Flightster

Two Calis, an Aussie and an Argentinian

• by Colin Wright
• on October 5th, 2010
• 1 Comment

One of the distinct pleasures of living a lifestyle that is removed from regional dependence (read: being able to travel a lot) is meeting up with other people who do the same.

Invariably such people have some kind of interesting story and point of view, and being in the physical presence of each other (rather than the typical e-presence) is considered reason for celebration for nomadic-folk, as so many of our relationships tend to be intangible while we hop from place to place.

Just recently, I was able to meet up with Cody McKibben (from Thrilling Heroics), Ross Hill (of Ross Hill) and Carlos Miceli (de Owl Sparks). We all found ourselves in Southeast Asia at the same time and decided – logically, I think – that there were beaches to be explored, discussions to be had and drinks to be drunk.

We opted to meet up in Ao Nang, Thailand, a somewhat sleepy (at least during the down season) town filled with farang (Westerners), English-speaking Thais, delicious food and cheap massages. Compared to the kind of travel I usually engage in it was definitely a vacation, and a welcome one at that. Having some blogger-buddies there, as well, was icing on the cake.

I met up with Carlos at the airport in Phuket, then hopped a bus down to Krabi Town. From there we payed a songtheaw (covered truck) driver to haul us about 45-minutes away to Ao Nang, where we met up with Cody and Ross.

As I mentioned, Ao Nang was a breath of fresh air, and even though I had some work to do while there, I enjoyed myself immensely. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, and the hotel/hostel we stayed at was fantastic (if you ever find yourself in Ao Nang, definitely stay at Goodwill on the main street in town…the owner is a very nice man and brought us free dragonfruit, which is a great way to make friends, by the way).

But better beaches beckoned, and a few days later we hopped a small boat over to Railay, a beachy-enclave that didn’t offer much in the way of accommodation, but made up for it in natural beauty and monkey population.

Despite the fairly wicked sunburn I acquired while out swimming in the ocean the first day we were in Railay, I still enjoyed the environment and company of my blogging companions. Epic debates were held, many drinks were consumed, and at least one nearly-naked rant was recorded (don’t worry Carlos, I won’t share the video).

We chatted, we ate, we danced, and ate, we slept, we ate…this is a big part of what relaxed travel is all about.

The other part is represented by the trip as a whole. We live in amazing times, where technology, communication and transportation have evolved to the point where people from all parts of the world can meet up and share their ideas, dance moves and stir-fried crocodile meat with others. A mere 100 years ago, it’s very unlikely that two California-boys, an Aussie and an Argentinian would be able to easily get together in Southeast Asia. Only 20 years ago it’s more than unlikely that we ever would have met in the first place.

But we live TODAY, and we’re very fortunate in that respect.

Not only can I make my way around the world with little planning and less knowledge about the places I’m headed, I can actually meet people from a place I might be going before I ever get there. Case in point, I started talking to Carlos a bit before heading to Buenos Aires last year, and when I arrived we Tweeted back and forth a bit and figured out a place to meet up, grab lunch, talk shop.

Meeting Carlos resulted in a strong friendship, not to mention a place to stay for a few weeks near the end of my stay in Argentina, and all because technology is there to help bring people of disparate backgrounds, cultures and languages together in a way that’s never been possible before. We found commonalities and all that was left to bridge was the geography gap.

There’s a great deal we can all learn from each other, and the Internet has opened up a lot of doors in that regard. Still, being able to look someone else in the eye when you share a story from your childhood, buy them a drink or just relax after a long day of relaxation can take your relationship to the next level; from ethereal to tangible. From e-friends to just friends.

Colin Wright

Colin Wright is a minimalist, branding expert and serial entrepreneur. While running his blog Exile Lifestyle ,his branding studio Colin Is My Name and his e-publishing business ebookling. Colin travels the world (moving to a new country every 4 months), meeting up with amazing people, giving talks (to audiences ranging from tech industry professionals to college students to Catholic school girls) and hunting down new and interesting experiences.