Island Bound

You know, I have this awful tendency to remorselessly abandon projects that I begin, no matter the velocity I begin them with. I'm afraid my career as a blogger might follow this pattern. So if you happen to notice this blog falling into disrepair, please remind me that I don't have a documentary crew with me lurking in the shadows and the task of documenting my life falls on my shoulders.

So whats the news, eh? Well I tell you, much has happened in this last week. My first day of school was supposed to descend last Tuesday, but due to Thailands general carefree attitude, both of my classes were cancelled - one cancelled for logistical reasons, the other the professor seemingly decided not to show up(there is a phrase that floats around Thailand called Mai Ben Rai, which as far as I can tell basically translates to hakuna matata. It means that one shrugs off misfortunes and embraces changes. It means no worries...for the rest of your days).The day wasn't a total waste though; we got to wear our school uniforms out in public which of course translated into immediate awesomeness.

After dealing with school business on Tuesday I was taken to this fantastic Thai buffet. Bangkok is cut down the center by murky and heavily trafficked river called the Chao Praya river; this buffet is situated right on that river, and it's wonderful. For 99 baht ($3) you are directed to a stand with an abundance of seasoned meats that you pile up high and take back to your seat where a small grill waits for you to throw on your food and grill up your own meal. A small two piece Thai band with pre-recorded baking tracks, a live singer and a guitarist play for a crowd of mostly Thai, playing Happy Birthday in english every four or five minutes (I think this place might be like the Thai Chucky Cheese).

The early to mid portion of next day was spent recovering from a Chang induced hangover - a changover(Chang is a type of Thai beer that is labled as 6% alchohol. But in reality has a massive spectrum of alchohol content. 6% is an average. I've heard it can run from 4% to 12%. Whether or not you get one of these loaded Changs is like playing Russian roulette. Hence the changover).
The later part of my day was spent purchasing tickets and boarding an overnight bus to Ko Toa, an island in the south of Thailand. I was finally getting out of the blistering heat and choking smog of Bangkok.
After 10 hours on an overnight bus with only labored sleep we arrived at the port city of Champon. We did not though actually stop at the port. We were dropped off at 5:00 in the morning on the side of the road in a nameless Thai city with no other instruction than "wait here". The three of us and a smattering of Europeans waited, tired and wary. About 15 minutes later a truck rolled up with a canvas coverd bed. The truck looked like it should have been hauling chicken crates and produce rather than people. But we braved it and boarded our rickety old truck and sped off towards the harbor, which as it turns out wasn't that far away.
Our boat taking off for the island doesn't depart for another two hours, so again we have time to kill. Finally, with the sun rise, our boat docks and all the weary eyed white folks shuffle onto this ferry that will take another three hours to get to Ko Toa.

More to come…pictures are overdue but on there way…