Road to Steemfest | Thai life and what to expect

This is a topic I'm not sure how much I can draw from, because I'd rather go with not too many expectations and take the experience as is. However, I am expecting to get quite a few cheap massages – they are way more expensive here in Finland. But even though I'm quite careful with money, after paying 38€ for a 45 min massage a while ago, I thought it was well spent. Good for the body and good for the mind. Health is not a bad investment. Maybe I will be able to pick some massage tricks for my own massage therapist training starting in January, or not, since I might be too busy enjoying myself.

Another expectation I've gotten out of necessity: Thailand is being called a "land of a thousand smiles", or something along those lines, so I'm expecting friendly and warm people. It'll be a nice change, since sometimes I feel that we are socially a bit too strict here in Finland for my own taste.

I know there are quite a few Steemians staying longer in Thailand, like I am, after Steemfest. I found that there's a group of Steemians going for an afterchill to Koh Chang island. I haven't decided yet whether I'll join, because my decision making whilst traveling is very much based on a whim of a moment. It is an attractive option however, which I will keep in mind.

I don't like to decide such things beforehand, because I find great value in being able to break free from tight plan and structure that most of our daily lives are already occupied with. To jump outside of the structure is a chance to be someone else and stretch the boundaries in which we might have got stuck in during routine. It can be an opportunity to try new pieces of the puzzle on the self that could make up for a more wholesome personality. This is my view only, but it is shaping to be a powerful mindset in my life already: you see, because of some wacky decisions during these couple years, they have contributed to my decision to attend to the massage training which I mentioned above.

It's not like growth was my mission during the traveling I did associated with last year's Steemfest, but like they say: you can only understand life backwards, and maybe it was just pure coincidence, destiny – or whatever – but getting a bit off the track did prove a purpose, even though I didn't have any idea it would when I was sleeping in a bush somewhere in Romania.

However, I think it would be a trap to expect that the becoming trip would be similar, just because of my past experience – I just can't know that yet.

Though I know one thing for sure: It's gonna be a blast :)