This hostel here is We Bangkok one of the most fun hostels in bangkok a chill out party one

Click here to view the embedded video.

People

1. In Hotels you normally meet older type of crowd and families.     If you looking for fun and younger crowd hostels are way to go.    My fellas if you have just a bit of game in a decent hostel I will say no more.

2.  If you are solo traveler and young its almost like why would you not.    You get meet people so easily and especially if you are in smaller type hostel.

3.  When people go out at night people a lot times tend to go out in groups.

4.   The kind of parties that can start in hostel can sometimes be nothing less than legendary.

PRICE

1. There is no cheaper way to travel other than free.

2.  even if you get a private room generally speaking it cheaper than local hotels but not always

Accommodations

1. I won’t lie I am bit of a diva and I am not staying in any sh#thole if I can help it.    If you are staying  pretty much anywhere in asia they have decent hostels or guesthouses with hot showers, decent beds and good security.   Not once in 7 months in southeast asia while staying in hostel or guesthouse did not have access to warm shower and decent mattress.

2.   As you will see in videos above and below they have some very high quality hostels around asia especially in bangkok.

3.   You often have locker spaces where you can lock up your valubales but always bring your own lock.  Also bring own towel if you dont want to pay for rental which normally pretty cheap.

4.  Most places have private rooms if don’t want to share a room with just a bed.   So if you have girlfriend etc you can have your boom boom sessions in private .

Locations

1. A lot times you can find hostels in PRIME areas of town so for example if you paying paying $10 a night for bed and cheapest hotel around is $50 a night in area like sathorn silom area of bangkok.

2. Normally very easy access to public access or they help arrange travel.

3. Even if you just stay hostel for few dayss and move to hotel or apartment you can still be close hostel and know people there. I pretty much always move bach pads so I can host pool parties etc.

Staff

1. They are locals of town most of the time and the 411 aka info on everything .

2. Owners are normally around so they care about what happens and your experience

3.  Basically anything you need help with in city apartment finding, visa help etc they got your back.

Atmosphere

1.  Depends greatly on where you stay  ” Check reviews on hostelworld”

2.   Most are pretty laid back and chill, not all are party places which I found out.

3. People always talking to you, so I often I am in my room etc  when I am doing work, or  keep my headphones they mean ” FU#K OFF” don’t talk to me.

Where to book Hostel.

1. You have Hostelworld.com  or hostelbookers.com

Here  is sapahpaie the luxury hostel in bangkok  I stayed here when first arrived in bangkok  and overall in 7 months spent over a month and half here

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yes I still party around the world,  and meet pretty girls who speak many different languages.    I have to say my traveling/living around the world is much different than vacationing around the world .

This is my view and I guess like a asshole everyone has one.    I will say I used to be vacation traveler and let me explain what I mean.   It would be like big checklist for me while traveling.  Disneyworld for example  I fly to orlando ,  I stay at peabody hotel , go to epcot day 1,  Day 2 I go aninmal kingdom, Day 3 I go univerisal studios,  day 4 I go shopping, day 5 I chill out by the pool,  day 6 I go to magic kingdom  Day 7 chill out at hotel and prepare for a flight home.    I go back home and say I went to orlando and I know whats it like there.     Even tho I don’t remember one person’s name from orlando.

That would be like someone visiting chicago and saying they staying downtown for a whole week.   Then they say they know what chicago is like I would say maybe you had taste of what chicago is like.

Me personally I think you have to get to know the people of the town to say you know it.     Get to know the customs and their beliefs and what type food they eat the music etc.  I walk into a place now and ask people names, and strike up conversations because I will be around and care to learn.

Normally I stay atleast 1 month in each place I stay.       So what are your thoughts on the whole thing.

So much for me posting every week, 2 posts in 4 months. I know myself and I am the person who loves living life not documenting all of it myself. Its not even up for debate my next trip will include a full time video/photographer who travels with me all the time. I truly believe I could inspire thousands if not millions through the story of my adventures to do the same.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHOgrhmvXOs

So now its already the end of june almost july I am sitting in my hostel lobby while I write this ‘we bangkok“. I will start with the most recent events since they are most fresh in my dome. Staying in a hostel has its benefits especially while traveling alone. I have currently split from my two friends Garrett and Steve they are currently in europe. We were all in different parts of the world for the last month. This week they both reunited in Poland together and they both are enjoying perogis and vodka daily. I have now been in bangkok now for over a week and I loved it so far. Depending on the part of of town you are in you will have a vastly differently vibe of the town.

