Last few days in Khao Lak.

It's so nice to be able to wander around with no particular destination in mind, despite the rainy and cloudy weather; with temperatures averaging 26 to 28 degrees. I keep strolling around and enjoying the sea—the water’s still warm—so if I’m going to get wet anyway… might as well do it right!
Evenings are still a special time at the Monkey Bar, since it’s where the people I’ve met hang out after work.
I’ll admit that aside from walking, swimming, eating, and drinking, I don’t do anything else. I’d decided that Khao Lak would be the place where I’d rest before facing the big city and my return… Well, it was the perfect place for that…
My spirit has grown stronger than ever. I feel resilient and ready to make a strong comeback.
On Sunday night, the five of us went to dinner at Spinach and ended the evening at the Monkey Bar until 2 a.m.!
On the way back, a stray dog followed us and ended up walking me all the way to my door; he even stood guard outside until I fell asleep—it was so cute!

Last night at the hotel, last night out with my friend and his coworkers. A little twinge of sadness at having to leave.

This Monday, I’m returning the keys to the Grand City Hotel. With my backpack on, I wander through the city while waiting for one of his coworkers—a charming Malagasy woman who’s supposed to be off work this Monday so we can have lunch together.
We meet up over a fruit pancake and chat for hours on end.
I’m supposed to catch a bus 4 km from there, but I had my doubts about the information I found online. Basically, it said there would be a bus almost every two hours, but I didn’t see any buses like that in town except for the one to Phuket. They’re usually night buses, but what time does the last one leave?…
We were politely asked to leave the restaurant because we’d lingered too long—it was already past 4 p.m.— On the way, I asked about the fare to the Ban Niang bus station, which is the next village—it was between 150 and 200; I’d figured on 100 baht or walking. And in the end, I got it for that price! I said goodbye to my new friend and hopped into the vehicle.
When I arrived at the station, the ticket window was closed—and the stress hit me all at once! I’d completely forgotten about that! Since there were so few people waiting, I asked someone if there was a way to negotiate with the driver; he told me it depended on the seats that had already been reserved. The bus arrived within 10 minutes, and I realized that if I’d gone on foot, I would never have caught it and would have ended up sleeping under the stars.

So, once again, luck was on my side since there was one last unreserved seat.
I can’t tell you if it’s the country or if it’s me, but right now… I’ve got it on my side!

The 11-hour drive wasn’t easy, especially since the road was bumpy during the first few hours—I felt like I was on a boat in rough seas, and I wasn’t feeling well, to be honest… I don’t know how the driver manages to keep going, especially driving at night. It was a trip of over 13 hours since he’d started in Phuket.
We were shown a movie at the start of the trip—*The Mummy* with Tom Cruise. I couldn’t watch it at all because I felt so sick… After almost 4 hours on the road, the motion was calmer—or maybe I just got used to it. But I was able to sleep all the way to Bangkok in the early morning.