Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

High Season vs Low Season

The low season had just begun when I arrived in Thailand in April 2024. And now that it is high season again, I have experienced my first taste of change.

Both seasons have their good and bad points. The weather is much cooler now, and we no longer need to run the aircon at night (although we still use a fan). The days are breezy, which blows the smoke from the farmer's burn-off, away. I'm guessing that because it isn't so hot, people seem to be more pleasant...although this could stem from my own happiness reflecting back at me from others.

We went out to a restaurant last week in central Hua Hin and I couldn't believe the number of foreigners I was seeing. In one Soi (street), I saw more Farangs than Thais. I must admit that it made me feel a little uncomfortable. The low season made me feel more special/individual because there are far fewer of us Farangs around. Prices too, have risen, although things are still very cheap compared to Australia.

I don't mind the heat because I am from Brisbane, Queensland, and it's a subtropical city. So, although I haven't yet experienced high season in its entirety, I'm looking forward to low season coming around again.

I have a friend who is currently staying in Pattaya. I haven't seen him in a long time, and hopefully, we will be catching up on the weekend. He is a global traveller, and when I asked him what his long-term plans were, he laughed and said he had none. I offered to pick him up from the bus when he arrived, however, I was concerned about not being able to carry his luggage on my motorbike. I asked him to send a pic of his bags and when he did, I knew I would not have a problem. It's hard to imagine how anyone could live for months at a time out of a backpack and a shoulder bag.

I'm slowly getting my sugar addiction under control by weaning myself off the sweet substance. Sugar is in almost every packaged foodstuff we eat, and adding even more refined sugar to my diet simply wasn't working out for me (or my waistline). In only a month, my pants are easier to do up and I feel better overall.

I've noticed that the last few times we have been to a restaurant, in the morning, my throat feels weird. Then, when I brush my teeth, I cough up phlegm. I'm also more thirsty than normal, and my guess is the restaurants are cooking with monosodium glutamate. That got me thinking about my next dietary challenge...eating less salt. Lucky for me my girlfriend loves to cook (although she too loves to add salt) and we will be eating at home a lot more now.