Of Transient Homes

OF TRANSIENT HOMES EP 4 — Hitchhiking for the First Time in Chiang Mai, Thailand

September 8, 2018 • Diane Jacinto

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After an eleven to twelve-hour train ride from Bangkok, I finally arrived in Chiang Mai, which is in northern Thailand. I was drained from the traveling and I still haven’t had dinner. It was about eight or nine in the evening. I got off the train and headed for the Visitor/Tourist Center. I showed the staff there the address of my hostel and asked them how I could get there. I didn’t really get anything from them and they just gave me a printed map of Chiang Mai with all the famous attractions in the city. I thanked them and then left. I was starting to feel anxious by this time. I had no access to the Internet so I couldn’t even check Google Maps to see where in the world I was or how far my hostel was from the station. I used to be very detailed when I plan my trips. I would make sure I knew how I would get from point A to point B for all the places in my itinerary, or at least knew how to get to where I’m staying prior to arrival. This time though, I didn’t. I didn’t even get a local sim card or a pocket wifi for navigation. But it was okay, I didn’t really feel bad for that, I was just really anxious. Upon exiting the station, which was small to be honest, I saw red vehicles that seemed like the jeepneys back at home except these vehicles had a sign at the top that said “Taxi.” A lot of people who seemed like drivers (because of the uniform) were also flocking the entrance/exit of the station and talking to the tourists. One of them approached me and my instinct told me to show him the address of my hostel. He had a hard time reading it because the letters were small but eventually he understood and said, “Okay,” and brought me to his vehicle. Later I found out that it was called a Songthaew, a passenger vehicle used as a shared taxi in Thailand and its neighbouring countries, which literally translates to two rows. There were two other people in the Songthaew who seemed like a couple. The driver got into the driver’s seat and we took off. I wanted to talk to the couple but decided against it. It was dark outside so all I could do…

OF TRANSIENT HOMES EP 3 — pretty pink tiles, getting lost, and being home

January 14, 2018 • Diane Jacinto

July 14, 2017. On my way back to Taipei Google Maps told me to head to Ruifang station. The bus from Jiufen dropped me off at the bus stop in Riufang. I wandered for a few minutes. I circled around the block I got dropped off at and still couldn’t find the bus going to Taipei. It was hot and I was starting to get anxious. I’ve been unlucky with commuting the whole day and I wanted to break down. Firstly, I almost didn’t catch the bus going to Yeliu because I chose the shortcut to the terminal and got lost. Secondly, I got off at the wrong stop on my way to Riufang, and couldn’t find the bus stop going to Jiufen. I was basically lost the whole day. Finally I asked a local for directions. I chose someone who seemed young enough to understand English because not many Taiwanese speak and understand English. I showed him the page on Google Maps and told me the station was that building directly in front of the bus stop I got dropped off at earlier. I read the sign on top of the building and it said “Ruifang Station” in capital letters. I felt stupid. I didn’t have to wander around like a fool if only I was more observant! After thanking him, I half-ran to the building. I couldn’t make sense of anything upon entering the station. The monitors that displayed the schedules were all in Chinese! My heart sank for the millionth time that day. How unlucky could I be? I asked the lady who was about to leave the building. She didn’t understand me at first because she doesn’t speak English. Once I uttered Taipei, she seemed to understand. She pointed at the monitor and I barely understood anything but it apparently meant the train for Taipei was leaving in two minutes. She grabbed my arm and we rushed to the entrance to the tracks. She asked the staff for confirmation that the train was leaving in two minutes and they said yes. From that moment, we ran. I remember the wall and floor tiles being this pretty pink color, like most of the old buildings in Taiwan. I remember feeling like wind and feeling time slow down as we ran through the empty halls. I remember that moment like a clip from a film where the characters run and…

Of Transient Homes Ep 2 — Cancelling my Train Ticket to Busan The Night Before My Trip So I Could Explore Seoul with People I Just Met

November 18, 2017 • Diane Jacinto

About ten hours before my supposed train to Busan, I met Hannah and Nisa, two Filipino exchange students in Busan who went to Seoul for the Chuseok Holidays, cancelled my reservation and booked five more nights at the guest house I was staying at in Sinchon. I actually have been considering staying in Seoul and not pushing through with my trip to Busan days before meeting them. Them inviting me to stay and explore Seoul and go to Busan together only made me justify what I really wanted to do in the first place. At around nine to ten in the evening we went out to explore Hongdae. We just walked around, checked some shops that were still open, watched street performances, and then had chicken at some restaurant. I don’t know about them but it didn’t feel like I just met them less than two hours ago. I was comfortable in their company. We spent the next few days exploring the usual tourist attractions in Seoul, which I wouldn’t be mentioning anymore. Although I’ve been to most of them, except the Korean Drama Locations we visited, going to those places felt different (in a good way) from when I went there the first time. I don’t think I’ve ever truly appreciated my native language, Filipino, until this trip to Korea. I had no problems communicating with people during this trip and during my prior travels. Despite the language barrier, the universal language of I don’t know, being a citizen of the world always worked for me. I don’t know if that makes sense. Anyway, I have been speaking English and (simple) Korean the past few days and when I met Nisa and Hannah and we conversed in Filipino, it felt really nice. I remember thinking “Na-miss ko mag-Tagalog!” Hannah had to leave for Busan first so I spent the remaining days with Nisa before we took the train to Busan two days later. Sadly, they couldn’t accompany me around Busan because they had to study for their exams. It was totally fine with me, though. I understood. So I went back to traveling alone, explored Busan and Seoul on my own, and I was reminded that it’s okay to be alone but I don’t always have to be. (And that’s okay, too.) Yeah, this post is all over the place and I suck at writing transitions and endings but I just want to say Salamat! See…

Of Transient Homes Ep 1 — My first day in Taipei

September 17, 2017 • Diane Jacinto

On my first day in Taiwan I covered about 15.2 kilometers walking. I strolled all the way from Taipei Main Station to Taipei 101, passing by several main attractions on my way — 228 Peace Park, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Liberty Square, Yongkang Street, and Da’an Park. I spent at least 30 minutes to an hour in each spot, mostly to rest and hide from the sun. The first thing I noticed at the 228 Peace Park was that 95% of the people there were elderlies doing exercises and what seemed to me like rituals. One grandfather was even shouting as he did his ritual. I admit at first I found it weird. I was culture shocked. It was the same for the park at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. It was also flocked by old people doing rituals and exercises in groups. I even witnessed a grandmother touching the bamboos, almost as if worshipping them. I was shocked still. My last stop before Taipei 101 was Da’an Forest Park. It was about eight in the morning. By this time I got used to the elders doing their thing. I looked for a bench to sit and rest on. I could finally see the Taipei 101 and I felt less anxious. I was starting to question my decisions and my impulsive tendencies. Why walk this far? Why go to Taiwan during the summer? Why do you keep making things harder than they should be? There are subways! I swear I wanted to give up and head back to my hostel to rest. I’m glad I went on. People in groups and pairs passed by, a lot of them with their dogs. I felt self-conscious because most of them would look and stare at me for a few seconds and I’d feel as if they were judging me. A few would acknowledge me and nod, to which I nodded back. A man and his white dog sat on the bench in front of the one I was sitting on. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I continued doing my thing. At that time I was writing on my small notebook and drinking from my bottled water from time to time. A few moments later the man opened his bag and took out a notebook and a pencil. At first I thought he was just jotting notes but then he started sketching his dog.…

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