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'Magic lands lie all around,
Inside, outside, underground.
Looking-glass world still abound.
All their tales this truth reveal,
Naught but love makes magic real.'
- Salman Rushdie
No, Rushdie, I don't think any amount of love would make Khao San Road a 'magic land'. The room in our hostel had no windows and was home to some ant-like creatures. Jamie met us and slept on our floor to save himself some money #savvysaver. The £6 buckets we had were infact lethal as the name of the bar would suggest- 'F*cking strong cocktails'- and the club that we went to was, infact, a club as the name of the club would suggest- 'The Club'. Easy. Didn't feel tipsy in The club. So I strawpedo'ed a beer, naturally.
We got a bus to Hua Hin down the coast. We walked past hotels going in the direction the map told us the beach was until it became less and less built up. Eventually when we were about to give up hope we went through an opening in a little back passage only to come out to a pristine white beach, blue water and some grey boulders that really looked fake. It was absolute PARADISE. The sun was setting but we just couldn't tear ourselves away to try to find a hostel so ended up sitting there soaking in the view until it was dark and then went back every night (and one sunrise) talking about consellations and the meaning of life, of course! There is always lightening on the horizon which looks so incredible!!
I read a very interesting article in National Geographic about production of Opium in Afghanistan. In 1986 it produced 19% of the world's opium, and by 2006, 90%!! Poor farmers can get x5 more profit out of growing poppies than any other kind of crop, and if they grow it, they're probably addicted to it... and so will their children be and their children after them. The Taliban were largely funded by it hence the huge increase in production/trade from the time that they took control (1996), which surely shows that Islamic beliefs cannot be their main motivation as drugs are haram! Power? Money? I think so.
Went for a run on the beach in the morning- nicest scenery I'ver ever had for a run. Walked about an hour to a military base to watch elephant polo!! It was so cute and we got to pet a baby elephant and feed it lychees :) All the funds go to an elephant charity.
Back in Bangkok we went to 'Wat Ratchaburana' which has a beautifully decorated roof, and a little walk by the Palace. That evening it was torrential rain so we decided the only thing to do was drink, and as we had listened to Ke$ha during pre-drinks we decided the aim of the night was to tell as many people as possible that we 'like their beards'. Hilarity ensued. (Turns out that isn't as funny for girls as guys.)
Walked to 'Wat Pho'- the best Temple (lots of cats wondering around) with amazing grounds and the 'Reclining Buddha', which is masssive! Got the ferry over the River to 'Wat Arun' where it POURED down with rain so much I felt like I was stood under a waterfall. The dreaded Ping Pong show was a must and it was actualy pretty hilarious. Did she just open a coke bottle with her...?!?! On the walk towards Chinatown we saw an ALLIGATOR in a canal! Didn't mention that on 'The Hangover' did they? This place gets more surreal by the day.
After the down-pour we walked knee-deep through water with floating cockraches and god-knows what else to get back down Khao San, in time or Kelly's arrival!! :D The drainage system kicked in and by evening it was all back to normal so we went to a Shisha bar (basically a van with tables outside) and then on to Lava Club to find Jamie dancing with a girl who was quite probably a prostitute... 'She's already told me I'm The One!' I'm sure she has J.
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