Decided to head to bangkok in the morning as I wanted to get there ahead of time before the mass of people decend upon the capital for the Kings birthday on the 5th. Theres really nothing else I want to do back there but I've always missed the celebrations before and would be a shame to again. So gathered everything and had Pon drop me off at the bus station for a local bus that drove the 20 minute ride to the Thai border. Bus is a liberal term here and its really just 30 people crammed into a stretch van. I had about a quarter of a seat and the edge digging into my ass for 20 minutes. It was a pretty shitty 20 minutes. After that though the process is painless just waiting in lines to get stamped out of laos and then again to get stamped into Thailand. From the thai side the train stations only 2 minutes away where I had a 4 hour wait for my train. Could have been brutal but I went across the street and was lucky enough to meet and english guy to chat with and waste away the time. 

      Four hours later I'm boarding the train car ticket in hand for my SLEEPER section lol. Never again will I do the seated 11 hour trip screw saving a few bucks. These seats turn into full beds when they get taken apart by staff around 8pm. Until then I traded stories with a guy from the UK which is always fun. Was kind of disappointed when they started doing the beds right away as then everyone has there curtains up and if your not tired its quite boring. Just tossed and turned for hours until finally sleeping the remaining 7 hours of the trip away. Hell of alot better than being awake for 12 hours sitting down.

      Arriving in Bangkok I was very happy to be off the train was a little ansy getting off as I stepped out while it was still going a bit. Coming to bangkok specifically for the Kings birthday it was interesting to see things already getting prepared in places you wouldn't expect. The entire train station had been transformed into a Tribute to the king and even a specially painted royal yellow train with an interior fit for royalty was being prepared to look pretty on one of the tracks. Flowers lined it all the way around and I'm sure alot more decorating was to come. 

     This train station just has so many themes going on. Its a giant airplane hanger looking structure on the outside with tracks running threw it and now it has a museum like interior....

      Made my way to the front of the station to get a taxi but the taxi stand had an insane line so I just grabbed a moto at a inflated price but alot quicker. It being only 9am I was pretty sure that rooms would be full of people who hadn't checked out yet so need to stall a couple hours. So it was great running into the same guy from the train to kill time. Went and found some place to eat and gave the staff a laugh as I wanted a burger even though it was 9am. They made it though, so awesome. While its always nice hanging out with good company I was really relieved when the time came to go check into a room and drop my bags for a bit. Same place as before so my laptop even had the wifi code remembered which made relaxing a breeze. and so here I am finishing up 3 days of holes in the blog and trying to figure out what to do today. 

      The next morning I was up early about 8am and being wide awake decided to go get some breakfast with my new friend Pon. Didn't really do too much after that until around noon when she told me there was a local hotel where you could pay $2 to use the inground swimming pool for the day and I though it sounded like a great idea. So waited for her to change and grab her moto and off to the pool it was. If it wasn't for the awesome lao father on the other side of the pool teaching his two disabled kids to swim in a screaming lao voice I would have forgotten I was in Lao here. Laid some towels on some chairs for bit and relaxed before grabbing ice cream and then hitting the water. Really great day being able to just jump in and out and not worry about the time. That was a good thing to because it turned into an all day affair not leaving until around 5pm. 

      Rested up in the room a bit and then went out for dinner this time at Le cote'd azur, one a the fancier places in vientiane. Plates are still only $5 though and splurged a little for the night. Put myself in a bit of an awkward spot though because its far from Lao food and I had to order for Pon. Was pretty positive I'd end up eating alone but I ordered 2 spagetti cabanara's and it went over beautifully. Restaurant has a great atmosphere and its a rare thing to be able to get treated by staff like your paying $50 back home when its just $5. 

