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Matt
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Subject: Travel Writer??
Posted: 22 Mar 2005 5:54 pm
Just read some of your comments on Thailand and found them very strange. You only seemed to visit places like Bangkok, Ko Samui, Phuket and Chiang Mai and then complain that the country was too touristy. Deeerrrr!!! If you had a month to travel Thailand and you consider yourself a 'traveller', whatever that may be, then why didn't you get of the beaten track? If someone visits England and just goes to London, Brighton and Blackpool they're not going to have experienced a fraction of what there is to offer.
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Mark Moxon
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Subject: Thailand
Posted: 22 Mar 2005 7:05 pm
Hi Matt.
Yeah, I can see why my comments are a bit strange; I was pretty confused at the time of writing them! I found myself in the odd situation of arriving in the most touristy places of Thailand and not liking them, but at the same time I was completely unmotivated to get off the tourist trail and find the real Thailand. I didn't realise it at the time, but I'd simply had my fill of hacking round the hidden corners of Southeast Asia, and I needed a rest from travelling; leaving to go to India turned out to be the solution, but at the expense of leaving Thailand unexplored.
This is pretty much what I say in my Thai piece 'Thoughts on Leaving':
'I can't really comment too much on Thailand: despite being here for a month, I never really left the cosy confines of the tourist trail, and I have no idea what the real Thailand is like. In places like Chiang Mai, the Khao San Road and Ko Samui the locals are tainted by tourism, and as a result they're pretty miserable and offhand, and the service is terrible. However, I'm absolutely convinced that this is not representative of Thais in general: they're supposed to be incredibly friendly, and although I didn't experience it, I didn't exactly put any effort into exploring the real Thailand.'
In other words, I *know* I didn't travel Thailand properly, but I don't think I claim anywhere that I actually tried to do so. I didn't enjoy the bits I did see, and I wrote about them honestly. But I don't think I 'complain that the country is too touristy' anywhere; sure, I criticise the tourist holes I visited, but that's a long way from criticising the whole of Thailand for being touristy. On the contrary, I point out that I have no idea what the real Thailand is like, which is a different thing altogether.
I suppose I consider myself a traveller because I've done a lot of travelling, and that's it. It doesn't imply that I've travelled extensively in every country I've ever visited; that's a logical leap too far. 😕
Anyway, thanks for posting, and I hope this goes some way to explaining my Thai writing. Maybe one day I'll go back and check out the hidden corners; I think I'll steer clear of Ko Samui this time, though. 😀
Best wishes,
Mark
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