Life Lessons from Thailand

By the time we got off the plane, through customs, checked in to the Hotel, dumped our stuff and sat down at the restaurant, it was 2am Oz time. I was getting over the flu and the fella thought he had just started getting sick. It was a fairly miserable flight for both of us and I usually like flying. We were very happy to arrive. I was super happy to get hit in the face with the muggy, cloying heat and the smell of Asia as I got off the plane and walked into the airport. I'm going to be warm, I thought, for 10 whole days, I'll be warm. It was as peaceful as I ever feel. I could almost feel the snot and germs shrivel up. Although I'd had a big tapas lunch at the airport, a small and interesting lamb casserole on the flight I decided what I really needed to do was eat again. At 2am. More so than go to sleep. So what would a good meal be at 2am? Something light, bland perhaps. Or, something with kick-arse hot mutherfucking chillies in it. A well known recipe for sleep and jetlag.

Growing up inland, milk-making country Vic, there was not a lot of chilli in my life and when I met the hubby at age 28, despite having travelled the world a couple of times. I was not able to partake of the hot food. An authentic Laksa in beautiful Margaret River W.A cured me of my hot food weakness. I ate a big piece of a small bird's eye chilli and burned the fuck out of my mouth, rendering me speechless for 20 or so minutes (never accomplished before or since while conscious), and unable to drink the beautiful local wine for about an hour (also never a problem since.)

My first trip to Thailand cured me of any leftover reluctance to eat piping “Thai hot” soups and curries and created an addiction so strong I burnt my stomach asking for (and really getting) “Thai hot” in a restaurant once home. I now love it so much I'll happily have chilli for all meals, everyday. The fella has put the breaks on a bit after I made some Thai – ish food too hot for him to eat. So I do love getting back to the land of sunburn and tongue burn and getting back into chilli shape. I tend to think I'm pretty tough when it comes to chilli tolerance, but at 2am on our first night in Thailand I realized I was un-chilli-fit.

Two-thirds into my chicken with cashews and dried chilli dish I ate a whole, not so dried or seeded chilli. It was an amazing experience to have at 2am after the runny-nosed, asthma-wheezing, sleep-deprived 9 hour flight. My nosed streamed, I coughed, spluttered and gasped, tears ran down my face and (apparently) my eyes went red. It went on and on. Pain, shock, burning, everywhere. I couldn't drink my coconut juice, eat anymore food or talk – much. And then I started laughing, I felt so happy! I realized that - yes, I am a masochist - but also, this is what I love about Thailand, and about traveling; the total unexpected. I never in a million years would have expected to feel like this at 2am on a Wednesday morning. In fact, I'd probably avoid all aspects of it – being awake, eating anything that might provoke my insomnia, but here I was sweating like a mo-fo and laughing and loving it. Because it was totally unexpected, because it was something I so normally wouldn't be doing. The whole point of leaving home and traveling in the first place. And because something so little like a chilli can create such an explosion of feeling, you really know you're alive and kicking and that if it's happening at 2am in an airport Hotel with Kenny G saxing his heart out in the background, you're a long way away from your normality. Which is brilliant.

I promised myself once that I'd never go traveling to the same place more than once, because there are so many amazing places in the world to get to. But this is my 4th visit to Thailand, which made me feel a little uncomfortable when I booked it; was I wasting the opportunity to go somewhere new? To experience something and somewhere new? Was it too easy? However the chilli burn reminded me that there is always something new to take from any experience – holiday, work day, a new book, or dinner. We spend so much time preparing and setting goals, focusing on the future that it sometimes takes a big fucker of a chilli to make us stop and realize that this moment, this present tense, is life and there is always a lot to learn from it.

Not that this lesson will keep me at home.

So, things I've learned in Thailand this time:

• There are still foods in Thailand that are hot enough to literally reduce me to tears.
• I have tight Achilles
• I don't mind having a strange woman sit on my feet, lean her arm in my bum crack or put her feet in my armpit and groin if it's in the name of a Thai massage
• I am a masochist (see anecdotes on chillies and massage)
• I tan really quickly – too quickly – I had 2 hours in the semi-sun the first day here with 30 plus on and had a tan. By the next arvo I looked like I'd been here a month.
• Just because it's happy hour doesn't mean I have to skull Mojitos...There's a chance I've learned this before but then forgot.
• The guys with the books of tattoo designs on the beach are selling marijuana, not fake tattoos.
• I have knots in my hamstrings. And my glutes. And I probably didn't need to know that – or feel it under the tough love masseur's hands.
• I cannot get sick of mangoes, chilli and, especially, coconut- in any form – I am eating, drinking and wearing coconut.
• I knew I was able to drink a lot (ie alcohol) but I really can put away a shitload of Thai food too. Every day I think: I'll have a light lunch or dinner ( I can always eat the world for breakfast) and everyday I change my mind.
• Really hot chilli can make you go foggy in the head. I don't know if that's good for you or not.
• Thai 15+ sunscreen doesn't work.
• I love scootering in Thailand
• Covering yourself (or having a massage lady do it) in Tiger balm and lying in front of a fan is very refreshing. And a little bit sexy. Until you see what it's done to your hair.
• It is possible to ride a scooter around Samui wearing a short denim skirt, especially if you have confidence in your bikini waxer.
• The guys with the hammocks on the beach are selling marijuana, not hammocks.

So much to learn, it makes everything so very worthwhile.