     After an amazing dinner we headed to the same rooftop bar we were at the night before for a couple drinks and dancing ( well she danced I watched since I can't ) for a couple hours before having too much and heading home to crash. This is what you get when two drunk people try to take a picture :)

      Sleep in past noon and then get food followed by a little relaxing before heading out for the day. Was really starting to like that routine of laziness but still having a full day. Left on the motorbike after eating towards the outskirts of Vientiane proper to stay at Pons place for a bit. Its always crazy driving down the small dirt roads into the communities where people here live. Heads turn in every direction as I pass by on the back of the bike as everyone wonders what the hell this farang is doing well beyond any place tourists go into there backyard. Curious faces soon become smiles though and disarm you immediately. I know I shouldn't have had any preconceived notions of her residence but I was quite shocked at how nice it was. New concrete place with all the amenities. Sat down for a bit and popped in a random DVD which happened to be full of Michael Jackson music videos which was interesting. Young kids from the neighborhood started pouring in and getting into the music. Went walking through the tiny local market nearby soon after to get some water and snacks with all the little guys tagging along. Was quite a spectacle actually. I would say that I wish I had my camera but I know I wouldn't have taken any pictures anyway. Pictures for me are far away where people are part of the scenery not the focus unless asked. Treating kids like zoo animals for great close up pictures I just can't do. Now yesterday on the other hand Im kicking myself in ass for leaving my camera behind and not having it at the pool! 

     Started to head back toward the city around sunset back down the dirt roads and rested up a bit before heading out to eat at a place called Moon The Night. Figured it would be a small riverside place but what I arrived at was the largest gathering of people at on restaurant I'd ever seen. It just didn't compute at all. Like 400 lao people in a 4 storey restaurant with nearly all the tables full. Quite intimidating to walk into but once you sit down you somehow feel at home. Was probably the table of about 25 next to us drinking like fish celebrating something. Never seen lao people get so drunk in my life. The menu here was only in Lao so in a reverse of last night I had to hope whatever she ordered was paleteable for my stomache. Ended up being some great fried rice with seafood and somehow it came within like 10 minutes even with like 400 orders been taking. Stayed for quite a bit just hanging out before heading looking for a watering hole for a few before calling it a night. Found a small pub style place with a local band that capped of the evening nicely.

       Most likely due to the lack of sleep on the overnight train the night before I woke up somewhere around 1pm not really sure what to do with the remainder of the day. Was pretty damn hungry though so got ready and headed towards the restuarants near the river. Between me and food was a small hair saloon which I passed by, stopped and then did the unthinkable and returned heading inside. The beard died soon after. I don't know what it was but I have a feeling that going out so much started making me care a little more about apperance and the beard was looking rough. At first the lady cutting my hair went to buzz the stubble growing on my shaved head which made me laugh. I pointed to my face and it just starting falling off from there. I guess its just following the opposite theme of the trip. Bye bye giant beard.

      After leaving the saloon and then grabbing some quick food I went over to the local mini mart and grabbed another beer lao gold and sat outside at one of the tables facing the river. After all drinking in public is kinda the thing to do here on the river lol. People seemed to gravitate towards where I was sitting because I chatted with no less than 3 people for varying lengths which made the afternoon fly by. I knew I'd be heading to the boardwalk for sunset and to check out the food stalls that set up there but it was a bit early so hit the room for a couple hours.

      Heading over the riverbank I arrived a bit late and only caught the tail end of the sunset but was just in time to see the market being set up. I walked up and down a bit taking everything in and waiting for all the tents to be set up. There was a group of kids playing volleyball without the net and was really nice to just watch a bit and see them having a good time. It was right around now that it hit me just how incredible a thing it was that happened to this boardwalk. Somehow the government ( with a huge backing finacially from China ) managed to take a heap of nothing and turn it into a happening spot for tourists and locals alike. Thats a balancing act very few places achieve. Kids skating, loads of teenagers drinking by the river, families walking for a night out all beside tourist shopping at the market. Sure the food stalls were gone a causalty of the project but laos did a great thing with this place. Congrats lao government ;)

       The market got itself into full swing a bit later and I did my best to slowly make my way through. I had no plans to buy anything as usually these places are just here to sell trinkets to tourists but I managed to find one stall that stood out. Bracelets made from bomb scrap metal from phonsavon. Having been there 2 years ago and seen first hand the bombs I really felt touched by the sign. Nothing there could fit my wrists but I bought one for $1 anyway.

Bomb bracelet anyone?

