Have you been a backpacker in Southeast Asia? Have you discussed, ’til you were blue in the face, what the proper name for sandals is? Have you lamented a horrible shorts tan? Have you experienced a terrible Changover after a night of too many buckets and beers? Well, then, you may just be a backpacker in Southeast Asia if you identify with the aforementioned, and anything on this list:
1) You have a devastating tank top tan
2) You have had the tank top/singlet/vest debate ad nauseam
3) You have seriously considered (or already have) dread locks
4) You wear the same clothes several days in a row with no shame whatsoever
5) You own an In the Tubing tank top that you bought out of necessity because you are out of clean clothing (and frankly, have been for quite some time)
6) You know how to say “hello” and “thank you” in about ten different languages
7) You own a pair of fake Ray Bans because you lost the pair you brought from home
8) You own a pair of fake Havaianas because you lost the pair of flip-flops (jandals/sandals/thongs) you brought from home
9) You have some kind of perpetual wound, whether from tripping on uneven concrete, getting burned from a flaming jumprope, or crashing a motorbike
10) You have come to embrace the bum gun
11) You are so used to having the entire room at your disposal during a shower that a western shower seems entirely too small and too contained
12) You have come across several menus that have struck fear into your very being
13) You have come to add at least 30 minutes to the wait time any time you’re told “wait 5 minutes”
14) You have been a millionaire in several currencies
15) You have learned to add at least two hours to any time quote given for a bus journey
Have you backpacked around Southeast Asia? What do you have to add?
Christina says
HAHA! Oh can’t wait to experience all of this…minus the deer feces..?
Kristin Addis says
I still lose sleep wondering if they really eat feces.
Callie says
Ha! I love this. I never thought I’d embrace the bum gun, but it’s starting to happen…also, off of #2 and #5, I’d add that you might be a SEA backpacker if you find one day that all your tank tops/singlets/vests feature foreign beer logos!
Kristin Addis says
oh DUH! I Beer Lao “my country, my beer”, and of course, the Chang beer shirt I rocked in almost every photo I took!
Ashley of Ashley Abroad says
This was hilarious! INTESTINES IN THE FECES? Whaa?
Kristin Addis says
I elected just to order a beverage at that establishment
Alana - Paper Planes says
#11 made me laugh 🙂
Kristin Addis says
I now have hot water regularly, but a smaller shower in Australia. It’s a tradeoff, I’m not sure how I feel about it!
Alana - Paper Planes says
At least your feet don’t get wet every time just going in to use the toilet! That still slightly annoys me sometimes…
Kristin Addis says
oh, I just include that in the glaze of filth I find myself covered in while in that region of the world. Embrace it.
When I lived in Taipei, since we were in a fixed location, we had flip flops we kept in the bathroom so that we could avoid wet feet 🙂
Lorenzo Gonzalez says
Haha This is ridiculously funny.. I love this Ava! Grrr, I mean, Kristin!
Kristin Addis says
Keeping you on your toes, Lorenzo!
Far East Flashpacker says
absolutely true! we have experienced the motorbike accident in Ko Phangan!
Kristin Addis says
OH massive bummer! I feel lucky to have evaded accidents so far. Scary!
Britany Robinson says
Ha… yup! These things all make me miss it!! I’ll add… You’ve eaten some sort of bug, just to be able to say that you did.
Kristin Addis says
I came so close to eating a cricket in Chiang Mai, then chickened out…no literally, had chicken instead.
JustChuckinIt says
HA! This is great. I cannot WAIT to hit SE Asia this summer, I’m working my ass off for it now. I’m sure I’ll be able to relate to plenty of this. I already went through the “Wearing the same thing with no shame” and “Wanting dreadlocks” in New Zealand.
Kristin Addis says
When this summer? I’ll be around too!
JustOneBoomer says
So, did those motorcycle crash wounds belong to anyone to whom I gave birth? (BTW, go easy on the “feces in the intestines”. My life experience tells me that you can, in fact, have too much of a good thing.
Kristin Addis says
Literally laughed out loud. No, those wounds were from another friend. Seems to be a common issue!
Larry Waight says
Hahahah I love this!!!
Kristin Addis says
Thanks much 🙂
Peter Lee says
Love this post and these fake Ray-Ban looking pretty cool. :P#13 point is really a bad thing. I hate waiting. 🙁
Kristin Addis says
But it WILL teach you patience!
Peter Lee says
Are you such pretty..??
Caitlyn O'Dowd says
Love it! Have many of these, including a massive scar from scraping against a garbage bag in Vietnam that just so happened to have a huge bit of glass poking out 🙁
Kristin Addis says
Ooooh don’t you just love wondering what glass from a garbage bin might have infected you with? Such a fun game to play on the road 🙂
Far East Flashpacker says
Flashpacker is the way to travel! We experience it, we breathe it, we leave it!
Kristin Addis says
I’m down with the flash pack
ChasinJason13 says
I’ve done enough traveling in Central Europe/Mexico/Philippines to understand many of these from experience and I’m looking forward to becoming another tank top tan statistic next year. I enjoy your articles immensely,hopefully we’ll run into each other on the road.
Kristin says
Thanks dude! I love the tank top tan statistic.
Mary OSullivan says
I am 60 and have just backpacked through Cambodia/Vietnam for 8 weeks-what a brilliant time I had , loved Cambodia and the people ( who said anything about climate change ) they’re not worried, went on motorbikes, tuck tucks , night buses , day buses .etc / Also Vietnam was a wonderful place and I want to revisit the north again just didn’t get enough time . I would encourage anybody in there senior years to get out there and experience!
Kristin says
That’s awesome Mary. Glad you enjoyed your time there!
Julie says
OMG Kristin you always crack me up!! You nailed them all. I fit every description with pride. Also since when are flip flops called slippers? When I think slippers I think over sized fluffy animal slippers that my grandma got me for Christmas.
Kristin says
I know same and a vest to me will always be like a tuxedo vest.