Yesterday I went over to Khao San “backpacker mecca” road with about 7 people from my hostel at about 5 pm. When I walk down the street the suit tailors yell to me “Obama Obama” and point to a picture of a black man in an suit. They can be quite funny, but not as funny massage girls in patong beach in phuket I will share later. When I meet thai people they say ” Wat kuntreeee you come from “. Then their eyes light up ” OOOHHH America very good” and typically throw up their thumbs enthusiastically. When people say they don’t prejudge people based on looks that is bullsh#t. I have not met black dude from america in thailand so far that is not mixed raced under age of 25 “Correction I did meet one black dude from florida in chiang mai who was 22″. Typically your darker skinned black people are from africa that are in thailand. That being said tho I have met a handful of black dudes under 25 from england tho.

Thai people are generally VERY friendly people and warm people. If you read my post before you heard I was called a nigger and that had me putting my
guard up quite a bit. I have now been here for 4 months and can tell you that it was drunk isolated indecent. So many thai people and Thai women “Evil Grin” are curious and excited to learn about black american people. I have had many thai people open their hearts and home to me made feel very welcome. I already planning my trip back to thailand.

I will share my experience in phuket with you quickly I could go on for 3 pages with stories. I will do a video a little later with part 2 of the stories. So its like 10 pm of tuesday evening and I head over to patong beach area. I hear ” CHOCOLATE MANNNNNN” I turn and its pretty massage lady smiling then continues “you want masagggggge”. I turn and smile say its ok thank you then she continues on and I respectfully declined. It is quite an experience being called a chocolate man.

I have a lot better stories that have happened also I will share that in my next post, and I will create a video explaining the situations I love acting them out.

LEAVE COMMENTS let me know what you hear about more and less off. I will make it happen.

I love this

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VBwiSMibO4

Where am I now?

Bangkok, Thailand

Monks in their bright orange robes, a common sight anywhere in Thailand

Where is Bangkok?

South East Asia, on the south central coast of Thailand.

 

Why Bangkok?

It’s one of the those exotic places that has its name murmured by travelers all around the world. Food, culture, weather, people, low –cost, vibrant night-life, Bangkok has it all.

I arrived from Japan around midnight and found a sketchy guy and his normal looking friend to drive me to the city.  As it turned out, he was just a retired guy who used his van as a taxi to make extra money and get out of the house.  He ended up being my private chauffer for the next few days.  When I got to my hostel/hotel, I was surprised by how modern the city was and how nice my place was. I mean, what you get for your money in Thailand is pretty hard to explain and easy to get used to.  I went to sleep, jet lagged and tired the first night.

Day 2

Reunion in Bangkok

I woke up and went to explore the city.  It was a culture shock to see things here that would never happen in the U.S.  For example, to see an entire family on a small scooter in downtown Bangkok, or small children running barefoot trying to sell flowers or gum, was initially strange. But you get used to it fast.  I hopped in a taxi to meet up with my friends. Garrett was in Korea the past year teaching English, and Steve met him out there a few months ago, then they started to travel through Thailand.  We’ve all known each other since we were about 12, and it was cool to all meet up again in a place like Bangkok.  My 25 minute ride cost under $4, which would have easily been like $40 back in Chicago. They were saying just near the infamous Khao San Road (that’s what it’s called, even though San means Road).

