Why so glum, chum?
I realized today that in my previous post I may have created unrealistically positive expectations of travellers here. Let me say for the record that there are tons of unsavoury characters around too, and although stereotyping is simplifying, some main types have already emerged. Here are some of the most common ones encountered.
Chavs: Tend to move around in big drunken groups and are usually twenty-somethings on their first trip ever. Obnoxious and arrogant wankers, they treat locals with a mixture of disdain and distrust, and expect all the comforts of home at a tenth of the price. They are annoying as fuck and have the worse manners you can imagine. Certain nationalities are more prevalent than others in this group, but it would seem every country has at least some kind of representation.
Goddamn hippies: Some are smart and friendly, others pretentious, holier-than-thou douche-bags. Usually they look vaguely like Jesus and are dressed in a shawl or a sarong. They might speak a few words of the local language and think they’re Gods because of it. Thanks to copious amounts of ganja, most are total space-cadets, and can hardly put two sentences together without pausing to stare off at the distance. I swear to Christ, if I have to listen to any more herbal tea-soaked diatribes about “the corporate machine maaaan”, I am going to lose it.
Dial-tones: These are the people whose idea of taking a risk is peeing in the shower, and whose only major motive to travel is to build up a collection of Hard Rock Café t-shirts. Not really annoying unless you get stuck talking to them with all escape routes blocked, which actually happened to me on the boat to Phi Phi. Honestly speaking though, these guys are pretty harmless, and their only sin is that they’re boring as fuck, but insist on droning on about their lives in excruciating detail. I mean come on, that’s what blogs are for, right?
These are just off the top of my head, I'm sure I'll think of some more later on. Anyway, on to cheerier topics. As speculated, the diving has indeed improved my impression of Koh Tao. The trip today was cheap, easy to organize and we got to see heaps of stuff too. Also, my dive buddy had an underwater camera with him, so I can even post some pics, thanks Marco! On a more concerning note, the entire spectrum of marine life in Thailand seems united in their stand for me to stay out of the water. The aggression has escalated, as sea urchins and small fish have given way to bigger creatures. Today, a trigger fish about the size of an old school laptop was biting my flippers, and likewise harassing everyone in the group. Seriously, this was a big fish, and could easily bite off a toe or finger if it felt like it! I had heard somewhere you could scare them off by spraying them with air, so the entire encounter I was clutching my spare regulator like a can of Mace at the ready. The ever expanding size of my attackers bodes ill for my night dive tonight, but I’m still pretty stoked about it, as it’s my first ever! Fingers crossed. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and try to find a Koh Tao Planet Hollywood t-shirt.
Friendly marine life
P. S. There were those who said one man could not successfully play a star ship captain AND record a great spoken word version of “Common people” by Pulp. Obviously, they had never heard the name “Shatner”.
William Shatner – Common People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPa0GhxGUs&feature=related
Ei kommentteja:
Lähetä kommentti