testmeat photoblog

when i left the uk around one year ago my original plan was to travel slowly around india and see as much as possible. when i discovered that i could get a 5 year visa i thought this was perfect, not because i intended to spend a full 5 years there, but i knew that it would at least give me plenty of time. however when i dug into the small print i realised that although the visa is valid for 5 years i wouldn't be able to remain in the country the whole time, essentially i could only stay for 6 out of every 12 months. at first i was frustrated as it went against the idea i had built up in my head, but the more i thought about it the more i realised it was actually a blessing in disguise. it meant that i could spend the other half of the year exploring different countries in asia, experience the change in culture and landscape and see something brand new. so after my first 6 months in india i returned to mumbai and flew to thailand, a country which unarguably qualifies as 'in asia' although fails the 'brand new' test as i had been before, albeit almost 20 years prior. i landed in bangkok and took a bus into the city where i was immediately struck by how quiet, clean and empty the place seemed. objectively i don't think this is true, it's a major capital city after all, however having flown from mumbai after spending half a year in india it was surreal to see cars not honking at each other and pavements free from trash. i spent a few nights in the city before taking an overnight bus and morning ferry to this thai island which would be my new home for the next few weeks

here's another photo of a different boat as the sun was setting