Back in Bangkok

We are now back in Bangkok. We left Koh Tao by ferry to Chumphon and then took an overnight train to Bangkok. Our last days in Koh Tao were amazing! On one of our last days there...we decided to take a taxi across the island to Sairee Beach for the day and then hike back. Wow!! What a workout...I am seriously out of shape! A few too many Singhas! The hike was steep, steeper, and steep. But we survived and our reward was a view that was breathtaking. On our way back down the mountain we decided to stop off at Tanote-View bar/restaurant for a few beers to celebrate. This place is awesome...and this is where we met Momma, the most unforgettable Thai woman we have met so far. We talked to her for awhile and learned that she lived in Switzerland for 18 years arranging flowers for weddings and putting on fashion shows. She decided to move back to Thailand and buy some land where her bar is now. It's a small piece of land with a few decks about 500 feet above the ocean with an amazing view anywhere you look. She convinced us to come back for dinner...her specialty, mexican spare ribs!, french fries, rice, and salad. After we showered, we met up with a couple from the Netherlands, Lilian and Jihm, whom we had met the night before. We all made the 10 minute hike back up the mountain. During our walk in complete darkness we were all thinking maybe we made a bad decision...but it ended up being the best night so far. So now how do we describe Momma?!! She is a beautiful, eccentric, crazy, drunk, wonderful woman who works with her son and daughter. After stuffing our faces with the great food, she made us play dress up with her cowboy hat, fake gun, and real machete "Her Bodyguard" which was about 2 feet long. Then we painted coconuts for her with glow in the dark paint. Throughout the entire night the lights kept going off for a few minutes or so...we all were thinking, where are we, what are we doing here, are we really in Thailand sitting at this bar in the middle of nowhere in complete darkness, is this really happening? We ended the night dancing with Momma...and dancing with Momma and dancing with Momma!! She would not let us leave...and part of us didnt want to. Finally at around 3am Sam tallied up the bill for Momma because she was too drunk to do it herself. And when we handed her the money she didnt even question it. We will never forget her or that night!!! As we made our way back down the mountain we could hear her yelling her goodbyes to us in some drunk Thai, German, English language.

We are leaving tomorrow and getting back to reality. We are ready to come home...we miss everyone so much! This trip was amazing and a trip we will keep with us always!

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