We were only there for a day or two between stops to Thailand and Hong Kong. Fortunately, I did get to see the Lohuo Market, which is full of dvd hawkers (an endless patter of "missy, you buy dvd movie") and knock offs of western brands. We took the Canadian approach to bartering - laugh when the price is outrageously high. It worked pretty well - I got some good presents.

5. Don't ever fly Continental via Newark. They will screw up and then deny any wrongdoing.

6. Most people in the world have the same basic concerns. Caring for their families, surviving economically, have a good laugh, eating a nice meal with family and friends, enjoying the sunshine - the best things in life are free.

7. I'm glad I went, but I'm glad to be home. See #1 and #5.