      I kinda of paced around a bit after for a while not sure whether I wanted to drink or sit down for dinner or whatever but eventually settled on eating dinner at an indian restaurant. No idea why as I really don't much care for indian food but I remembered I love chicken masala and mango lassi's so went with the safe bet. Hung out for a bit before pacing around and then heading back to the room. I really wanted to go out for the night but had to admit to myself that I really had no clue what spots were what in Vientiane. Then I remembered going to a rooftop bar nearby by a couple years ago and decided to give that a go. Its a bit hard to find as the entrance is street level but then you immediately have to go up 4 flights of stairs before entering the bar with views if the mekong. Sat down at the bar and got a beer lao and just took in the music for a bit.

     Was probably there about an hour or so and traded looks a half dozen times with a Lao girl across the bar but just smiled and left it alone. Not long after a older Lao man from Connecticut came up to me and started conversation about how he's visiting his home country and going back to the states next week. Grabbed a table and talked for about an hour and was honestly a great time and would have made for a great end to the night. However when he left around 10:30pm and I got up to leave aswell I noticed an empty seat next to the girl from earlier and decided to grab a seat at the bar again. Couple more drinks and we both left. As far as the blog is concerned the night ends here. After all relations with a Lao national out of wedlock is a life in prison offense in Laos :)

      On my way into Vientiane from the border on the back of the pickup there was a van that was driving in front of us and aside from the mom motioning a waive with her babies hand which gave me a nice warm lao welcome was the only thing worth remembering from the short ride. The vans rear had an advertisement for what I at first thought was beerlao and how it won gold somewhere. Then it hit me. Theres a new premium version of beerlao on a shelf somewhere nearby! I put in far from my mind but I knew later on it was happening. I was pretty disappointed when the restaurants didn't carry it but my luck was a changing. The local minimart was my last stop before heading in for the night to get a snack and bottled water. There in a small cooler was the golden wonder. About $1.25 for a giant bottle I had to get one. Now beerlao might be asias best brew but it doesnt really compare to most western beers. I had high hopes this one would.

     All that was left to do was open er up.... which almost blinded me lol. This beer packs a bunch literally. Didn't have a beer opener so i smacked the edge of the cap off the door handle and the metal cap shot off like a cork and just missed my eye. See premium action already. Pause.... Taste.... Ahhhh. Everything great about the original without the tiny bitterness at the end.The gods have a new nectar, beerlao gold.

      With my Thai visa expiring in a few days I decided to head to laos for a bit and then decide where to go from there with the option to return to Thailand if I wanted on a new visa. I knew the day was going to be a bit rough since I had to check out by noon and the overnight train wasn't until 6:30pm. Took a taxi to the station and proceeded to bounce around from shop to internet cafe and even a KFC trying to keeping myself busy in between being seated and waiting. The only thing worse than waiting that long to board a train is waiting to board a train your going to be on for 12 hours. It had been a long time since I'd done the long distance trains here and it didn't take long to remember I hate them lol. Freezing cold A/C pumps to the point where I'm shivering and becuase its the cheap train covered in mosquitos. It was pretty miserable and so I'm just going to skip over trying to remember the details and move on.

      When the 12 hours of shivering and fly swating myself in the face did finally come to and end it was about 7am and I hadn't slept at all but I figured why stop now mine as well just finish the border leg. So I got a tuk tuk to the Lao border and proceeded to fill out my paperwork. When I got to the counter they asked for the $35 for the Lao visa and forgetting I only had Thai baht on me I explained myself and was told it would be 1500 baht. Son of a bitch. Was basically an extra $20 for bringing the wrong currency. Strangest part is they don't take there own lao currency at the border as its too volitile! So having been stuck pretty hard on the visa I was determined not to have the pay the usual $10 taxi for the long ride into the capital. Patience atually paid off as after about 5 minutes I noticed a bunch of people piling into the back of a pickup truck that could only be headed on direction. Got a ride for 4o baht instead of 300 which really cancelled out the overpaid visa.

       Once in Vientiane I settled into a room where I'd stayed last time here and then tried to walk around for a bit. Not sure where it was the midday sun or the fact I was running on no sleep but I only made it to the river for maybe 10 minutes before heading back to the room for what turned into a 3 hour nap. I can nap... huh. But the boardwalk was a bit interesting if only for the fact that when I was here 2 years ago it was a pile a rubble and lined with bulldozers getting ready for a large project. Today its almost complete and actually a huge improvement and valiant effort on the part of laos to make the river front a place people want to go. After all what says welcome more than giant ass communist flags? Nothing thats what. Its still not quite there though, maybe nexy year.

