One Night In Bangkok... literally!

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Only one night left, and since Christine and I are flying out at 8am tomorrow morning, we really don't have the whole night. We have to be at the airport tomorrow morning by at least 5am, and the airport is minimum an hour from our hotel, so we are going to have to get up at 3am! I am considering not even going to bed tonight. That way I will be exhausted on the plane and not worry so much about the bumps. In other words, I won't be such a baby during turbulence 😊

Anyway, I must say, the best night's sleep I have had yet on this trip was last night. I am sure the alcohol helped a bit, but for some reason, the sleeper car bed was the most comfortable I have had here in Thailand. That, combined with the rocking motion of the train, I slept like a baby.

We got back to our original Bangkok hotel in time for breakfast, so we (me, Christine, Sherry, Rachel, and Isabelle) grabbed some food, then hailed a cab to the largest market in Thailand, Chatuchak Market. This was massive. I really didn't want to go to yet another market, but we wouldn't get into our hotel rooms until noon, so we had 3 hours to kill. We wandered a bit, then Sherry and I decided we just wanted to relax and have a coffee or something. So, we split from the group and met them at the sky train station. We took the sky train to some massive, very expensive mall. I REALLY didn't want to wander around a mall - we can do that at home. So, Sherry and I took a cab back to the hotel and got there just in time to pick up our room keys. I used the next couple hours for grooming and packing. I took a long shower, cut my toenails, washed my hair the most thorought I ever had, and relaxed alone. Although this group tour thing has been absolutely amazing, you don't get much alone time. I really enjoy my personal time and really didn't get much here. So, even though this was my last day in Bangkok, I really wanted to be alone. I also took my time packing, making sure anything breakable was wrapped very tightly in clothes - with the very strong hopes that my bags are not opened at the airport.

Christine got back, showered and arranged her bags, then we wandered around the streets of our hotel one last time. Nothing exciting or eventful, we were both worn out from all the trekking and ready to get on the plane by that time. Our final group activity was a group dinner that night. Our tour leader took us to a very beautiful restaurant on the river. We took photos, exchanged emails, and all that other stuff you do when you have just completed a 15-day tour with new friends. The evening was relaxed and very nice, there are definitely a couple people with whom I will stay in contact. Upon returning to the hotel, a small group of us went and grabbed one last drink together, then headed to bed. Some were staying in Bangkok another couple days then heading south, to the beaches, some were heading to other countries, and only a couple of us were going back home right away. Namely Christine and I. Australians get a minimum of one month of vacation per year, just like most Europeans, so they had a lot more time to explore. Although I really want my dog and my own bed right now, I would not mind having a few more days to find out if Southern Thailand is just as amazing as the North.

OK, time to get ready for that LONG trip home.

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