an Oasis in Thailand

Immediately when I crossed the border from Lao into Thailand, the first thing I noticed were how nice the roads were: wide, smooth, not under construction.  Traffic flowed effortlessly and I think for the first time since I have been in Southeast Asia, I was able to fall asleep in a moving vehicle without the help of sleeping aids, constant honking, or being thrown 2 feet in the air from my seat and hitting my head against the ceiling.  From the border into Thailand from Lao to the town of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, it is about a 6 hour journey.  In Viet Nam, the journey would of taken 10 hours, and in Lao, it would of taken 13.  About 3 hours into the journey to Chiang Mai, the bus makes a rest stop.  Usually, I am very annoyed with these stops because it takes up so much time and it forces everyone to get out into the hot and humid weather again.  As the bus pulls to a stop, I slowly open my eyes.  It was then that I saw the green, orange and white stripes, and a big, bold, number 7 .  7-Eleven...literally a lone beacon in the darkness that from the first moment I laid my eyes on it during the bus ride mentioned above, to the border crossing from Thailand into Malaysia, has been forever sealed in my memory as a saving grace.  I will attempt to express my love for 7-Eleven:

Let me begin with giving some context to the situation.  The temperature in Thailand hovers around the mid to high 90s with extreme humidity.  At night, it cools off to the mid-80s/low 90s.  In Bangkok, there is very little breeze, which makes it seem even hotter.  From a backpacker's viewpoint, it can often be extremely frustrating in Thailand (and in Vietnam, Lao, etc...), as vendors often see you as a walking dollar sign, so prices are quoted sometimes 100-200% higher than what they actually are.  There is always a price haggling game to be played, but after a couple of months, it gets really old and exhausting.  Also, because Thailand sees so many tourist, many have actually just paid the higher prices, which then makes it extremely difficult for budget backpackers like myself to try and negotiate down to a fair and reasonable price.  Often times, the vendors just simply won't sell their products, which means having to walk 2 blocks to find another vendor that will.  That means, walking 2 blocks in the hot sun with sweat dripping everywhere, desperately looking for something, and then finding it, having it not be exactly what you want (the old "same-same, but different" situation), and then having to negotiate down the price.  Some friends have asked what I do with all of the "free time" that I have, since I cannot sight see and/or be traveling every day...well, the process above takes up a lot of time.  I am trying trying to get sympathy points from anyone...I am just painting a situation to explain my love for 7-Eleven.

I walk into a 7-Eleven.  The air-conditioning greets me, surrounding my entire body, as I go through its sliding glass doors.  Within 5 minutes in the mini-market, my sweat pores close, the sweat/stickyness on my body "dries-up" and I feel somewhat "clean."  This is the physical reaction that I get from a 7-Eleven.  From a psychological/emotional view point, it is comforting and exciting at the same time.  I go to buy a chocolate bar.  The options are presented right in front of me:  I can either get the imported Snickers OR the generic Thai brand.  The prices are labeled and no price negotiation is involved.  I can pick up the chocolate bar, touch the wrapper, smell it, hold it in my hand, etc... and not be afraid of a vendor yelling at me. I then wander around the mini-market a bit longer, trying to prolong my time in the air-conditioning, thinking of other foods/items that I might need/want.  Perhaps an ice-cold Coca-Cola to go with my Thai-generic brand snickers bar?  Amazing!  I don't even need to go to another vendor to purchase the drink!  It is right here in front of me.  I wander a bit more, up and down the clean, bright aisles, looking at the various products and their prices.  I then take my items and go to the cash register where the nice man/woman behind the counter totals up my purchases, I give the money, and s/he gives me the correct change!  The other thing that is amazing about 7-Eleven is that EVERY ONE that I go into, I can expect the same thing; and if I want to change it up the next day and have some M&Ms with a 7-UP, I can, and know the approximate price.  Therefore, because of this, I give thanks to 7-Eleven for being EVERYWHERE in Thailand.  I am proud to say that there is rarely a 7-Eleven that I pass that I do not go into--mostly never to buy anything, but to escape the heat. :)  7-Eleven, I love you.  Thank you for having air-conditioning, constant pricing, lots of selection, and a logo that can be recognized from blocks away!