Went back to Thailand this last weekend for the first time since 2001. It was great to be back! Although the rushed weekend trip to Bangkok and Koh Tao did not fully satisfy my need to experience Thailand all over again. And it was a bit strange to be back as a tourist, rather than living there. It also made me feel rather old, to see how many changes had happened in just a few short years. The biggest change that I noticed was a change in the backpacker culture. Of course, there are still the age-old grungy backpackers out there who go to Thailand for no other reason than to wallow in their own filth and lose their minds to drugs. But there also seems to be a "new age" of backpackers who no longer retreat from the rest of the world as they backpack across unexplored lands, but is a city-hopper who travels on the high-tech road complete with laptop computer and mobile phone. Hostels are now providing wireless for these savvy travellers- no more tramping through unfamiliar streets to hunt down an internet cafe or waiting in frustration as the one computer in the shop keeps booting you off in the middle of emails. It's all about 24 hour contact with friends and relatives, photos taken with digital cameras sent immediately over the internet, and free internet calling and constant instant messaging. Some of these technological advances are a bit disconcerting for those of us who appreciated the simplicity of life on the ride, but at the same time the indisputable convenience of travelling as such is a seductive possibility. I am about to succumb to some of these developments myself, planning to venture into the world of skype and to buy my first digital camera soon. I don't think I will go so far as to bring my laptop with me on trips (the paranoia of losing it or having it stolen on the road is too great), but I do appreciate the pervasive presence of technology and how easy it has made it for me to stay in touch with family and friends back at home.