I had been in Thailand a little over a week and had not been out at all, feeling a little depressed and wondering why I came here. I decided to go visit a local punk bar that I knew about. For me my salvation is the punk scene, it is where I feel most at home. I met a few people there, everyone was super friendly but really the punk scene is a small family anywhere you go (other than Nazi scum), one gal in particular, Samm, invited me to a festival happening the following weekend. It included camping and music. How could I say no to that invite, I went online and found that the camping portion was already sold out and so I thought it was a no go, but by some miracle I found a gal reselling her tickets and camping package, so I guess it was meant to be. No clue what I was in store for but hey I am in Thailand so just go with it right. I had also heard there was going to be a punk band playing called “Cold Black Vines” ( here is a link to a song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWpRCFXcBds) which peaked my curiosity even more. So I took a Grab (think Uber) and made my way to the festival with backpack in hand.
This is Samm 
Tent City 
Energy healer 
Jai Thep Festival Entrance
It was in a beautiful place called Lanna Rock Garden about 30 minutes outside of the city, there where plenty of western toilets (for those curios), affordable food vendors. a small river and plenty of camping space.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the people I met and hung out with. The camping was great other than the sleeping on the hard ground and ant bites. It was a little more hippy than I am used to, hoola hoop and fire dancers, lots of dreadlocks and interesting clothing. The age group seemed to go from young to old and everything between. However, I was disappointing that it was mostly Farang (foreigners) and very little local Thai people. The music was more of my sons liking and less to mine, you know Drum and Bass, Electronica, and I am sure much more that I cant even name, although Saturday night on the main stage was a blast. There was the local Bangkok punk band I mentioned above and a pretty decent Thai rock band. But the icing on the cake that night was this Tyrone and the Tartlettes. Think 80s cover lip sync with jazzercise gals in the background. I think they had the largest crowd of all. I was laughing my ass of.
The best part of it all was just being present and enjoying the company of the world travelers I was meeting, hearing their stories and trading tips and destinations. Oh and the DOME movie, that was really an amazing experience.
When traveling I think it is important to say YES, I think it is important to be open to things maybe you would not do back home, important to meet locals and other travelers alike. You will always learn something when you get outside of your comfort zone and be present in the life you are living. It is easy for me to be an isolationist and stay inside working but I know that there is more to living, there is a world outside my door and it is important to take those steps into the adventure. We are all going to die someday, but my goals is to truly live.
