30. Traveling with a Sleeper Van (Part 6), Greetings in the Maori way

After leaving the house, I had an idea in mind that I wanted to travel around the North Island, staying wherever I ended up for the night. There was no fixed plan on how long I would stay in each place. I drove back up, stopping at various forests here and there. Sometimes, I would stop to cook by the roadside. This country has set up rest areas very well. Some places are just roadside areas shaded by large trees, where they have set up large wooden tables and long benches at a few spots, along with trash bins. The purpose is to allow people to have picnics and gatherings, and to provide resting spots for travelers to change their postures.

I remember that in the late afternoon of that day, I found a place in the plains near the river, which had a sign allowing overnight parking. There was several parking spots arranged for this purpose. I saw a car parked there before I arrived, which was of the same style as mine, with a sleeping area in the back. After parking, I walked around to check the restroom, and once I was sure everything was in order, I decided to stay there for the night.

When I found out that this place was near a river, I came up with a fun idea. At that time, I already felt sticky. Although the weather in spring is much less cold than in winter, it is still cold for me. Additionally, there is light rain, averaging about 3-4 times a week, typically a kind of island atmosphere. Since this terrain resembles an island surrounded by the sea, it is not exactly similar; it is a proper island in the sea, just larger than what we usually think of as an island.

For this reason, even though the weather is cold, sometimes when you're walking in the forest and it suddenly rains, it might make you feel sticky and want to take a shower, as is common for Thais. But still, I just wanted to test the idea that popped into my head to see if it could actually be done. I used a container I found in the car that looked like it could be used as a basin. Then I walked to the river, stripped down to just my underwear, scooped up some water from the rushing river, and slowly bathed, similar to how we see people bathing in the canals in Thailand. The water here is freezing cold, but I felt fun and excited doing it. Although this method is something you can find back home, I didn't think it would happen often here. But still, it was possible.

After I finished taking a comfortable shower and washing my hair, the rain started to fall. But I was already in the car. I dried myself off, changed clothes, and put on a warm jacket as usual, which I normally wear about three layers of. During this evening to early night time, nothing is more enjoyable than finishing a shower, putting on warm clothes, sitting in the car, and watching the rain fall outside while eating snacks. It's a feeling of pride in what I'd just done, even though I wasn't sure if it would be good beforehand.

That evening, about five cars parked at this camp. Since the area was spacious, each car parked at a reasonable distance from the others for privacy. After a while, a sedan drove in, playing loud dance music with a full car of passengers. Once they realized they weren't the only ones here, they lowered the music. I could tell through the car window that they were locals. After some time, it became clear that they had come to a quiet place to indulge in something. But that's their business. People can find happiness in their own way as long as they don't disturb others.

They sat in the car for a while, then were about to leave, but as soon as they started the engine, it wouldn't start. When they found out it was because they ran out of gas, they started complaining about this and that. But I couldn't hear them clearly because my car was about a hundred meters away. So, they sent two women who were with them to walk around to the nearby cars. At first, I didn't know what they needed, but when they moved from one car to another and finally reached mine, I realized they needed gasoline, at least to drive back to the city. I didn't hesitate because I was happy to help, and my spare gas tank was full. So, I got out of my car and walked back to their car with them.

I filled up their gas using the top part of a plastic soda bottle as a funnel. After filling it up, they handed me five dollars, but I said it was fine, just helping out. However, when they insisted, I accepted it to avoid hurting their feelings. One man in the car, who seemed to be the most sensible in the group, got out and chatted with me, asking various questions about Thailand. Meanwhile, another middle-aged man with long hair and full-body tattoos stumbled toward me and grabbed my head to lean it toward his face. Caught off guard and not knowing what he was going to do, I pulled my head back. The others laughed and explained that he just wanted to greet me in the native way. Oh, I just remembered that people here press their foreheads and noses together for about one to two seconds as a greeting. So, I agreed to do it again, but this time, I approached him. Although it felt a bit strange, I saw it as a good opportunity to greet a native this way, as it was my first time, having only seen it in pictures.

I talked with them for a while and then excused myself to walk back to my car. When I got back, I started to worry that the gas I had given them might not be enough to drive back to the city because I didn't know how far the city was, and it was dark, so I wasn't sure about the amount of gas I had given them. I just didn't want them to risk running out of gas on the way again. So, I walked back to fill up their tank for the second time. They might have been confused by my actions, but I thought it wouldn't be a big deal. After that, I returned to the car, and not long after I got back in, they drove off. As they passed my car, they shouted "Thank you."

And that night passed quietly with the usual drizzle. I enjoy encountering unexpected events like this, which end with friendship born from kindness. Regardless of their reasons for being here, that's not the point. The important thing is that they are people just like us, and we shouldn't judge anyone solely based on their appearance.