#so translating from thai into english is sometimes a matter of finding one of seven possible sentences and praying

[thebroccolination]

So there’ve been two important subtitles in Between Us that Thai speakers (not me) have offered different and more nuanced translations for.

The first one is in episode two before their kiss by the pool. The subtitle in iQiYi and SWS’s uncut membership episode reads: “Kiss me.”

According to Thai speakers, what he actually says is more like, “Can I kiss you?” or even, “I’m going to kiss you, okay?”

The second example is in episode seven before they go into the bathroom stall. The subtitle reads, “Can I?”

According to some Thai speakers, what he says is literally along the lines of, “Please give (me),” or, “Can you give to me?” Basically he’s asking permission again, and I’m guessing by Team being the one to close the bathroom door behind them that it wasn’t phrased in a way that Team’s silence left Win unclear on whether Team consents or not.

Basically, if you’re in doubt about what’s being said or whether someone’s doing something dubious by the subtitles, check with a Thai speaker before you make a judgment call, because the subtitles are sometimes the dubious one, not the character. It’s just good to keep in mind that Thai and English have some major differences, and it’s possible that the translator isn’t a native English speaker or else they’re overworked and not thinking about the potential consensual problems that crop up in the difference between “kiss me” and “can I kiss you”, especially if they’ve got a lot on their plate to work on, y’know?

[callitfreedom]

IT’S A BIG WORLD OUT THERE

Leaving Borneo was hard for me. Really really hard. This place was like home. I had family there, people I trust, people I love and truly care about. Malaysia was in familiar in a way I can’t really explain, it was a feeling like I belonged there. Heading to Thailand was a big deal, bigger than it should have been. And I remember not wanting to go at first.


Things didn’t get easier when I checked my mails the day before my departure and I saw that my flight was delayed so much that instead of just changing the plane in KL I had to stay overnight. This was something I didn’t expect at all but it was actually doing me a favour. Some of you might remember Andy (wildlife photographer, married to Maureen, stayed with them for a couple of days in the Owl House in Ba’Kelalan). Andy happens to live in KL so I asked him to stay at his place for the night. He and one of his friends (who happens to be a uber driver) picked me up at KL Central, we went for some nice Indian food and chit chatted for what felt like a couple of hours. That evening (mostly spent at that Indian place and later at his apartment aka “the batcave” where you have by the way a stunning view over KL) was full of laughter, great stories and really good conversation. It was like reuniting with an old friend and was exactly what I needed before leaving Malaysia for good. 


Thank you Andy, for giving me those last couple of hours in that beautiful country! And I’ll stick to my word, it is still a see ya and not a goodbye

THAILAND

Phuket gave me a rather unpleasant welcome. As soon as I stepped out of the airport (again massive delay of flight. If anyone of you ever plans a trip to Asia NEVER take Malindo Air!!! they are rude, always late and I think I never had less space in a plane) I immediately wanted to go back. Outside of the airport were like a billion people, Thai and foreigners. It was horrible. Taxi drivers yelling at you and following every tourist that was stupid enough to slow down for a sec. Tourists pushing their way through the crowd. HORRIBLE! It was just too much for me as I was never a big fan of crowds but after the peace and quiet I enjoyed in Malaysia it was downright terrifying.
Anyway I managed to get away from the busiest spot and tried to find the cheapest way to Phukets pier where my ferry to Koh Phi Phi departed and where I was finally meeting the family friend I was supposed to meet a day earlier. Because of my delay and too many people I made a big mistake. Dumbest thing I’ve done so far. I forgot there was an hour difference between Malaysia and Thailand which meant I had one hour more to get to the pier. However, I thought I had one and a half hours for a way that’s supposed to take one hour with the bus (cheapest way to go, 150 Baht) which departure was 40 minutes later. So I figured I had to go there on the fastest way (and most expensive, 700 Baht) and took a taxi. Fuck me, I spent almost five times more than I had to just because I was being stupid. Here’s my advice for you: always let your phone set the time zone automatically and you won’t make this stupid mistake!! I assure you my day got better as soon as I was on that ferry. I met my travel mate, we chatted for a while how everything’s going and arrived on the stunning Phi Phi islands! We didn’t expect so many people to go there but it was still a breathtaking view.

We shared a nice bungalow in the hills with a pretty good with over the island and far away from the loud beach parties at night (you can hear them on the whole island). After exploring our accommodation we went swimming on a smaller beach. The sea was stunning, almost hot and really clear. That day we watched one of most the beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen from the beach with some nice fruit shakes and me trying Pad Thai (Thailand’s national dish) for the first time.

