You seriously picked the right time to leave. On the way home from the airport I saw a full sized elephant going down one of the back streets by our hotel. We decided to head out the next morning so we jumped on the subway and headed for the train. When we got there, there was about a million muslims all waiting to get on the same train as us (but we didn't notice that until after we had bought our tickets). The tickets were 3rd class standing room only. So we were like, no problem we'll just wait a few stops and get some seats...long story short I ended up sitting on the ground with some newspaper scraps under my ass for four hours in the open doorway of a train, surrounded by drunk Thais and muslims. We hopped off the train one stop early because it was already running an hour late. We ended up in a town called Petchaburi. About half way through the train ride a couple of kids about our age came and sate next to us, they were already about half tanked when they sat down and in the course they finished off two more Leo's. By the end one of them was passed out with his head leaning on my back. As soon as I stood up he almost fell our of the moving train,(which was going about 65 mph) I caught his head with my foot and the guy behind him grabbed his shirt. All in all it was a fun experience that ulitimetly ended with a Haley breakdown and some very dirty clothing.
Once in Petchaburi, we headed to a hotel in the book called the Jumklow. It is an old dormitory school or something, (picture the barracks that there girls in China Blue stayed in). Jordan was like, "what do you think Haley?" "It's ok" she replied. She went into the bathroom and jordan went and paid. She went to wash her hands in the sink and the water ran straight out the bottom onto her shoes (there was no down-spout, the sink just runs straight to the floor) THIS IS BY FAR OUR BIGGEST SHITHOLE! Less than ten minutes later Jordan was telling me, "I'll pay you back man, lets go find another place." We mobbed the town on foot and found only the same so we went back. By this point we were exhausted and decided to head back. Haley had taken a shower (cold only) and was calmed down a little. We decided to crash there anyway and to go to dinner. Just as we made this decsision haley noticed some bugs on the ceiling. Then I noticed them on the window screen and they were coming in throught the bottom. She asked me to shut the shutter and as I opened the screen about a hundred bugs flew into the room. Fuck it we said, I shut off the light and we left for dinner, room filled with flying bugs.
As we walked to dinner we noticed thousands of these bugs around the streat lights, they were everywhere. When we got into dinner they were all around the lights in the restaraunt. we asked the owner and he said they were termites, they grow wings when they bread and that it only lasts for a short period of time during the night. I wanted to get a picture but by the time I got around to it the bugs had vanished. Leaving the lamp shades filled to the brim with dead ones and the geckos with bulging fat bellies. At dinner we decided that this was the worst day ever and that we might as well get smashed, being that it was the Chinese new year and all. So we got shithoused and then walked across town to get train tickets for the next morning. When we go there the guy was super nice and he even spoke a little engrish, Bonus! Jordan, slightly inebriated, was all "your the coolest Thai person we've ever met man!" We bought tickets for 10 the next morning and headed back to town to watch the Chinese new year festival. It was o.k., they stacked a few people on top of each other (on top of some scafolding) we were drunk and bored so we went back home to sleep, buy beer along the way, of course, and peeing in the potted plants around town, of course!
The next morning I woke up bright and early at 5 a.m ready to catch a nice 2nd class airconditioned train to somewhere south on the beach. As we talked about the Chinese new year being on the 26 and looked at our tickets jordan noticed that they were purchased on the 26th at 10:00 pm and the departure date was the 26th at 10:30 am, Fuck! When we got to the train station we talked to the guy for about half an hour, while the line of Thais behind us grew longer and longer, the lady and guy behind the counter bantered louder and louder. The guy punched hundreds of numbers into the dirty old keyboard, made a few phone calls and the lady talked even louder still. In the end he opened up the cash droor, gave us a solem look and handed us some baht. "Tlain is full, Solly"
So here we are, stuck in Petchaburi. We have found a new (much nicer hotel) and rented some scooters. We willhead south tomarrow morning at 10:00 am (hopefully). It was an eventfull few days since you have left and I a really missing you. Let me know what the doc says and I will try and call you as soon as we find a town with phones (I went to five 7/11's in this town, none of them call international!
I love you very much,
Nick
P.S.- this town has monkeys, I will add pictures soon.
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