Khao San Rd. is like the backpacker mecca of South East Asia. This place is unique for sure. You walk down the half-mile stretch and see everything from groups of Lady-Boys (some of them look a LOT like women), to markets, groups of hippy looking backpackers, people selling knock off watches and bags, night clubs, outdoor restaurants and bars, to families pushing a stroller and couple walking browsing through the market.  A lot of second-hand stuff is sold there also, because a lot of backpackers get so broke they sell their bags, watches, clothes, etc., anything to prolong the stay in Thailand. Which is understandable.  Khao San is an assault on your senses. The smell of fresh Thai food is everywhere as you walk down the street vendors, as is the occasional stench of sewer, which mixes and makes you wonder what exactly you are smelling. You hear hard core metal rock in one ear, and current American hip-hop in the other, while you’re standing in front of a 10 year old Thai kid playing some strange instrument and being offered tickets to “ping pong” shows (if you don’t know what a ping pong show is, look it up, I’m not explaining).  We went back to their place and booked our train ticket to Chiang Mai, which leaves the 11^th at 9 am and is 12 hours long. I kind of wanted to fly, but G talked it up and said it would be a cool way to see the country-side, so we did it. After walking around a while we decided to go back to my place so my friends could take a hot shower, which G hadn’t done in a year or so, and Steve at least a few months. Which I thought was funny because growing up these kids had nice big houses in the suburbs, so to see them getting all excited about my normal shower, was shocking to me.

We chilled out at my place until my driver picked us up to take us to a department store to eat and see some Thai boxing. The boxing was set up in a nice professional arena at the base of this giant department store and had a nice crowd. It was really cool to watch, but I was a little disappointed that it was between a French guy and a Scottish guy. It was still cool though.  We headed back to the hotel to chill, drink a little, and relax until 11pm when the driver came back to take us to some of his local favorite spots. I’m gonna filter this part of the story, but let me just say, he had a different idea of what we meant when we said we wanted to party with girls. We had him drop us off back near some bars and partied around there until about 6am or so. It’s not a bar scene like you would imagine. Almost all of the bars are set up so they are more like little stands facing a strip and everyone kind of hangs out and goes from place

Thai Boxing in downtown Bangkok

to place. While I was walking around, a little kid, no older than 6-7, came up and head butted me and said, “hey man, you buy rose!” and pushed a fistful of roses up toward me.  I was like, “what!?  it’s 3am, go home!” But he was persistent. He found me later, because I kinda stand out, and joined us at the bar. Long-story short, that kid hustled us with all sorts of little games and tricks and ended up going home with about 2,000 BAHT or like $60. Only in Bangkok. Word spread fast to the other lil hustlers and soon I was surrounded by little kid’s with roses. We decided to move on and headed to a nice, legit, club called Insomnia. We were pretty much the only foreigners in there, so it was cool to be a part of the local scene. We partied until about 6am or so and kinda went our separate ways as we got split up talking to different people. Steve’s story is an epic tale to be told another time, but his night ended up to be a crazy story.

This kid won like $60 off me....I was still getting used to the new currenc

Day 3

I woke up and went to the hospital around noon to get some vaccinations for the different places I’m headed. I was shocked when I was filling out paper work and they waked me my religion, and insisted that they needed this information. That was a culture shock. I headed back to my place fell asleep for a while. I met the guys out pretty late near Khao San and we partied out around there until about 5-6am. While we were I out we all met some really cool people from all over the world; Holland, Germany, Sweden, France, England, the list goes on and on. We left a club when it closed  and wandered around Khao San, hanging out, drinking, watching in amusement at the dozens of “Lady-Boys” looking for some one to take them home. I wandered up to a group while taking a video to show people what’s up, because it was a group of half girls and half lady boys. I’m normally a loud, friendly, guy when I’m having fun, so I was SHOCKED, I mean SHOCKED, when the he/she lady-boy turned to me and said, “GO HOME NEEGA!!! NEEEEEGA!! GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY!” I was like, holy-shit, that’s @#$!ed-up.  I just laughed at her/him and was like…”umm okay,” and walked back to my friends to tell them what that racist he/she just said.  It was an experience to say the least.

Day 4(night 3 continued)

We stayed out probably too long considering we had a train to catch. We got back to the hostel my friends were staying at around 6am with a group of 5/6 people we kinda picked up along the way, a melting pot of the world.  G and Steve passed out and I woke them up to get their stuff together around 8.  I knew we were pushing it because my place was clear across the city  and I saw the traffic in the morning. Their drunk asses got ready all late and had us really PUSHING out time limit. I ran into my place after sitting in traffic, grabbed my stuff in like 5 minutes, and hopped back in the taxi to head to the train station. More traffic. We get to the train station at 9:10 am, run to platform 9. Empty tracks. I show my ticket to a Thai looking guy and he points to track 10. We all just run across the tracks, and bolt onto the train. Before we even sat down the train was moving, I’ve never cut it that close. We found our seats and laughed at how ridiculously close we cut it to the train. I sat back and breathed. Then I realized I forgot my tri-pod at the hotel. Shit. I’ll get it next time I’m in Bangkok.

