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The most important realization I’ve come upon in my life is that I require adventure. Small, large, spontaneous, planned, good, and bad it didn’t matter. As long as there was an iota of difference and unknown attached to something I could be happy with my situation. This realization hit me when I visited Thailand, a country which I was not prepared for on a very emotional level. I did not speak the local language, couldn’t read the writing, and couldn’t comprehend their traffic laws. Within the culture shock I found myself completely at home in my own skin and self-assured that no matter the situation I would come out better. No better example of that in my mind was when our bus to Pai broke down somewhere on the highway between Chiang Mai and Pai. An incident like this is a stark divider between who I was and who I am, prior to the break down I was enjoying a fairly planned existence but upon stepping out of our bus I’d come to the conclusion that I’d require the uncertainty which the universe provided. This story really begins when the driver of our tour decided to hitch back to Chiang Mai. We all would come to realize that our three hour trip would become much longer as we watched him step into a friendly minivan. Two others joined him over being stranded on the 1095 highway. Myself, I decided to crack open a beer that was handed to me by a fellow marooned traveller and we both decided to walk until we could find a service station. Besides, being from Manitoba I’ve never been surrounded by such imposing and oppressive walls of green plants. The air was filled with floral notes, spices, and a scent that I can only describe as fresh. We had roughly ten beers, four bottles of water, and enough snacks to keep us fuelled for the next few hours. I could feel a wonderful sense of adventure take over me; this is what I came to Thailand for: little unexpected adventures, moments of sheer unplanned chaos, and a means to escape my routine life back in Canada it’s that I never really realized that. Walking for an hour we passed pleasant bungalows, shacks, and so many cool varieties of palms. I felt bewildered by the sheer diversity of the forest which squeezed us forward. Few cars passed but never stopped to see if we needed assistance which was alright with us in this moment. We played eighties dance hits from a Bluetooth speaker in my backpack and for stretches dance as if we were both on a runway. Any driver passing by would see two blonde men pretending to be disco queens or super models. As we goofed off we approached what appeared to be a gas station. An old woman saw us walking and motioned us to stay by yelling “BEER! WATER!” which is an advertisement I still can’t help myself giggling about during my work days. The exterior of the building had a bar with a window and a few stools outside under a nice sloped roof to protect locals from rain. We sat in these well-worn stools and the lady attempted to make first contact with us two weirdos. My comrade explained in very sloppy Thai that we needed a ride to Pai and we could pay which she appeared to understand because she started yelling to someone in the house attached to their station. A man soon came out and started his car his face was joyous, kind, and tired. He would take us the rest of the way to that town but once we arrived and gave him payment he tried to refuse. We both decided to “drop” some baht in his backseat and then forget about it. It wasn’t until the next day in a hammock overlooking rice paddies that I realized that my life needed the occasional chaos travel provided. Peacefulness was all well and good but my soul yearned for uncertainty, exploration, and the kindness that can only be provided by others when you’re lost in the world.