Thailand

Thailand is one of my favorite places in the world. Apart from the beautiful scenery, delicious and affordable food, and great climbing, it also has some of the most friendly and interesting people I've ever met.

I made a lot of Thai friends when I stayed in Thailand for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic. I stayed in Thai homes in the countryside, and got a rare glimpse into the real experiences that Thai people have outside the tourism industry.

Singing birds#

One of the most adorable pastimes of the Thai people is the singing bird competitions.

Bamboo bongs#

Did you know that the word "bong", which we usually think of as a glass smoking pipe, is actually the Thai word for a section of bamboo? The history of using bamboo as a smoking pipe goes back many generations in Thailand, and is still widely practiced today.

I encouraged my friend Lam to sell bamboo bongs to tourists who came to sit in his bar, and he had some decent success with it!

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My friend Fadeo#

One of my favorite friends from Thailand was a little kid named Fadeo, who would run onto the beach and give fist bumps to all the climbers. Me and him had a really special bond, and a lot of people used to call him my son!

At the time, Fadeo was living with his grandma in Tonsai. Schools were shut down due to COVID, so he would just hang out on the beach all day. Here is the full story about meeting Fadeo.