Now:

Then:

       When I woke up front my little nap it wasn't around time for dinner so I headed across the street to Sticky fingers, really nice western restuarant by the water. Foods over priced but good and they also have free wifi whos signal reaches my room. So basically pay the overpriced food and get free wifi in my room for my stay. good deal. Calling it a night after a few drinks since sleep is long overdue. Going to look into doing a tour of the Beerlao brewery tommorow if its still open to the public.

       Woke up at the crack of noon a little eager to get out and do something with the day. Ate quickly and then grabbed a taxi to Dusit park zoo which was not my destination but the closest landmark I could explain to the taxi. I was thankful that from where he was going to drop me I could see my destination and motioned over. Walked through a small gate and there was the remarkable building that was the ananda throne hall. Part of the old royal residence of the previous King its now a meusem housing so wonderful relics of the old kingdom. The building on the outside is by far the most un thai looking palace building ever made but it just shows its age coming from a time a great european influence. Its gorgeous but just don't see what little cupid looking angels are doing on this building in the heart of bangkok.

        After looking outside a bit I made my way towards the entrance where I was asked if I had a ticket which I didn't so bought one on the spot there. Then the fun started. Been a while since I'd been to one of these buildings and forgot to wear long sleeves and pants. This meant buying a sarong which is basically a giant towel that wraps around your waist and goes down to your feet covering your body. Mine was bright orange like a monks robe, super attractice. All the thai's know that it means your forgot your dress code but japanese tourists just laugh at you lol. That outta the way I put my camera in the locker since no pictures allowed... damn. Was given a free headset though to explain each section with english audio which was cool and headed up the stairs. WOW. I've thought this to myself at other palaces but here it really screamed in my head. Its gotta be a shitty time to be King when all the cool stuff is a muesem now. The inside of this place was a mixture of east and west with shinying gold embroidery lining everywhere wall side by side with marble greek looking statues of naked angels. I just keep looking up and around at the painted ceilings, the beautiful domed center, the carved walls, the gold! ahh. OK the pieces on display were nice but it was driving me nuts no one else inside was looking at the building!

       I eventually made my room to the second room were the real prizes were to be found. This room at this moment may be the most I've ever wanted to take a picture and couldn't. I would have paid extortion for a camera pass. First was the magnificant long table covered it gold leaf cloth, gold china and eating utencils, centerpieces... Everything you imagine from a movie where kings are meeting and slamming goblets on the table and ripping meat off whole turkey legs. This was that table only classed up a bit. The images raced through your imagination as you looked at it. It really makes you want to take a seat to which is probably the reason for the extra guards and sensored glass. When I finally pulled myself away and walked the short distance to the exit I was stunned by one of the best paintings I've seen. Covering a half dome semi circle on the ceiling was a painting with a giant buddha image in the back and the king seated directly in front of it. On all sides of him are religious figures from all over the world giving gifts. Hundreds of monk, cardinals imams etc you name it was on the painting. It was a pretty beautiful piece.

      Leaving the hall I took over my orange fashion accessory thinking I'd have to give it back but just got a blank stare followed by "you keep". Ok far enough I did have to pay for it just assumed it was rental, what am I supposed to do with this for the whole day. Turns out have to wear again in the next building. Walked over to another throne hall and got ready to go in only to be asked for another ticket which seemed odd but went to look for where to buy it. By the time I got to the entrance it was pretty obvious I someone came in the exit and saw the final meusem which is separate from the main park first. Got the other cheap ticket and proceeded the the Teak mansion skipping the smaller hall not wanting to go all the way back.

       The mansion again repeated the same outside only pictures policy which really does suck but what can you do. At least I got to look cool in orange again, but don't think you'll be seeing a picture of that here lol. 

      Inside there was again room after room filled with old things that I had to be honest I could care little about but I did humor the nice lady who was playing tour guide for me. The place was huge and and unique but I never would have thought royal residence. The entire palace is made from wood and not a nail in the whole thing. Only wooden pegs and puzzle like looking boards. Really amazing feat for its age. Really though I just wanted to get back outside and appreciate the scale of the building again but was stuck behind a japanese tour group moving at a snails pace and the hallways were narrow so I had no choice but to go room by room which was probably for the better. It is a lovely place and no need to rush it.

