I could see how someone could go crazy out here. How quickly life could just become an insane drug-fueled hedonistic party. I've been in thailand for a month or so now, and I've been living on about $20 a day. Not at all a strict budget for thailand, but not an extravagant one either. buys me a decent room, decent food, and an occasional beer and travel. $20 dollars a day. sounds reasonable, right? doesn't sound crazy or that cheap or completely ridiculous. But here's what puts it in perspective for me. $3,000. That's what it would cost to live in southeast asia for 3 months a year. Live pretty well in southeast asia. 1,000 for a roundtrip ticket here, 2,000 for 3 months living here. I've met people who do this every year, and I can't blame them. There's a canadian guy, aged 30 or so, who gets a 60 day visa and spends 50 of those days laying on a quiet beach on the west coast.
I'm not sure I could do that. I'm not sure I could do any of it. But if you found the right group of people, this could easily be your life. spend 9 or 6 or 3 months in the US working some whatever job, spend 3 or 6 or 9 months in southeast asia doing whatever it is you want to do, sleep on a beach, swim, snorkel, surf, party. I ran into the Canadian guy on the street in Bangkok today (back after 43 days on the beach, going back to Winnipeg tomorrow), and I told him I was probably gonna go up to Laos this week. He said "go to Vang Vieng, it's a good time... if you like smoking pot and doing mushrooms."
I can see how people could go crazy out here. Who needs ambition, when this exists?