This is the End

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Bangkok, Thailand


Our time in Thailand began with waves of sweltering heat that met us every step of the way, whether it was our arrival in the Bangkok airport, the time spent waiting in the longest line you've ever seen to pile into taxis to take us to our guest house, or simply every foot we walked in the city of Bangkok .  

On the first day we all got together and went to the Royal Palace where the girls encountered a stringent dress code which, after the realization that scarves aren't suitable to cover shoulders in the eyes of the Thai government, were asked to wear a long blue collared shirt over their dresses.

The day continued with a visit to Wat Pho, with a 43m and a 15m high golden reclining Buddha, that is housed in the same temple, that is believed to be the birthplace of Thai Massage.

The day ended with a large dinner at a very traditional Thai seafood restaurant. There is a general consensus it was some of the best food we have eaten on the trip.

The second day consisted of the team going to a market and shopping for flip-flops, bathing suits, new cool t-shirts, sun screen and various other things anyone could think of needing for a 6 day excursion down to the southern islands of Thailand . Later, the group all got back together and boarded an overnight train down to the islands.  

As we woke up the next morning and lumbered off of the overnight train in Surat Thani, we immediately boarded a series of taxis to take us to our hostel. From there some stayed and rested, and some went out shopping, but by the end of the day everyone ended up on the beach gazing out at the turquoise water and long-tail boats taking tourists from island to island.

Then, for the next 5 days, and 4 nights, we bounced between islands on our private long tail boat, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, enjoying beautiful beaches, eating an extremely large amount of pineapple everywhere we went (in no way was that a complaint) and falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore, without end, every single night. Absolute paradise.

Highlights included the spotting of various sea-creatures such as eels, parrot fish, giant clams, more crabs than you could possibly imagine, and a few clown fish (Nemo) hidden in their anemone homes . Meals during these few days consisted of crabs, stingray and fish all caught and prepared by our captain Sun, and his team of devoted sailors, one of which, was affectionately deemed " Sir" (just ask).  

During our 4 nights on the boat trip, we spent two of them in tents on the beach, one in a Muslim house, and one night in "bungalows", the teams new favorite word. One of the nights, after a dinner in the home of a family on one of the islands, a rainstorm that many of us equated to that scene in "Jurassic Park", hit us extremely suddenly. As we drove back to the bungalows, we became absolutely soaked, and running back to the bungalows on our feet that almost all of us had gotten sliced on stones while snorkeling, we arrived in our bungalows. I like typing "bungalows". The next day we boarded an overnight train back to Bangkok, leaving behind us the crystal clear waters and limestone towers jutting out of the ocean.

I am writing this final blog from Bangkok where we are currently preparing for our flight home. We will be leaving our guest house for the airport at 3 in the morning tomorrow/tonight.

Cooper





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