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Well, this is the final blog...After 6 weeks of Thailand, it's time to head back to the real world, and British weather.
The last weeks been a blur, with the most amount of places for us visited in the shortest time, being in Chiang Mai until Wednesday, Koh Samet by Thursday and Bangkok yesterday which is of course our last stop. Koh Samet was our last beach, and it delivered pure white sandy beaches and a lovely deep ocean to swim in! On our first night, with Jonny attempting to recover from his sudden bout of fever - J Rae and I decided the best solution for our immune system would be to eat...Bugs! Yes, after being handed a flyer in the afternoon for a bar Naga's we investigated their promise of a free cocktail or whiskey bucket if the guy could eat 5 (dead) scorpions, and the girl 5 crickets. J Rae took one for the team first, with me taking lots of pictures. I wasn't even going to do it, because another dislike of mine concerns creepy crawlys. But with the encouragement of the Thai bar staff, and the enticing free Mai Tai bucket I caved and began crunching on the what I guess were fried crickets. It. Was. Disgusting, as with each new bite the guts of each would spew into my mouth. Don't worry, theres plenty of photographic evidence to remind me for life of that stupid incident! At least I can say I've attempted to, nonetheless in bizarre ways, over come my fears!
Other then that, not a lot else exciting happened on Samet - with the boys generally taking early nights, and the majority of the island filled with Thai teens meant not a lot of people to interact with. This may sound like an obvious comment to make, but after Koh Phan Nang and Tao having a lot of Westerners, as well as Bangkok - it was a surprise! So now we're back in Bangkok, and after another extensive shopping spree today for me, and lots of forceful packing we should be ready for our flight tomorrow.
I've absoutely no idea where the last six weeks went, as it seems like only last week we were booking our tickets and buying our rucksacks! So much has happened whilst we've been here, lots of excitement, new adventures, drama and fish! The only low points that I can think of was when Paul & Jonny decided to leave for home, and realising that theres only 1 week, 5 days, 3 days, 1 day left... The highs however? This is an easy answer for all of us, the diving! I for one am hooked on it, and it has lit a passion that I doubt will burn out, with me already planning the next steps of diving (rescue) for my next trips. An amazing and unforgettable dive was seeing the whaleshark! And it's incredible how lucky we were, as it was our third dive and it was so big! The night dive was also so cool, re-surfacing to a black sky and twinkling lights littering the beaches. It helped that Koh Tao was an amazing island, that caused so much fun with Nelly's Bar and Lotus being the favourites. As for food, it boasted a Mexican (El Gringo) which made me very happy, as well as delicious pizzas and some really good Thai food too. That said, obviously for me at least Koh Tao was easily my favourite place, not only because of the diving, the bars and the restaurants, but also the people - I met so many great and different people there, starting with the lovely Isabelle, who provided a female solace for me after Holly left! Then, the Irish guys - all 5 who not only provided live standups with their drunken behaviour, but a very comical and award winning dive DVD like no other. Marc, for the amazing underwater photos which I will never be able to capture, but get to cheat seeing a turtle, something I unfortunately and sods law missed everytime. Greg, who even though I never got to dive with - was very cool and provided fun to pretend to name stars with! The dive instructors, Chris and Adrian for teaching valuble skills, some which didn't even include being underwater! The lovely Rob, for graciously putting up with me for 5 days straight , for watching the sunsets and for beanbags at the Mae Aa club(or however u spell it!) James and Toby for the competitive games of killer and the mockery! And finally, our wonderful Irish companion Derek, who spectacularly consumed two bottles of Malibu before 8pm and was thus out for the count! Other highs that aren't from Koh Tao? The Full Moon Party was definitely an experience, although it feels like ages ago now - with Hols and I spending what felt like hours painting ourselves (and our shorts) with flourescent body paint, before cleverly washing it off by spending more time floating in the sea then drinking! The Elephant rides and white water rafting were a new experience too, realising that elephants plod a lot more slowly then anticipated, stopping on the way to eat and excrete, and that mutiny is a popular thought on a kayak with a Thai captain!
Any lessons learnt? That I, no matter what country or continent, will never have a problem spending money. That I can ride a quad bike without crashing into a goal net. To bring half as many clothes for my next expedition. And that boys will never learn to put a toilet seat down! Oh, and no matter how much nagging - inevitably I will always be the person to update the blog site! So, on that note apologies for it being constantly me writing - it was not my choice, although to be honest I have enjoyed putting my thoughts about our travels in here. Who knows what would have happened if it had been the boys!
There is another set of photos that I have to load, and I hope that Jonny will do the same as he also has lots! But, as far as blogs go - this (for me anyway) is the final post. Thank you so much to everyone who has left messages, it was nice to know my words weren't wasted! And - I recommend Thailand as a travelling destination highly! Can't wait to see everyone, but for now this is me signing off rom Thailand, until my next adventure...
Lots of love, Sophie x x x
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