2- Everybody's doing it: Picking their nose and chewing it

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Literally! Its a booger buffet! This is not just Thais doing this (perhaps then I could mistake it for some sort of cultural difference?) Tourists of all different races seem to be participating as well. Its never ceases to amaze me what people will do when they are around people they will never see again (myself included ). I will leave them to their disgusting ways and continue on. Last time I wrote we were leaving Bangkok too live the island life for awhile. We decided on Phuket and board the bus that will have us their in about 11. An hour into the trip my stomach starts to do something funny. Its just ......nerves?? I tell myself trying to be optimistic. Well "nerves" quickly turn into full blown food poisoning. Picture this: a greyhound like bathroom (but keep in mind that Thai toilets don’t flush, you have to manually scoop water down them) me in complete and total agony glued to the toilet puking up oranges (that was the only food we'd brought with us for the trip) for the 11 hours that turned out to be 22 hours complete with a switch to an un-air conditioned minivan and a long trip in a tuk tuk. Of all the times to get sick on this trip this was defiantly the worst. I made it! I’m alive! Even though our minivan driver tried to (purposely!) drive off without me and leave me at the gas station in the middle of nowhere to finish my business. So we arrived in Phuket. We rent this room in a seemingly nice hotel for a fairly reasonable price. I leave my room late at night to go down to the lobby, have a smoke and check out my surroundings, only to discover that the main late night activity is the showing of a porn movie! Hmm......defiantly more exciting then the holiday inn ;-) We promptly switch hotels and wake up the next morning with bed bug bites! I must say, at this point in the trip I was starting to wonder if I should of stayed home or at least picked a more Becca friendly destination like Disneyland (just kidding) that is until we arrived in Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee...... as in a have to go.......) this is the most amazing place IN THE WORLD and has helped me have faith that I will get into the swing of things in this beautiful crazy country. Yesterday we went on a longboat tour that took us to a national park, some bat caves, the beach from "the beach" (though I didn’t fulfil the fantasy that often came up when planning my Thailand trip, of listening to Moby on it....oh well, it was a cheesy idea anyways and you know how much I hate cheese) snorkelling, and the monkey beach. I befriended this one adorable little baby monkey by bribing him with watermelon rinds. He was adorable! A little restarted I think, as his eyes were in two separate places on his face. He had a vacant look in his eyes. When I had him cornered.....ah hmm oops! I mean when we were "hanging out" on the rock two of the bigger monkeys came running over and tried to attack me (don’t believe anything from those beloved childhood Disney movies........ monkeys are not very cute, politically correct and they are defiantly not friendly!) I thought they were coming to his rescue but after a brief struggle it turns out they were fighting over who go to pop his cherry?? eww..... He’s just a child! I quickly named the one who won MJ. Anyways that’s it for now ..... Ill let the pictures do the rest of the talking........bye!

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Comments

[Auntie Rose Mary]

Aaaah . . . the joy of being sick on public transportation! Had it happen to me on a flight to Ottawa from Vancouver and I had on a jumpsuit with buttons up the back and a pullover sweater - so each time I went to the bathroom, off came the sweater, had to undo the buttons . . . being sick at any time is terrible, but much worse when you're not in your own bed. My heart goes out to you - and - bed bugs! Gross - NY had an infestation of them last spring - really expensive hotels had them and tourists were complaining but what can you do? P-p sounds like the place to be! More pictures please. Glad you're having fun.

[Derek]

Holy moly sounds like you are having a great adventure... Did I tell you Danny and Renee both got a slight case of Dysentery while they were there??? Wait till you are shitting your ass off for three days.. hahahah. Well my time away from this godforesaked city is comming faster and faster. I cant wait till Im held up in a boat barfing over the edge with cute aussies all around me scoffing at the awkward canadian boy with funny hair. Email me you bitch.. I wanna hear all the things you cant say becausee you dont want you family to read on here!!

[Danny]

Eat things that are cooked well done
Hey girl, i forgot to tell yo u, food there are a little hard on the north american tummy. the spices are nasty hot. try sticking to noodle dishes. and ofcourse the fresh fruits, tey are amzing. after the festival, you should head to Chiang Mai, and maybe into LAOS. OH by the way , always carry axtra tissue or knapkins on those excursion. some place ( most places) you'll find that they don't necessary check their toilet tissue inventory.:) hope the rest of your journey fills with much joy.:) Danny

[Lindy]

sick bebe
So you didn't escape after all, it was just delayed. Maybe mama wanted to get rid of you for a bit!!! Am i macabre or not?? Wish I was there! LK