      Was early evening when I left the complex and after sitting on a bench for a bit I hailed a taxi over to the paragon on a wim to see what was playing on the IMAX. Why the hell not right? lol. I had treid every other theatre here so I thought it couldn't hurt to check but with Puss In Boots the only playing on it I opted out. Just had dinner and headed back near my room where i had a couple evening beers before going back to the room. Might head out later tonight with a friend whos going to a party sponsored by the Peruvian embassay. A latin party put on by diplomats immune to the law. Pretty sure I'm gonna go lol. Well see.

       
      For whatever reason last night I was up until 6am probably with too much on my mind and somehow still woke up on my own around 11am. Really only had one goal for the day which was to get a super cheap cell phone to stick a new SIM card into just to have on me. Took a taxi over to the MBK mall I'd been to many times before which has an entire floor dedicated to hundreds of cell phone shops. Since theres no contracts here used phones turn up by the truck load daily and since all can use prepaid SIM cards getting a phone easier is probably impossible. I spent $15 for a top of the line 1997 nokia with 60 minutes talk time lol. Crappy phone but it does the job and was simple enough but damn I miss my touch screen. Walked around a bit and grabbed something to eat but I knew I'd better get out of here before I bought something I didn't need.

      I could've easily just headed back from here but that would have been no fun. I remembered reading about a really old 1920's theatre nearby called Scala which seated over 1000 and only played a single movie screen. Walked a few minutes down the general direction and happened to see it luckily down a side road on the right.

       The entrance almost gives you the impression its closed but I'd gotten used to the sight. All over the city theres still piles of sandbag barriers waiting for floods that never reached this far into the city luckily. Stepping over the bags and entering Scala is a bit underwhelming coming the from the posh ultra screens but its very homely and does bring to mind an older time. Just a single person handling the ticket booth and a solitary popcorn machine telling anyone whos interested when the next showing was. The 100 baht ($3) ticket just seemed so cheap after yesterday I wasn't sure what to expect. After about 30 minutes a man in a old school bright yellow blazer that looked like it was decades old came out to rip and tickets and show each person to their assigned seat. Seat numbers are a joke of coarse since there are over 1000 seats and maybe 2 dozen people with tickets lol. The theatre itself was massive and even standing half way I couldnt get even half the seats in frame for the camera.

       The screen was curved inwards a bit giving a surrounding effect which was awesome. I ended up seeing a thriller called "Take Shelter" which was pretty good and I really loved the time there. Sure theres no recliners but the quality of the seats, staff, and even food destroy any theatre I go to at home besides IMAX... and for 3 bucks. I left feeling great about the whole thing and so glad I had the chance to experience the different sides of theatres here. 

       
       Walking around a bit having no clue where to go I saw something I've never seen before in asia which is... well police cars. Sure you see traffic officers and the occasional motorbike cop but never any real show of force. So was quite taken back when a flurry of fancy BMW and audi cruisers went roaring by.

        Just a couple minutes away from the movie I just left is a smaller local theatre and passing a I looked back and just went... ehh what the hell. Mine as well make it a complete bangkok movie theatre trio and see one local style. This place had 3 showings but only one starting right when I arrived so "The Thing" it was sticking with the horror/thriller theme of the day. Same process and price as before with $3 getting me a choice of a seat in an almost empty theatre although many more here. This time it felt like a thai movie to me. Nothing stood out at all other than an annoying bug that kept landing on my leg but I'm sure its part of the local treatment lol. It was a good movie though made better I think by the sheer volume it was played at. I guess thai's love a loud movie because it was the loudest I've ever heard a movie played. At first it made me want ear plugs but 15 minutes in and man when something happens you feel like your there in the movie. Good time.

      Walked around Siam Square a bit more going past hoardes of people, sandbag barriers and endless malls. They just don't make malls elsewhere like they do here. I haven't even been in one yet less than 5 floors.

      No interest in going in this time though and soon caught a taxi back to where I was staying. I've gotten pretty good at using taxi's here now. First time I was here they could smell easy money on me and everyone would try and negotiate a price with me. Now I step in say where I'm going with authority and they just immediately click on the meter and roll on. Love it. Probably just staying in for the night on the laptop but was definitely a good day.

