We didn't get to go to India. It was very sad/shocking. There was a problem with Bret's visa, some of the infomation didn't match up, and the sympathetic staff of KIX airport told us it was a no go. They wouldn't even print our boarding passes. We had happily skipped up the the ticket counter and left with our spirits crushed.
But, we were already in Osaka, after over 14 hours of travel and waiting, so we went on the airport computers and at 100 yen per 10 minutes of internet use, furiously tried to find the best alternative possible. Thailand was the cheapest place, so off we went!
We're still determined to go to India, and it's actually going to be great because over Christmas break I have a ton of time off, so we'll have even more time to explore.
How to check if you're not in a first world county: Are there feral animals everywhere? If yes, you might be in we'renotatthestagewherewefixouranimalsville.
Literally, dogs everywhere you look. When we were at a remote countryside temple, I was trying to take pictures of these awesome roosters and 3 huge dogs started barking and running at me full speed. I was sort of thinking that was the end for me, and started yelling No! No! Nonono! and they luckily stopped their charge and let me pet them. hahaha. phew! Good thing I kept a cool head :)
Six days was plenty for Thailand. Plenty. We had a great time, but you can only eat so much, buy so many 50 cent tees, and go to the Safari park so much before they give you the "you guys again" looks. It was a great experience for a week, but I am not a "sit on the beach" person, so it was plenty of time for me to see everything I wanted to see.
I was getting a massage (they are dirt cheap everywhere, like 6 dollars an hour sometimes) and overheard this guy asking how much it would be to get his entire upper body waxed. He was told it'd be 1,000 baht, which is like 36 dollars or something. He then argued about the price, trying to reduce it to 800 for about 10 minutes, while people all around are trying to relax. He kept saying, "no, that's too much, it's too much." UMMM NO THAT IS NOT TOO MUCH. We don't want to hear about your body hair problems, take a hike! First of all, no one wants to wax your upper body, weird indiscernible accent guy. Second, I don't want to listen to you being a miser. Thirdly, can you hear yourself? Do you literally have no shame? Ugh. You can/should barter/haggle/whatever when someone is trying to rip you off, or is clearly quoting a high starting "bid" but walking into an establishment with set prices clearly on display and arguing in front of a room of people is classless.The sad thing was the lady took his offer and told him to come back in 30 minutes.
But, we were already in Osaka, after over 14 hours of travel and waiting, so we went on the airport computers and at 100 yen per 10 minutes of internet use, furiously tried to find the best alternative possible. Thailand was the cheapest place, so off we went!
We're still determined to go to India, and it's actually going to be great because over Christmas break I have a ton of time off, so we'll have even more time to explore.
*Random closing rant*
One of the things that really bugged me while we were there was haggling. I mean, there are shanty towns everywhere, people are working hard to get by, and you get these tourists haggling over the lamest stuff. Oh, you got that for 100 baht instead of 150 (4 dollars instead of 4.75)? Do you feel like a big man? Congratulations on being such a savvy consumer!I was getting a massage (they are dirt cheap everywhere, like 6 dollars an hour sometimes) and overheard this guy asking how much it would be to get his entire upper body waxed. He was told it'd be 1,000 baht, which is like 36 dollars or something. He then argued about the price, trying to reduce it to 800 for about 10 minutes, while people all around are trying to relax. He kept saying, "no, that's too much, it's too much." UMMM NO THAT IS NOT TOO MUCH. We don't want to hear about your body hair problems, take a hike! First of all, no one wants to wax your upper body, weird indiscernible accent guy. Second, I don't want to listen to you being a miser. Thirdly, can you hear yourself? Do you literally have no shame? Ugh. You can/should barter/haggle/whatever when someone is trying to rip you off, or is clearly quoting a high starting "bid" but walking into an establishment with set prices clearly on display and arguing in front of a room of people is classless.The sad thing was the lady took his offer and told him to come back in 30 minutes.
*Rant over*
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