Category: Extras

This story originally appeared on The Story Pub. Click below to read the story and check out other real stories from real people.

https://thestorypub.com/2019/02/18/that-time-i-practically-invented-hitchhiking/

When Betty and Colin started dating our last year at Cal, I was occupied with a number of my own activities, so I didn’t actually spend a lot of time with her. I had a good impression of her, but mostly just took on faith that if Colin was dating her, she must be okay.

During our time in Taiwan, certainly, I only gained more evidence of what a generous, funny, and smart person she was, but it was after brunch on a Sunday–this was when I was crashing on their couch, having arrived back in the states, jobless, homeless and trying to build a life–that I discovered how cool Betty was.

After going out to grab some delicious food in one of the West Berkeley eateries that hadn’t existed during my time as a student (or if they did, we never ventured that far out), we found ourselves browsing through an old salvage shop, filled with second-hand goods of all varieties for sale. After separating and wandering around, I saw Betty heading to the cash register with a laundry basket filled with Lincoln Logs. She made the purchase and we left, and on the drive home I just couldn’t help but be impressed with how cool Betty was. I mean, I could see how Colin or I or one of our many university friends would have found some cool toy at a shop and made the impulse buy, but I didn’t expect that a girlfriend would necessarily do the same. A girlfriend may tolerate our behavior, but here was Betty leading the charge. I totally got it, and saw how Betty was a great match for Colin.

We got back to Betty and Colin’s place, and spend the afternoon building houses, fences, and eventually an entire civilization out of our newly acquired goods. We even made use of the laundry basket by flipping it upside down and dubbing it “Mount Baskey.”

It was an awesome afternoon, and exactly the kind of reassurance I needed that building my new life back in the states would be every bit as exciting, adventurous and playful as my time on the road. Also, since Betty and Colin were my primary source of friendship and social support in my early days of settling in, it was good to know we were all in sync. We all played at the same level of coolness.

As the afternoon was winding down, and pictures of our creation had been taken, we broke down the structures and packed the away. As Betty lifted the laundry basket of Lincoln Logs and set them aside, she made some comment about how great this was going to be for the kids.

Oh.

I misunderstood. Betty, who worked with children, made the purchase so she could use the Lincoln Logs at her work.

Still, she did let us play with her Lincoln Logs, so I guess she’s still kind of cool…

I don’t have a lot of pictures from my trip to Taiwan, but I found these…

I have many fond memories of my 9 days in Kathmandu, but only a handful of pictures. Here are a few…

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For two weeks, we dug the earth and we danced with our friends. We smashed boulders and sang songs. We trekked through the mountains and we talked late into the night. It was an incredible experience.

Some pics.

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Dal Bhat in the morning
Dal Bhat in the evening
Dal Bhat in the afternoon
To eat your rice and lentils
You don't need a knife, fork or spoon

Eat it with your right hand
Never with your left hand
This is rule #1
'Cause the right hand is for eating
And the left is for when you're done

(and I'm singin' 'bout)
Dal Bhat! Don't you know I love you!
Dal Bhat! Can't get enough of you
Dal Bhat! You will always be my num-ber one

Dal Bhat! Everybody say it
Dal Bhat! Every meal I pray it's
Dal Bhat! And now this song is done, done, done.

(Illustrated book coming this fall!! pre-order now at thejayluckclub@honeyroastedtshirts.com)

On Khao San Road
The bright lights glowed
Over shopkeepers
And adventure seekers--

And party-goers, awaiting a full moon

And there were three new travellers sitting on chairs

And a vendor selling fruit shakes
And another, banana pancakes

And a massage parlor
And a tattoo artist

A Sarong, some fresh fruit,
And a custom-tailored suit

A tuk-tuk driver and passenger
In a heated dispute

Goodnight road

Good night Moon
Good night party-goers waiting for the full moon,

Good night bright lights
Good night shop keepers and adventure seekers

Goodnight new travellers
Goodnight chairs

Good night fruit shakes
And goodnight pancakes

Goodnight fire jugglers
Goodnight drug smugglers

Goodnight souvenirs
Goodnight cheap and local beers

Goodnight sarong, goodnight fruit
Good night to the tailor still making my suit

Good night Tuk tuk drivers
Settling their fare dispute

Good night bars
Good night polluted air
Goodnight backpackers everywhere

Motodop, O’ motodop
My partner and my friend
You'll be my true companion
'Cause I've got money to spend
"Hello, my friend, you need a ride?"
I hear you shout and holler
And though the price is 1000 Riel
You'll ask me for a dollar
"O, t'lai nasa" I doth protest
"It's very far," you say
So I retort, "It's very close!"
And start to walk away
At last we settle on a price,
And in the end we smile,
I hop on back, and we set off
A thrill for every mile
O' motodop, my motodop!
You're with me to the end
My driver and my tour guide,
I'll miss you much, my friend!

NOTES:

• One US Dollar is approximately 4000 Cambodian Riel
• “T’lai nasa” = “It’s expensive”

In those pre-digital days of photography, I remember snapping away pics, trying to capture my surroundings, and record the experiences, but mostly I knew that the pictures would never do it justice. Also, I wouldn’t know how the pic turned out until I got it developed, which could be weeks away. Plus, since in those days, a camera was a separate, independent object (as opposed to a component of a smartphone which must be within reach at all times or I won’t be able to breathe), there were times my camera just stayed packed away and untouched for days.

I included only a few of the many pics I took of the kids and their ever-present smiles, but I do remember on my last day I literally ran out of film as the kids were begging me to take more and more photos. For that reason, I do wish it had been a time of digital pics so not only could I have taken a lot more, but the kids could have seen them as well.

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