The second day we started exploring the small city and decided to go out at night. Well, I decided to get really drunk. Which I did. We went to a pretty cool rooftop bar, wandered around in the town and ended up at the beach parties where we enjoyed watching the fire show, Limbo and dancing. 

My body thanked me for the mixture of delicious cocktails, beer and (free) shots with a massive hangover the next day. I cured it at a nice beach bar with a mango shake and some really good fried noodles. I ended up staying at that place for more than two hours because that one Thai (former tour guide) working there started telling me about Thailand’s main attractions, where to go an what to see. He’s a funny guy, always smiling and joking around. I went to that bar again in the evening or rather night after I got my first bamboo tattoo! Funny thing: I went there by myself, a little bit nervous and ended up chatting with a really nice american guy for the whole procedure who joined me for a drink after that.

The following day we continued our trip to Koh Lanta. I’d really like to tell you something about that island but I’ve been sick for the whole time we spent there. Yeah, had a really fun time there! But at least now I know that you can just walk into a pharmacy and buy some penicillin without prescription. Oh, I actually have one thing to say: I watched Dark while I lay around in our hotel room (almost dying) and I strongly recommend watching the show!!! That’s it for Koh Lanta, sadly.

Less than a week ago I spent three days in Krabi, exploring the cute city and area. On my very first day I discovered a beautiful buddhist temple! Think I sat there for two hours just enjoying the sensation of finally being alone. It was very peaceful. That and having a full body massage that night made me sleep like a baby and fully recover.

The next morning I went for a day trip to Rai Leh. It’s really close to Krabi, you go from the city to Ao Nang Beach where you take a long-tail boat to the Rai Leh. This place is stunning. Just beautiful!! But way too crowded in my opinion. Which made me go climb up all the way to the viewpoint and later to a small lagoon on top of the hill.  Climbing up to the viewpoint is exhausting but manageable. Going to the lagoon is not for the weaker hearts. There are some points where you only got a rope to hang on or some bamboo-ladders (not trustworthy at all!) to climb down. Good for me, tho. Cause that meant not a lot of people went down there. That lagoon was magical. Like a home for fairies. Probably the most beautiful thing on Rai Leh, definitely worth a visit.

Truly shattered I fell into bed that evening and woke up to a morning full of excitement. You wanna know why? Well, I decided to try something new. That morning I started hitchhiking. Usually not a big deal, but it turned out to be rather difficult because where I started (Ao Luek) NOBODY spoke english. So i had to write down some useful phrases in Thai (took me ten minutes for like four sentences). That actually helped even though it led people to the conclusion I had no money at all (Thais are not familiar with the concept of hitchhiking). 
So I ended up in a truck with Bunsong and his sleeping daughter who took me home to his family to offer me accommodation. He lives near a town called Surat Thani. This area was so originally Thai that they don’t speak a word english except for “hello” and “thank you”. How did we manage to communicate? Google translate for the win. Just try to imagine spending nearly 24 hours with a bunch of people and the only way you can talk to them or explain yourself is via a translation app. They didn’t really understand me, were really concerned and started buying me food and cooking for me even though I insisted they should not. Everybody wanted to take some pictures and talk to me (how??) and was really really kind. 
I would say first time hitchhiking in Thailand went good. Strange and complicated but good!

The day after I got to the airport nearby to meet Raf (a guy from couch surfing who wanted to join me). We met up and started half an hour later and had a lucky strike!
David, a cute old guy from the UK who happens to live in Thailand for seven years, picked us up and gave us a lift. He brought us to a small temple in the middle of nowhere (Amphoe Lang Suan - Na Phaya) right at the sea and even offered us to give us his bike as long as we are around. We asked the monk if we could stay for the night and he agreed immediately. To be honest I never met a stranger person than that monk, he was just downright crazy! Whatever, we stayed at the temple for a night. A night full of bugs and spiders and two hours of sleep. 

David came to see us again and offered that we could stay at his house if we want and now I’m here in Lang Suan, exploring the area (hot springs, luminescent plankton, temples and beaches) with Davids bike and babysitting his dog, Charleen, for two nights because he is on a business trip. Funny where you end up when you’re hitchhiking, I quite like it. We’ll see where I end up next.

This world is getting bigger and bigger. Basically it’s not, it’s still the same no matter how much time flies by. But for me it is. Every decision brings me closer to exploring, every day gives me a thousand opportunities to see and understand the things that are so different than back home. It’s scary sometimes but what would life be without overcoming your fears and go further and further from where you started.