When the tsunami happened ten years ago I knew no one in Thailand. I was 18 years old and everything regarding this was so far from me. Sure it was one of the worst catastrophes in our modern times, I knew that. But I did not feel what you felt. I could not feel what you felt. I couldn’t imagine what you were going through.
So with this I want to say that I now feel great sadness but still an immense greatfullness for being able to experience Thailand in my own way and meeting so many great people. I want you to know that Sweden is with you in remembering. I hope that it means something to you, that we so far away actually care.
In Sweden we celebrate Christmas on the 24th, on Christmas eve instead of Christmas day. Don’t ask me why. I’m not actually christian. No one else in Sweden for that matter. So our customs are pretty weird. We celebrate nothing but buy a lot of crap. I guess we celebrate commercialism and capitalism but we think we celebrate some guy being born more than 2000 years ago. I don’t know. But hey, whatever the reason, we actually celebrate in a cozy way. Just remove all the unessesary presents and I’m fully on board!
It is very common to have a special christmas breakfast with your extended family in Sweden. I like that very much. Especially if it is with very nice and intelligent people with whom you can talk to about a lot of different things. Just like it was for me this time.
Geography, politics, traveling, racing and swedish culture from 50 years ago were some of the subjects we touched on together with mulled (pirate) wine. “Pirate” because rum was the main ingredient in one of the varieties.
Ham is the swedish staple during christmas times. Together with porridge, pickled pieces of herring called “sill”, bread, meat balls, potatoes, beet root sallad, red cabbage and for our family, ribs. For the breakfast today we had most of that but not meat balls and ribs, would have been to heavy for breakfast.
Our breakfast took place in Kristinehamn. A lovely little town. My mother wasn’t with us because she is working all of the Christmas holliday. So it was only me and my nice step father with his family. And this was actually my main official celebration of Christmas. Because my mom is working we had no big dinner or anything. But this was just perfect and enough for me. The hollidays are for relaxing. I can do that here. I celebrate by relaxing with my family.
Later in the evening I took a bath in the jacuzzi and sat in the sauna for a while.
Man do I love bathing in bath tubs and saunas!!
I said cozy. And it is mostly cozy. Relaxing, drinking mulled wine, spending time with your family and eating god food. But many people for some reason celebrate in front of the tv. Swedish people swear by the tradition of watching DONALD DUCK at three o’ clock (the picture is not from that, because I didn’t watch it, it is from when I watched Beverly Hills Cop in the evening). Yes it’s crazy. And then we continue with seeing commercials for new disney movies. It is so stupid. I mean, we are supposed to celebrate christian values or something, but instead we enforce our commercialist values.
It is tireing. And then people complain about not getting enough money for Christmas. Well just stop with the madness? “Oh but we have to for the kids. They will be so sad if they don’t get anything.” Will they really? And who taught them that? Yep you and the society. So just stop. That is my only wish for Christmas. How do you think people in other cultures get by with not celebrating Christmas or even birthdays? They are pretty happy I bet.
And what do we do when Christmas eve and Christmas day is over? Everyone goes out to buy new electronics in the “in between days” as we call it. Everything is cheaper because the stores are selling out the crap that couldn’t sell before Christmas. Yep, in honor of… Jesus.
A small little rant from me :). I really felt that I wanted to express my feelings towards the weird things about swedish Christmas. But I had a great Christmas eve. I usually do have a great one, I love celebrating with my family in our own way. And most people do, they celebrate in their own way and they enjoy it. Most people are very happy with how they celebrate, although many complain about the stress of arranging dinner for their family or about getting presents. And as I said, I wish that could change a bit. But it is how it is.
I’m very happy and I hope you are as well! Happy holidays!!
People ask me if I miss home.
I simply don’t.
People ask me if i have cravings for something back home.
I simply don’t.
But I had a tad bit of longing for “glögg” with friends and family around the first of advent. I might be able to find some in Phuket though. We’ll see!
And anyone reading this back home. I love you, don’t take it personally. I just feel that I’m not done here. I miss you. But not like I’m feeling sick from it.
I told one of my best friends this a couple of months ago, it might shed some light into my insane brain, so I will share it, I hope it is ok mr friend!
