Trip to Bangkok with a woman

Whenever I travel just with one companion, I learnt something. A lot of things actually.

This trip, I learnt about women. And how they behave when they travel alone with another man.

You just gotta believe in some of the stereotypical humours about how long women take to makeup and dress up, and like to take photos at every meal/ place/ activity.

I'm gonna write this article for myself as a reminder when I have a girlfriend in future.

Do things together with them even if you don't like it; 
if you don't, they might think that you are boring, or feeling unhappy, or throwing tantrums. Fortunately, it's not bad during this trip because she's not crazily taking photographs every moment. Just at some moments. Well, good thing I take pretty good shots, or else I will have to take repeated shots and end up late for the ferry trip back ( which, we almost did, when we reached the ferry the crew were already starting to fold the link bridge)

When it comes to sports, some women get tired out easily. But when it comes to shopping, please believe that women can really shop for whole from dawn to dusk, without rest, water, food, or toilet. 
The fact that human are dehydrating every single second and it's better to drink lotsa water frequently especially in tropical countries doesn't seem to get in their head. I don't mind occasional mad rush when it comes to retail, it's even understandable that we are at Bangkok (hell lotsa imitations at amazingly cheap prices). But since we are on a travel holiday, it's even more understandable to have appropriate rest every now and then, after all, vacation is about learning to take things slowly isn't it?

Of course there are some instances where we can't take things slowly, i.e. important trips that gets you from one place to another - the domestic flight that you paid for, the ferry rides that departs at every hourly interval. You can't take these crucial trips lightly. But throughout the trip she doesnt seem worried about them at all. It was 8.25am and there's no red taxi in sight to bring you to the ferry that departs at 9:00am ( and the pier is a good 30minutes away... We haven't bought the tickets btw), so you worry and stand by the roadside out in the sun munching on your breakfast and keeping a close eye on incoming red taxis - and there she was sitting on a sofa chair inside McDonald's checking her phone. Not that im expecting my travel companion to stand out in the sun with me, we dont need that, but at least don't appear as if we are in a leisure mood? We were pressing for time...when we were about to reach the the pier, I gave heads up that we gotta walk fast cause we hadn't bought the ticket. Guess her response? She handed me a bill of 500 baht. I took a while to understand but her facial expression explained it - "ok, get the tickets for me, thanks".

It's either she thinks that it's a woman's prerogative to get men to do things for her, or she trusted me so much. The facial expression was in favor of the former hypothesis.

That prerogative doesnt stop there. Cause they honestly expect men to handle things for them. So that the programme can continue, so that things can get going. Things such as asking for directions, speaking to cashier, topping up Hi Card for them, sharing costs of topup with them when you don't need it at all but because she feels that the minimum topup is not worth the money so she feels better if someone shares the pain with her (similar to the concept of share the carbs, but this time it's real currency), making payment, proposing the menu while she's instagramming, getting the hotel room key from reception while she waits... To be frank, im fine with all these tasks, cause we are traveling together, and these are all necessary tasks so someone has to do them. I just happen to take initiative more often. I have to give her credits too cause she asked for directions occasionally as well, and that's how we located the famous shark fin soup that sells at SGD 10 per pot.

And I'm not really comfortable when such initiative are taken for granted. Imagine, when you are Suntanning and she comes over and drop the hotel key ( so that you can safekeep and she doesnt have to worry) and her mini bag of valuables on your towel ( so that she doesnt dirty them)... It can come across as rather demeaning. We are travel companions and there shouldnt be someone treated like a servant for another. I think there's differences between offering gentlemanly services, and being treated like a gentleman who's meant to serve ladies.

Well, im not after words of thanks or expressions of appreciation, I would love out if it was my girlfriend, but when we are traveling, perhaps the better way to reciprocate each others efforts is to take turns to take initiative and do the necessary.

It's also interesting to observe how much assurance women yearns to have. Especially when it comes to dolling up herseIf.

For example, sometimes when she can't decide between two green color belt, she'll ask for your opinion. At this juncture, Even if you don't find any difference, it will only do you good if you simply expresses some form of opinion on the two identical accessories. ( by the way, 'anything' doesnt count as an opinion, neither is anyhow choosing, cause be prepared to give a logical reason when she asks you why). Otherwise she's going to get stuck there or worse still start to consider some other design varieties and both of you are not going to get back hotel early. But it's good training though, it trains you to spot the subtle details that women likes to pay attention to on their fashion and appearances. It's actually nice to listen how they consider their fashion appearances especially if they have someone they love, and how they will choose colours and designs to please them. Not for this one though unfortunately.

Be careful about making promises! Make sure you mean it, or at least, have the ability to make it happen. Because she will remember. Casual remark like "ok I'll bring back some stuff for you" kinda translates to promising to bring back shopping loot back to Singapore so that she doesnt exceed the baggage limit. Good thing she does have my interest at heart, by asking me (repeatedly) to test how heavy is my/ her luggage and whether I can really bring back for her. I think she really hope to have certainty and assurance. Good thing also I requested for weighing scale to weigh the luggages before we head to Ko Samui.

When men talk about these characteristics of women, its not exactly meant to be complaints. It takes patience to understand women, and sometimes men lose patience, so instead of complaining or whining, some men prefer to laugh it off. We all do need some humor to get on with life don't we?

I personally understand that these are simply innate characteristics of women from a primitive, biological or psychological point of view, that women desires love and attention. Such desire is in fact true for men as well, just that women tends to express them in the above illustrated manners. They are unique characteristics that I think we should embrace as natural traits of women, rather than dismiss as flaws or incorrigible behavior and then try to change them. Why go against the nature when women are born to behave in such adorable ways?

So don't get defensive in case you think such articles are offensive generalizations, the wordings might sound so but there's definitely no ill intentions (I know better than to offend all the women in this world).

Anyway, if not for women and this trip, I wouldn't have been able to unleash my closet shopping desires!