going home

14/03/10

I am at the airport. I am in the quietest part that I can find. I can hear a dull roar. Not as soothing as the tide outside my door. I have just put in earplugs and the roar has lessened. It was an uneventful trip from the island. The morning taxi from Treehouse at 8 am. I had managed to get a final swim in at 6:30 and my final bucket shower. I sat in the front with Ole the driver and one of the cooks. I sat in the middle. Ole speaks an atrocious English, all mangled words and missing consonants. It was a feat to grasp what he was saying. He and a Swedish girl are boyfriend and girlfriend. He said that once a Thai man has a western girlfriend, it is very hard to be with a Thai woman. I put my hands together at my heart to say goodbye but he opened his arms and gave me a strong hug.

Ferry to the mainland. A hour wait for the bus which was very decent after Lao and Cambodian bus service. A shuttle to the airport and here I am. Now decisions to make: do I check my suitcase in left luggage? Do I treat myself with a room at a nearby hotel for $30? I am such a cheapskate. I already let go of my reserved and paid hotel room in Bangkok because I didn't want to hassle with the water festival and the blocked roads. At this point, I think I can chill out here. It is a 12 hour wait and there is always the hope of sleeping part of it. Or I could be staying in a sterile room on a good bed and watching TV till late. Hmm. I am 57 after all.

Postscript: After sitting for a while on a hard seat, the passenger next to me shifting restlessly and shaking the bench then a meal in a frenzied fast food joint, I finally succumbed and went looking for a hotel. I bargained hard but 1000 baht ($32) was the best I could do. I ended up in a no frills standard room with A/C, TV, hot water and a very clean bed. I took my first real shower in over a week. I slept thru the night. It was just lovely. A few mosquito bites but it was worth it.