Photo by Steve Kiratsous

“You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices.”

-Deepak Chopra

www.youtube.com/watch?v=glyGo53rruk

What’s the worst that could happen ? …….  that’s a question that I often ask while trying to make a lot of decisions.   Now when it comes to traveling around the world to random countries, 10 months out of year, people ask “how that is even possible?” and “how do you do it?”  There are so many reasons why people don’t travel. Money of course is the initial reason most people give for not traveling. Another big reason, and one that people don’t readily admit, is fear of  foreign cultures due to biased media, hearsay and ignorance.  The truth is, I can write and explain about the places I’ve been and try to convince others to do what I’m doing,  but until you go see the world for yourself, it would be like trying to explain a beautiful women to a blind man. Once you start traveling, it is addictive and a lifestyle that I personally would trade for no other.

I know you’re wondering; how does a 24 year old black kid from a single  parent home who decided college wasn’t for him, travel the world on his terms? I know what you’re thinking and no, I didn’t sell drugs.    There are 3 simple answers.  I have an online business that allows me to fund my travel adventures. I never let my background hold me back. I mean I never said, “well I’m a foster kid, I’m not supposed to do this,” or I’m black, “if I don’t go to college, I’ll never be successful, or “well, my mom doesn’t make much money, so I probably never will.”  Those are excuses, and I guess what I’m trying to say is, I never made excuses.   I also never gave a ( fu#k) about what anyone else has/hasn’t done. What I mean is, I never let other peoples goals or accomplishments set a bar for my own personal accomplishments.

That being said, I gotta give my dad a shout-out. He was probably the only person who told me to keep following my dreams when I went to hell and back.  I’ve never really spent much time with my dad, but in my life he has been of constant support, and for that I am forever grateful. Right now, as I write this blog post I am sitting on a plane on the way to Japan and remembering what first inspired me travel the globe. It was simple, somebody inspired me by being a traveler and telling me about their travels. That planted a seed.

It made me realize, “I can do that, I WANT to do that.”   So who knows how many people will read this blog. All I know is that my vision is to inspire. I want to show people parts of the world they may never see, to allow them to experience and understand cultures they may know little to nothing about. Then of course, hopefully, I want to inspire some of you to get off your ass and see this amazing world. I can’t credit one person or thing for my inspiration. It’s really a culmination of everything I’ve experienced throughout my life;  TV,  music, music videos, literature, biographies,  and just simple stories.  I would see or hear or read these things and think, “why not me? why can’t I do all that cool (Sh#t)? Why is it only rock-stars, actors,  trust fund babies , or old retirees do. WHY THE HELL should I work until I am old and slow then retire,? Why should I wait to see the world?  Nothing will change in your life UNTIL you ASK QUESTIONS and go find the answers and solutions to your problems.

I’ve traveled roughly 10 of the last 12 months and enjoyed every minute of every day, but I haven’t really shared my experiences with the world.   I do post pictures every now and then but that doesn’t give you even 1/10th of my experiences. That word, “experience”  is big for me. Life is about experiences, not acquiring  material objects. Personally, I feel a life based on acquiring amazing experiences and wisdom, is far better than a life acquiring things.  Yes I still enjoy a few nice things but they only enhance my experiences. I don’t search for joy in objects. That being said, for the last year or so I’ve been staying in 4-5 star hotels and resorts around the world.  However, for the next 4-6 months I’ll be living out my backpack “osprey 50.” I’ll be staying at hostels, hotels, houses, tents and wherever else I end up. For the first four months I’ll be on adventures through Thailand,Cambodia ,Vietnam, Laos, India and China. What you can expect in future posts are videos, write ups, photographs and stories,  of my adventure as I make my way to each new country, city, town, village or Island. Talk to you soon.

PS I REALLY; I appreciate comments as they keep me motivated, especially when I know people are reading.  So lets grow and travel together. I really do expect to see some of you during my travels. Feel free to connect with me twitter or facebook.   I can’t wait too see some you on this journey!

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