Thai Thoughts

I've just returned to London after a week travelling around Thailand with some of my closest friends. The country was incredibly beautiful and the people were unbelievably friendly (especially the hookers and ping-pong show promoters--as if we really wanted to see a ping pong ball get shot out of a woman's genitals at five in the morning). Got exposed to a bit of the culture while wandering night markets, riding around in the back of pickup truck taxis, eating fried grasshoppers, roasted roaches (if you're wondering, yes, there's video footage), and something that really seemed like a rat on a stick. We also checked out several Buddhist temples, the ruins of ancient Sukhothai, and of course, the white sand beaches. For the first tme in my life, I went swimming in the ocean. Yes, I know, I've been deprived.

One of the most remarkable things about the country (and, I guess, of the entire region) is the fact that almost all prices are negotiable to some extent. Unfortunately, in a lot of places, natural monopolies have emerged and mini-cartels have been set up to lock in above-market prices. Fortunately, my friend Ben is an expert price negotiator, having honed his skills in the streets of Beijing. Bargaining at the street markets and with cabbies was actually really fun. Hopefully, I'll get to do some more of that this summer while interning for Merrill Lynch. At the end of the day, though, I find that I enjoy finding bargains by recognizing something underpriced more than I enjoy negotiating the price down to a level where it's a bargain. Of course, should I ever enter the world of real estate investment, both will be essential skills. In the next few weeks, I'm cramming for exams, visiting some companies in Dubai, and actually updating this blog. Expect several randomly relevant quotes, tales from Dubai, and a couple of essays that might actually interest someone (maybe even you).

Other good news is that it looks like Robert Mugabe has finally lost control over Zimbabwe. Hopefully, his successor can bring the country around. As always, I'm short African dictators.

Which brings us to my buy recommendation of the day--long relaxing walks on the beach in Thailand.