      Having the ticket paid for a minivan soon to be waiting for me it made it a little to just roll over and say just one more day once again. Before long I had my things together and was saying goodbye and heading off. The van wasn't overcrowded which was refreshing and things were off to a great start. Made perfect timing getting to the ferry departing for the mainland and our van drove onto the bottom of the boat while we spent the 30 minute crossing topside catching the views. Then everyone piles back in the van and drives off the boat back onto land which is usually where all teh hectic minibus switching goes on and things take forever. I was shocked when we just kept driving in the direction of bangkok. Aside from the few bathroom stops which were more than appreciated we never did make any of those of the track stops, breakdown or anything of the sort that is usually just part of the ride. It wasn't until we reached bangkok 5 hours later it all made sense. Everyone besides me was dropped off door to door at some of the nicest 5 star hotels in bangkok. I watched us make about 5 stops at $300 a night places laughing to myself and then when I was the last one left the driver was laughing too. We had to drove all the way across the city to where my cheap guesthouse was. It was quite funny actually. Transportation from Koh chang island is the same now matter what your income options are limited. I think the hotel lady liked me during my stay and gave me the last seat on the rich people bus haha. Worked out great though I needed a smooth ride since in the back of my head I was still waiting for sickness to come back. Thankfully that never happened so after dropping the bags off an and shower it was time to eat.

      Walking down Khao san rd once again gives me mixed feelings. I used to hate it but know that I'm letting myself drink I think it may change. It was soon after this though that the rumbling hit my stomache. No I wasn't getting sick again. It was the craving for the Giant M I could see in the distance. Over a month without Mcdonalds could kill a lesser man lol. Double cheeseburger and fries never tasted so good.

       Stomache full I made my way down to get a moto to drive me to the only thing I really want to do while I'm here... The Nokia ultra screens at the paragon cineplex. Movie luxury at its finest. Took the short moto ride through horrible traffic driving at dangerous speeds going the wrong way... At least this guy had a helmet for me :) Pulling up I really wasn't sure what to expect as I'd only ever been to the very popular MBK mall full of cheap stores and flea market upper levels. The Siam Paragon is a rich upscale mall with some of the finest items around. The entire mall is crystal clear like a giant apple store with not a thing out of place. Everything is neatly manacured with greenery or water fountains right down to the escalators. 
 

     Not long after entering I stumbled upon a huge car show right in the middle of the second floor showing off new model sports cars for sale to the few rich bangkokians who can afford it. I'm no car person at all but for someone like me who never sees them up close they were still pretty cool to look at for a bit.

     It didn't take me long to find my way up to the fifth floor for what I came here for, the nokia ultra screens. Walking into the lobby here is a bit like mixing the newest high tech displays with everything that comes with old style charm as well. Theres leather seats to lounge around forever, old popcorn vendors that look like there decades old, red carpets, dance floors... you name it its here. Now while there are many others types of luxury seats here like IMAX and some local theatres as well its the ultra screens I was here for. I bought my ticket for only slightly more than a regular movie back home and made use of the many choices to relax and wait for my movie time.

      Popcorn anyone?

     Now its here sitting down at a point when I'm feeling better and doing something I've waited so long to do that I realize my phones missing. I did a search for over 30 minutes but to no avail. Notified security which was actually easy since its an expensive place theres english staff but that never panned out either. My phones loud, I've dropped it too many times. If it fell I would have heard it. While theres always a chance it was my error I'm pretty sure someone grabbed it and there was nothing left I could do.

      By the time I gave up the search the movie was starting in about 5 minutes but I entered the pre-movie lounge anyway for my free drinks and snacks while I waited for my seat to be prepared. Its funny but it wasn't really the phone that was getting to me but more that it had to happen now during my god damn super movie! I did my best to put it in the back of my head and took a seat. Gotta love the fancy private entrance to the lounge and theatres.

