Thailand: A Sum-up from Melissa

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Geo: 12.7953, 99.9662

First world problems, but Thailand was exactly what I needed, a holiday (despite being away from home for 8 months already). Thus, we really didn't do much, so one entry is sufficient.

Coming from Vietnam/Cambodia the weather was pretty cool, although it only rained once or twice, not the usual 2-3 hours in the arvo on a daily basis.

We checked out MBK to get the crystals again and then back to Terminal 21 as mum realised that she was so obsessed with the toilets last time that she didn't look at the mall itself (feel free to judge, I am). The brownie Gods delivered in the form of Secret Recipe, which completely lived up to expectations.

Not much changed at Cabbages and Condoms, other than the spin board telling you what STD you are going to die from not being there.

I really wanted to go to the flower market but a lack of time and tuktuks willing to take us at a reasonable price meant that was off the cards. Instead we walked to a massive park super close to the hotel. None of us knew it existed until I saw it on my favourite travel blog site and it didn't disappoint... Mainly because we saw the blogger on the way to the park, not that I spoke to him of course.... No one wants a random stranger to recognise them after a workout! The park was literally ginormous, 6km walking track around a pretty lake with locals exercising on bikes and running. I wanted to try to get a sunset photo, but there wasn't much of a sunset, regardless I was happy.

Our very lovely taxi driver to Cha-Am completely screwed us over, taking us (almost) to the floating market, not train market. I had made a deal with mum - who was very against the idea of doing any sightseeing - that we would go to either the train market or flower market, which we had already missed. We were on track to get to the train market with about 30 minutes until the first train went through then another 20 for the same train to go back through, so two photo opportunities. In the end we drove way, way past it to the floating market until finally we realised that he was an idiot and taking us to the wrong place.
We made the second train with around 5-10 minutes to spare, so at least that was something! Whilst there still weren't many tourists there were a hell of a lot compared to last time when it was just us and another Asian couple.

Cha-Am was even cruisier (not a word, I know), more sitting around the pool and less doing anything. We did head out to Hua-Hin to check out a shopping centre and hired bikes to the fishing village. Apparently you can forget how to ride a bike. I didn't forget, forget but had zero confidence riding on roads with crazy ass scooters and cars, but we made it in one piece. Basically our entire motivation to go was to check out the boat that sinks a little more each time we go. Now there's nothing left of it, you can kinda see the stilt things in the water but the rest has vanished.
One boat was still unloading whilst we were there, it still amazes me how fast and rough they are and that they somehow never seem to drop any. It took us a while to work out, but they had got a ton of anchovies, maybe 300 plastic boxes full.
Cha-Am up that end of town had changed a heap too, a new massive hotel was going up and there's now a temple of some sort for elephants featuring 100+ bottles of red Fanta.

The Wednesday night market was somewhat disappointing, possibly due to rain, it was maybe half the size of the average! But they still had our pancakes and orange juice so we couldn't complain too much! Then mum realised that Nana was sitting not even 10m away from David and Sassi as she waited for us to shop and check everything out.

Subsequently, on my last night we went over to their house for dinner. Sassy was keen to show off her new stove and teach us how to cook with all sorts of ingredients that just don't exist in Australia. I got a bit bored and took the excuse that I wanted to see the sunset with David on the roof. I have literally never been more pissed off to have not brought my camera around, the sunset was by far the best I have seen in my entire life!!!! The colours were insane, super bright and colourful, I could have looked at it all day.
Dinner was pineapple chicken, chilli prawns and pork something (been too long to remember).

Of course, leaving sucked, I just wanted to stay forever, especially with the violence in Germany! Literally, there were two small terrorist attacks near Frankfurt, a pretty big shooting in Munich all in a few days and then the morning I was leaving the headline was "Berlin shooting"- thankfully that just seemed like a random attack.

Regardless, I hoped on the airport bus and headed to Berlin!... But I did get to the airport an hour or two too early, but it was either that or regret getting stuck in crazy traffic and missing my flight.

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