A Free Spirit
Curiousity and adventure forced this well-known writer to backpack around the world
Bangkok Post Newspaper
February 7th, 2002
Interviewed by Jarunee Taemsamran
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It's not common for a typical Thai to travel independently without groups or friends. It's even more unusual for a Thai woman to do it.
But solo travelling is a very normal thing in Chollada Teaosuwan's life.
For many years she has travelled along to strange countries and gained enough experience to write about it.
She is now one of the country's top female travel writers.
Her pen name - Pleng Dab Mae Nam Roi Sai - is quite well-known these days among people who love to read travel stories.
Ms. Chollada has contributed travel stories to many leading magazines.
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She has also written and released five pocket books where she shares her travel experiences to readers.
The 34-year-old writer is probably one of Thailand's best-known female backpackers these days.
May readers may be inspired by what she describes in her books and dream of travelling to experience the same thrills as her.
But what is it like when travelling alone?
What was her inspiration for solo travel? Doesn't she have any fear? How does she cope with loneliness? How does she prepare before setting off a trip? And what has she gained from extensive travel around the world?
"In fact, I don't like to travel alone but most of the time solo travelling is necessary," Chollada told Horizons.
Her response was a bit surprising and it raised the question of what constitutes such a necessity?
"Just when I feel like travelling and nobody is free to go with me. Then I have to go by myself," she said.
She said solo travel is nothing special to her.
It's just like doing anything in daily life which she likes to do independently.
"It's very normal for me to do everything alone. I can go to have lunch alone, see movies alone and even shop alone. So I don't fell it's strange to travel alone," she said.
"And my experiences have confirmed to me that it's not odd at all to do thing alone, even travelling. It's just like when you see a female foreigner travelling solemnly in our country."
Ms Chollada said she loves travelling and nothing could hold her back if she wanted to go somewhere, even if it means travelling by herself.
Although she frequently sets off on solo journeys she admitted that she prefers being accompanied by friends.
"It's better when you travel with a friend because you have somebody to talk to, laugh with and share the view and experience with.
"When you travel alone you can share happiness with friends through postcards, paintings and photos, which I usually do when I take a solo trip."
She said she sometimes travels with a big group of friends.
"Travelling with friends is also fun. But you get different feelings. When you are with friends you tend to concentrate more on your friends and don't see much of the places you visit.
"But if you travel alone, you can notice what's going on around you You can admire and absorb the different cultures of the country that you visit."
Ms Chollada admitted that loneliness can often be a problem for solo travellers.
"But it's a brief moment only. When there's something to distract you, loneliness quickly disappears. I think it's better for you stay home if you're going to be lonely for the whole trip. Otherwise, you'll suffer."
She has been to the United States and Nepal several times. She's also been to China, Greece, the Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, North Korea, Laos and Cambodia.
The intrepid traveller has even been invited to join a press junket to the Middle East countries.
Sometimes she travels with friends and other times she goes alone.
She says she never plans her trips too far in advance and doesn't head off too abruptly either.
She normally plans her trips a week before she begins.
"I'll see how much money I have, what season it is and which places are worth a visit. Then, when I decide on the destination, I'll begin to search for information in books, magazines, the internet or ask friends. This is how I prepare myself for every trip."
She said anyone considering a solo trip should ask themselves if they are really ready for it.
"If you are afraid, you'd better not go. Otherwise, you won't enjoy the trip as it should be," she said.
It is also crucially important for all solo travellers to carefully prepare for trips and seek out all available information about the destination.
More importantly, you have to first decide where you are going.
As for advice for female travellers, Ms Chollada said there's nothing to worry about as long as travellers do not contradict local customs and tradition and don't hang out in unsafe places.
As for the next trip, she says it's too early to say.
The idea to travel just comes naturally when she gets a gut feeling to set off on a journey. It comes naturally, and that's the way she likes it.
Since Ms Chollada has travelled to many places around the world, she has not only seen many different cultures and traditions but she has also seen how each country manages its tourism resources.
She said seeing other countries helped her to realise what tourists want to see when they visit a country.
"As tourists, we feel that we want to see things at its origin. We don't want something that's pretentious and aimed merely for the convenience of travellers," she said.
That's quite a big problem with tourism in some countries.
"Sometimes I wonder why we have to try to please tourists that much. Where's the dignity, where's the value of our culture?
"For example, I dont' want to see long-neck Karen welcoming tourists right at the door of the airplane. We'd prefer to see them in their natural environment even if it means having to travel across mountains to reach them. A real tourist would prefer that," she said.
"Another thing is the accommodation. I think the kind of accommodation or buildings should not present similar pattern in every places. We have to see if it's in harmony with natural environment or not. It's quite ridiculous to see similar pattern in almost every tourist destination.
But not everything in Thailand is worse than other countries.
She said Thai-style tourism resource management is not better but it does give travellers more freedom to roam around the place.
This is the case for tourism management in seaside and beach areas.
She gave an example of tourism management in the United States, where there are good zoning areas for tourism in seaside areas.
"But I feel that it's too strict. In Thailand, we can walk and enjoy activities all along the beach. There's no obstruction as there is in the US.
"I wonder what they are thinking when they construct the same things the same way everywhere.
"I don't deny that tourism helps boost countrys' income but it's not something that we have to take advantage of continually.
If the Area is deteriorated, it takes quite a long time to fix it.
Wouldn't it be better to preserve the natural environment?" she asked. |
