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Meghan's Trip
I am finally back in the States. I can't believe that I am back in Saltsburg, PA, but hey what is a trip around the world without stopping here? My trip to get here was a miserable 44 hours of flying and waiting in airports. I am so glad that is over. Fortunately, I have a few days to recover before starting work.
My last week in Asia flew by. Our group went out to a local home on our last night in Cambodia. They cooked us another amazing feast which we gladly gobbled up. Tracey had made up some fun awards for everyone and presented them to us after the meal. It gave us some great laughs talking about events from the trip. We came up with a well deserved nickname for our group, which was Tracey's Rowdy Indochina Roadshow. After dinner, we had a dance session outside with all the kids from the local village. They completely wore us out! Each of them was so cute. I couldn't get over their energy and how happy they were to have us there to play. We eventually made it back to the hotel absolutely exhausted from the evening's events.
The next day was a long day of traveling. We had a 12 hour bus ride through the Cambodian and Thai countryside to get back to Bangkok. The first bit on the Cambodian road was horrible! I have never been on such a bad road in all my life. The bus was bumping along the dirt road, going over huge pot holes, and through muddy areas. We had an hour stop because one of the bridges collapsed. After it was temporally fixed we had to maneuver through many vehicles and people to get across. Tracey told me later that we were the last Intrepid group to get through the road because another bridge collapsed. The other groups have been flying since then. Crossing through the border was interesting, but luckily we made it through pretty quick. It became a different world after passing through no-man's land. Thailand's roads were actually paved and in much better condition. After a very long and uncomfortable day of traveling we finally arrived in Bangkok just in time for dinner. During our last dinner together we presented Tracey with some gifts of appreciation, which of course made her cry. It was tough saying our goodbyes. We celebrated with another session of karaoke in the restaurant. The boys also took a turn by themselves singing a song to Tracey. Most of us decided to hit the town for our last night together. We went out drinking and dancing all night. It was tough to get up for our early flight out the next morning.
I had to finally say goodbye for good to everyone the next morning. It was quite a sight walking into their rooms when some of the group had just returned from the bars about an hour before that. After many hugs, David, Ben, and I were in a cab headed for the airport. We flew into the Samui airport, which was not much more than a collection of huts. It took us a few hours to get over to Koh Pha Ngan. What a tropical paradise it was! The resort that we stayed at was beautiful. The bungalows were close to the beach and there was a wide array of amenities. We spent the next four days chilling out. For example the first full day there I woke up late, had some breakfast, worked out in the outdoor gym, laid by the pool, walked on the beach, ate lunch, had a cocktail, laid on the beach while reading a book, had a massage, went for a run on the beach, ate dinner, and then played pool while drinking some more cocktails. You just can't beat that. The guys rented motorbikes so that we could get into the main town of Hat Rin. I had a difficult time riding with them because the hills were so extreme. Luckily it was only about a 15 minute ride. We spent a few nights in town, because that is where most of the restaurants and nightspots were. The beach in Hat Rin where we spent a few nights drinking is the location of the full moon parties. I was kind of glad to find out that we were leaving a few days prior to the next full moon party. The crowds that they attract wouldn't interest me too much. The last day, Ben and I went on a boat tour up the coast of the island with a group of about 25 people. It was nice to see some of the other beaches. Plus, we stopped to swim at a waterfall and did some snorkeling along the reef. Anyway, we had a fantastic time in Koh Pha Ngan. I am glad that we had a few days of relaxing on the beach before I had to head back home.
David and I left on July 9th to head back to Bangkok. Again, it was difficult to say goodbye. Ben was staying on the island before heading down to Singapore. We arrived in Bangkok and David checked into a very nice 5 star resort in town. I was lucky to get to go with him and get cleaned up before flying out. Tracey met us in the lobby for a cocktail and then we went out to dinner together. She took us to this great seafood restaurant. It was such an original idea. The entire back wall of the place was filled with live and fresh sea food. You grabbed a shopping cart to roll along and pick out exactly which items you wanted. We even picked out the vegetables that we wanted to eat. At the table you tell staff how you want each item cooked and then it is made up the way you request. We feasted on lobster, snapper, squid, veggies, and much more. It was so good! After dinner I had to say my final goodbye before heading to the airport. As I was sitting on the red-eye flight out of Bangkok, I couldn't believe that it was all over. I had such an amazing trip and I know that I will never forget the things that I got to see and experience while visiting Southeast Asia.
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