Suk11

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Our hostel is the most unique place I’ve ever stayed, designed as a treehouse hideout and backpackers oasis. We entered through a large cabana with small wooden decks surrounding it. Pushing away palms, we made our way into a closet sized common room where groups of backpackers were sitting on makeshift picnic tables and up on balconies laughing and enjoying their Singha beer and Marlboro Reds. The compact treehouse is filled with pottery, old paintings, books, and of course piles of large backpacks. The walls are decorated in quotes, drawings, signatures, and memories of guests throughout the years. Although the space is small the atmosphere is intense. The crowd was so diverse I could hear German, Hebrew, Thai, Chinese, and English being spoken as the guests told stories and highlights of their travels. As much as we wanted to jump right into conversations and bond with our fellow backpackers, we had been deprived of sleep for over 32 hours and needed to collapse onto anything resembling a bed. The attendant handed us our room key and 2 bottles of water. I’d soon learn that a bottle of water in Thailand did not only serve as a refreshment but a means to brush our teeth and take our malaria pills with…We’re not in Kansas anymore.

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