Trustful and Fearful Travelers (short film)

click on the picture to watch the film

This film shows the contrast between trustful and fearful travelers at a guesthouse in Trat, Thailand that caters to backpackers on a budget. It was filmed in November 2006, during our first week of traveling together in Thailand. We flew into Bangkok and spent a few nights at a friend’s house. Then, from Bangkok we took a bus to Trat, a small city in eastern Thailand on the way to the island of Koh Chang.

As our first guesthouse experience, we didn’t know what to expect when we checked into the Guy Guesthouse, but 150 Baht per night (about $4.25) sounded like a good deal for lodging, especially for travelers on a budget. After a day there, we became more acquainted with the place, and then we weren’t quite sure if it was such a good deal or not. The uneven floors were no problem. However, we had paid an additional 50 Baht to have our own bathroom, and Brandon couldn’t figure out how to flush the toilet. Luckily, Amy knew from a previous trip to Thailand that the bucket of water next to the toilet was for flushing purposes, so that problem was quickly solved. Then we noticed that someone had gone to the trouble to provide a place to put our own padlock outside our door. Did that mean we should be concerned about theft? We went to the market and bought a padlock, just in case.

As we walked down the hallway to our room, we couldn’t help but notice that our neighbors were two sexy, young women who napped in nothing more than their underwear, with their door wide open and their belongings strewn about the floor. Weren’t they worried about their money and passports being stolen? Their bare legs and open trust, in contrast to our padlocked room, as well as their beauty, in contrast to the griminess of the guesthouse, captured our attention. During an afternoon downpour, we sat in front of the guesthouse talking, writing, and watching the rain, and we came up with the idea for our first Thailand travel documentary.