It's so easy to complain. Why are the negative things in life so much more tactile than the good ones? The check-in experience at my last hotel was one of those not quite enjoyable situations. I booked in advance online using a discount booking service and decided to splurge a bit: I went for the place with the pool and the room with the balcony and bathtub. I was excited. However, my excitement was defeated when my expectations were not met. Promised on the room description were WiFi, a bathtub, a refrigerator, and a balcony. (Now you might think that a bathtub is a fairly extraneous amenity but after not seeing one for over a month, it was pretty enticing.) The first room that I was showed had neither a bathtub nor a refrigerator. After bringing this to the attention of the staff, the alternative room that I was showed was missing a balcony. I was given the option to upgrade to a deluxe room for an additional 350 baht per night but that is too much for me. Should I stay in the room with no balcony? Should I demand the deluxe room at no additional charge? Should I request a refund from the online booking merchant? They were unable to provide what was advertised and they lied to me a few times during the interaction. Mistrust is exhausting. I couldn't trust a word that these people were saying because first they had only an inferior alternative room, then they had only an upgrade-room, then they were fully booked and had nothing for me. I initially thought that I had a beautiful place to stay with all of the desired amenities. Shortly after, the amenities were yanked. Then I was led to believe that the place was full and that I without a place to stay (after already paying for the room.) It was all a bit emotionally daunting. To add to the emotional distress, I was lugging my four huge bags up and down four flights of stairs as I was being shown room after room of upgrade options.

It's becoming very apparent to me what type of situations make me grumpy. The place where I'm currently staying is much better. The people are nice and the accommodations are as advertised. But the WiFi is terrible … basically nonexistent. After fiddling around for over an hour last night, I simply decided that I would have to save all of my computer stuff for an off-site location. Earlier this morning, I sat a restaurant with a cup of coffee using the WiFi. I could tell that the owner was a bit annoyed that I was only ordering coffee. She reluctantly gave me the WiFi password and everything was going smoothly … taking care of business. She must have pulled the plug on the WiFi because after fifteen minutes of uninterrupted signal, it was suddenly gone. She said that the signal is strongest upstairs in the guest rooms. Ridiculous. And a WiFi connection doesn't just mean access to FaceBook and BlogSpot. It's about researching hotels and booking flights, both of which I have to accomplish this morning. True, I'm working on less planning-ahead in life but I don't think it would be wise to show up in Bangkok tomorrow night without some sort of prearranged bookings.

On Sunday, while climbing to the highest viewpoint on Koh Phi Phi island, I hit another obstacle. I was drenched in sweat. Now, I'm no stranger to sweat but in this situation — climbing the steep hill, in the blazing sun, with jeans, socks and shoes — severe perspiration was unavoidable. There's a tiny hut at a midpoint of the climb. The woman (who clearly lives there,) sells water, and doritos, and beer. You know, the essentials for tourists engaged in an exhausting climb. I passed by the hut but then reconsidered. Giving in to the desire to wipe my brown and clean my glasses, I inquire about the cost of one her scarves. (Keep in mind, every article of clothing of mine is now already saturated.) She quotes 150 baht … more than I wished to spend. So I turn around and head for the hills. After reconsidering again, I return to the vendor and surrender to her inflated price. Seeing that I'm pretty desperate at this point, she replies "Now, it's 200." Unreal. I walk away in disgust. With a feeling of complete animosity, I decided to keep to myself that if she simply soaked some towels in eucalyptus and stored them in the fridge, that she'd have a gold mine. I'll save all of that entrepreneurial brilliance for myself.

I've pondered how annoying that it must be for these merchants and business owners to constantly deal with stingy, clueless, (and often disrespectful) tourists. That's why I've decided that it's important to remember to smile when things are good. It makes those pleasurable moments even lovelier. When you break things down, the truth is that I'm sitting here, enjoying a freshly squeezed Ginger and Tamarind Juice. How could things get any better than this? At the airport on my way from Krabi to Samui, I was treated so kindly. I'm not sure if this person liked me in particular or if she is this sweet to everyone. After determining that I exceeded the baggage weight limitation, I was told that I'd have to pay for the excessive kilograms. I proceeded to reconfigure the contents of the bags: heaviest items in the carry-ons and lighter items back into the checked bags. Bags now wide open, all of my belongings are sprawled on the airport floor as I consider my options. I had already done this to a certain extent during my initial packing but I was scraping the bottom of the barrel here. After about ten minutes of resorting and weighing in, I was still overweight. Look … 'm skinny. The total mass that I consume on the plane — with all of my bags — is probably a lot less than the fat guy sitting next to me. Why doesn't everyone weigh in by stepping on the scale while holding all of their baggage. That's the way that I'd like it to be! Ultimately, the kind attendant allowed me to redistribute heavy items into my roller board and carry on three bags rather than just two. She went out of her way to bend the rules in order to accommodate me when in the end, I should have just sucked it up and paid the fee. I was so grateful. So I smiled. I smiled each time I saw her again (which was three or four times because she played several roles in the airport procedures.)

It's easy to complain. Last night, while at the cafe, an enormous frog hopped over my foot. There was an eight-inch lizard waiting to greet me at the door of my bungalow. But everything is really good; I'm in paradise. Last night, I scored a mojito which cost me $1.94. Thailand has destroyed me. how am I ever going to enjoy a mojito made by anyone other than a "Bar-pro Asian Champion?"