1st day in phuket

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so the bus was supposed to be 12-14 hours from bangkok to phuket, getting me here in time for saturday training. it was supposed to be a VIP A/c bus with reclining seats and a bathroom on the bus.

it was, for the first 10 hours.

then, pre-dawn, the bus stopped abruptly on a small 2-lane road in a residential area. the lights were flicked on, and we were told to get off the bus.

in a sleepy stupor, we all ambled off the bus. the street was littered with listless dogs. monks, wrapped in orange cloth, like withered pumkins on end, wandered from door to door to ask for donations.

they unloaded our bags and drove off, and we sat on the curb for half an hour. then a pickup truck came. "phuket?" they asked. "yes" i said. i was the only one. they ushered me into the back. i was apprehensive. some foriegner asked my name in case i was never heard from again. i laughed, and the pickup drove off. luckily, they drove me to another bus station, where i waited for another hour. then i was ushered on to a bus with less comfortable seats, that was like a city bus and stopped over 50 times for the rest of the journey.

thus, 21 hours after i started my journey, i arrived in phuket.

the people at the muay thai camp are nice. i chatted with a few guests at their restaurant, and i met some trainers. i don't get to start training until monday, though.

i am staying at a youth hostel for a ridiculously cheap price. its 2500 baht for the whole month, for a room of my own. unfortunately, the youth hostel is about 43423423 km from the camp. i will rent a motorbike. which also means learning to drive it. my favorite person here so far is victor from sweden. victor from sweden is training here for a year, and victor from sweden also lives in the youth hostel, and victor from sweden has a motorbike and gave me a ride. it is favoritism based in convenience.

i went to take a shower, but i couldn't find the bathroom. i found the toilets, but not the showers. until i realized that inside the toilet stalls, on the wall, is a shower nozzle. wow. this makes the typical cramped bathroom of korea look like a hilton hotel.

behind the toilets is a sign that says, "no tissue in The Toilet! avoid constipation!" wow! apparently, these toilets, in addition to removing your excrement, also give you feedback on it.

so today i guess i will give that whole motorbike thing a shot! the last time i tried to learn to ride a motorcycle was a laughable affair. i am a little nervous because the last thing i want, now that i've finished teaching and get to travel, is to die.

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