Doing it solo

I’ve always been a fan of travelling solo – you get to decide your own ways, what you do, where you stay and you meet a lot more people. If you get tired of your travel buddies, you can always change your company without much explanation or guilt. You can either share the expenses and live with people you just met or if you feel like being alone for a while, you can do that too. However, there are moments in traveller’s life that company is much appreciated but non-existent – like illness. There is no one to bring you food or hot tea or say it’s high time to go to the doctor. It happened to me at the supposed end of my stay in Ko Phangan, that my travel buddies left and because I didn’t feel 100%, I decided to rest and stay one more night. One night turned out to be 5 nights at a local clinic with IV almost permanently attached. Damn nasty throat infection and a week of my life is gone. I wouldn’t mind being ill in paradise as long as I could enjoy the sun, the beach and some company but I was stuck in one room. Can’t complain about conditions: DVD at my disposal, free internet, food delivered from a restaurant next door and nurses and doctors at my disposal (after full moon I happened to be the only patient). It was fun during the first two days when I could rest and do absolutely nothing, but soon I’ve watched all the movies, got bored with internet and had no appetite for any food whatsoever. Moreover my visa was running out and I seemed to need more and more antibiotics each day – not the most cheerful situation. If it wasn’t for the staff that kept me company, cheered me up, helped with the visa extension I finally recovered enough to go on. I got my farewell drugs pack and left for Krabi town, where I am at the very moment. I wish I could stay longer or visit more of the west coast, but time’s ticking. I have already extended my stay in SEA for a week just to meet up with my friend in Singapore, where I’m flying tomorrow (love the cheap airlines!). And yet again, I have to say: next time dear Phuket, Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta!! Next time will I explore you and Malaysia ;] Too bad, but I hear it’s already too late to experience these regions as a traveller. Now you can only do it the sheep herd style – with expensive package holidays together with the honeymooners. Since when did people start to invade these wonderful corners of the world?! I mean, I’ve always encouraged everyone to travel as much as they can, but seriously, this is not the way to do it!! Thailand became too westernized and too touristy. Package holidays destroyed backpackers’ paradise… Being educated by various Business Schools, having been fed with “globalization is good for world economy” I find myself thinking “maybe it is, but it makes the world a boring place full of morons without identity”. So, before you get out there into the unknown, please think how you do it first and travel responsibly, so that the exotic parts of this world remain exotic and exciting.