If you flip through my site, you can see that I have had the privilege of travelling around the world. Even though I don’t often experience “culture shock,” I sometimes encounter things that are genuinely unique. This was one of them. One of the first nights after I arrived in Taipei, I was doing something in my room when I heard music. I didn’t quite know what was going on, didn’t really care, and forgot about it. The next night, I heard the music again. By the fourth night, I asked my host, “What is that noise?” She just started laughing. One question I forgot to ask when I moved in was, “Where does all the rubbish go?” In this part of Taipei, there is no …

Today is my birthday, and it was slightly disappointing to spend the first part of it on a bus. I can normally sleep anywhere, and although I slept for much of the journey, I never became comfortable. Eventually, I arrived in Bangkok and made my way to Khaosan Road, a popular area for backpackers. I find my companion’s fascination with night markets and bazaars highly entertaining. To borrow a line from Karl Marx, if religion is the opiate of the masses, then markets must be hers. Even supermarkets qualify.