      Even with something on your mind its hard not to be blown away by everything that comes with the ultra screen ticket. Free food and drinks, massage if you get there early, and when I walked into the actual theatre itself it far from disappointed. Fully reclining electric love seats with blankets and pillows its trully the royal movie treatment. With the full english movie you could almost forget you wer in Thailand if weren't for the mandatory standing of the national anthem before it starts. Ended up seeing "In Time" which was actually a good movie obviously made all the better by the mode I was watching it.

      In the end it was an amazing time I just wish right when it was over my mind didn't jump right back to 'fuck my phone!'.... What can you do.

      So what was only supposed to be a couple day visit turned into an entire week of ups and downs battling a sickness I was all too quick to dismiss as gone. Woke up the next morning feeling OK and packed up my stuff for what was supposed to be my last night on Koh Chang. We went up to Koh Chang hut hotel where she showed me that off the beach A/C rooms with cable TV were actually cheaper than where I'd been staying. I loved my beach view but damn the hotel was sweet for $15. Great place to relax and get the energy back. I was only feeling mediocre and even after some nice home cooking from Sang fresh with all items we picked out at a local market. The next couple days went the same with lots of lying in bed and not doing much of anything. By now the hotel reception was getting know me stumbling down to the lobby rubbing my eyes and asking for one more night as part of there morning routine. The worst and best were yet to come though. 

      Next morning was feeling rather great and all set to head out but Sang was really sick and it didn't feel right to leave. I did my best to play the caring role even though it doesn't come natural to me. By the time she was feeling better latter in the day I was hunched over in agony getting sick in absolute tears with one of the worst headaches I have ever had. If it wasn't for the trips to the pharmacy she made for me I'd probably still be in agony. When the time finally did come 2 days later to catch the 930am minibus to bangkok it was really sad for me. Grew way to close to her over this week...

       Yes, I'm alive. Left Kep for Koh Kong feeling really bad suffering from an all to familiar anonomous illness, which only compounded itself by the time I arrived in Koh kong. The folks at Koh kong guesthouse weere thrilled to see me again although once I retreated to my room sick and didn't see anyone again it my much less so. I was determined to learn from my previous bout with this and do everything right I did wrong last time. No blankets or fan which mess with the up and down body temperture, never stop drinking water and lie straight as a board on the bed all night. While horrible still it seemed to work a bit and I had energy enough to head to thailand in the morning. Traveling at this point sounds downright stupid by if this was going to last long anyway I mine as well get worse and be around first rate medical care. Just my luck though everything went wrong getting there. Sun blazing every minibus was delayed, the border crossing was a nightmare and **lost about $500 which was the rest of the cash I had on me but luckily** somewhere along the way. Simple error misplacing something somewhere because I was too weak to be mentally aware of what I was doing.... If I was thinking I'd have to come home early before I know I will now. For whatever reason I'm not as upset as I should be but its probably because theres nothing I can change about it. Just have to keep going and have fun with whatever time I end up having.

      But all was not bad. Getting to Koh Chang again I found a room at the same place I had before and repeated the same process as the night before. This time with a little company which made things alot better. Reconnecting with Sang felt really good right about then. Did the best I could to get a good nights rest and had extremely high hopes for the morning.

      The sun came up a little brighter the next morning as everything tends to look once you start feeling better. Slept in nice and late and when we did finally move it was only to the bungalows balcony for some shakes and breakfast. The plan was to spend with the day by the beach and aside from yet another moto flat tire and some errands we did just that all afternoon. Went swimming in the clear waters again for a bit before resting on chairs watching the sun go down. Well I did anyway Sang was too busy playing bejeweled 2 on my laptop lol. When the sun was about halfway set I had this rush come over me that I needed to swim. I wish I had a picture of it but I'll never forget it. Swiming in clear blue water under a gorgeous sunset was something I'd never dreamed I'd ever do. It was a magical moment was almost over shadowed but being sick. I'll never forget that moment.

      It may have been a shitting few days overall and since I dealt with it myself along with some recommened meds from a local pharmacy theres no great pictures to share but I'm happy to back up and running. Not sure whether my methods did it or the random pills I took without knowing what they were but one did the trick. Going to spend the next few days in Koh Chang relaxing and thankful to be well before heading to Bangkok. Very much a downer of a post but I do have a couple photos after getting back on feet. His and hers pinnapple and coconut shakes by the beach.

       To feeling well and making the best of any situation :)