No, I don’t miss you, you are a part of me, you are in my thoughts, I carry you with me wherever I go. I don’t need to physically meet you every week. I still love you and you will still be my friend wherever I am. We can go months without talking. But still we have such a close bond, like family, that when we finally meet or talk it is as we never even were apart. And that is why I don’t miss you.
I really hope people reading this understand my point of view. If you don’t.. yhen just know that friends and family is the absolute most important thing in my life.
But you know?
The worst part about travelling is meeting great people everywhere. Really truly awesome and genuine human beings. It humbles me. It kind of gives me hope for humanity.
But, I can’t see everyone all the time.
I want to see my new niece back home.
I want to see my one year old niece back home.
I want to meet my new friends here.
I want to meet my friends back home.
I want to work here.
I want to work back home.
I want to study here.
I want to study back home.
I want to trek and adventure more here.
I want to trek and adventure more at home.
You might see the pattern…
Someone said.
Home is wherever your friends are
Well. Is my home… earth?
I don’t know.
But I do know that I miss music with great sound! I can really get that in my apartment and with my nice setup and my nice headphones. MR ANTICLIMACTIC
I’ve been listening to a lot of music in the evenings now amd the closer I get to departure date and the closer I get to home, the more I think “maan, this could sound so much better”
I hope I don’t hurt anyone by my mind picking good sound as the first thing i really miss.
Wat Prathat Doi Kongmu is located on a mountaintop about 1.5 km away from Mae Hong Son. It is one of five temples around the town. I went to them all and yeah, sure they are temples (I’ve seen a couple by now), but at least they are different! They are wooden and copper and influenced by Myanmar and Burmese styles (I think :p). Aaaanywaay!
So I got there early apparently. My walk up the stairs was a lone one. Only when it started to get dark people showed up in tour busses. It was fun though. Even though it is high season the town seems to be very quiet. Even the night market is pretty chill and there is no hustling anywhere. Everywhere you walk you are mostly accompanied by locals.
At the mountaintop I took some nice pictures waiting for the sunset. But the sun seemed to set really fast and I got no pictures of that. And everywhere people were burning incense and praying. There was like a fog or mist of incense around the temple grounds, ot was a nice atmosphere.
Later I walked around the town some more. I randomly bumped into my guest house owner and we got some street food together. It was actually one of the best Pad Thai I have had.
My plan was to go see the festival for ethnic tribes and people. But it got late and I was tired sooooo I took another spin on the walking street, donated some money to a kids band playing (They are standing there every night playing) and went home for a cup of tea.
After six hours in a minivan I finally arrived at around 7 in the evening.
I called my guest house to see how I could get there. Funny enough the owner had been waiting for me all day rejecting other customers and even calling the bus station to tell me how I could get there. It was a strange but very welcoming experience to have the staff at the buss station in a small town knowing your name. And after a couple of minutes the owner picked me up with her scooter!
I’m staying in Baan Mai Guest house, they only have three rooms and it is very relaxed. The owner is really happy and helpful.
After a well earned sleep I got up pretty early and had some tea. An hour later some breakfast made by the guest house and then I was of to see the town.
Well, it was a sleepy one because everywhere I went it was quiet or closed. I just have to wait some more before I hit the streets 😉
I saw some temples and a couple of military helicopters and I ate some great food.
I was just hanging around the locals.
Now I’m of to the mountain top close by to see the sunset!
Tomorrow I think I’ll rent a scooter so I can go to a waterfall and a village near a tea plantation. It has two names, Mae Aw and Baan Rak Thai. We’ll see how confusing those 47km will be 😀
Radio silence upcoming. I will be spending seven days in the Wat Doi Suthep doing Vipassana meditation.
Get up at 05 in the morning, listen to some buddhist teachings.
Breakfast at 07 and then meditation.
You practice breathing while sitting and walking.
At 11 you have lunch. That is also the last meal of the day. You aren’t alowed to eat in the afternoon.
During your stay you have to be silent and focus. You can’t sleep during the day and you cant use electronics. You also need to be dressed all in white.
My preparations are done, I think 😀
I’m a bit nervous but hopefully it’ll go well and I won’t be kicked out.
This is my home from today, ok not with all the tourists but at this temple at least. The facilities are located a bit below the tourist attractions
Majkiboy 