Although my posts thus far have mostly been lengthy anecdotes about a particular evening, afternoon, or 30-hour series of flights, my next few posts will be more general reports on our last two weekends (where we went, what we did, whether or not there were any major injuries, etc.). Therefore, my rambling (if you can even call it that) will be far more concise and I will be including many more photographs than the usual one or two (or none). As my time in Thailand is nearly over (I am jetting off to Nepal on Sunday), I felt it was necessary to fill in the gaps for the last two weeks by offering slightly abridged accounts of our "off-duty" activities. Additionally, since I will finally be linking my photos tomorrow (Saturday bonus!), I need to clarify where those photos are from, what we are doing in them, etc. I will now stop attempting to justify the merits of this post as I am boring myself. Let's forget this ever happened and move on.
Our first overnight jaunt on one of our much-deserved weekends off was to the Tiger Temple and the picturesque beach town of Ao Nang. As we piled into the minibus for the trip to the Tiger Temple, I wondered what I would end up remembering most about our ascent to the top of the mountain. Well, I lost about 10 pounds of water weight, nearly tumbled down the last 200 steps, and was at considerable risk of being assaulted by the several gangs of monkeys who appeared to run the place. Other than that, it was great. Despite these omnipresent dangers (just ignore my complaining), the group had a lot of fun, the views from the summit were spectacular, and I perfected my hand-on-chin pose in front of a breathtaking backdrop (I'm a really sweet dude, I know).
After photographically documenting our presence on the peak, we started our descent just as the dreaded "jelly leg" syndrome was setting in. As many of you know, my ability to focus on complex tasks such as putting one foot in front of the other is unparalleled. However, I will admit that I had a few close calls going down the steep hillside as many of the "steps" were not wide enough to support even half of my foot, thus requiring me to move laterally. As idiotic as I looked going down sets of stairs sideways, I managed to save face by NOT rolling down the mountain (my mother would be so proud) and proceeded to join the rest of the group in trying to photograph the overly aggressive monkeys (it was mating season so that might offer a partial explanation).
After a thoroughly satisfying lunch of something other than Thai food (during which I inhaled my pizza in approximately 6 minutes; an act that drew disgusted looks from some of my dining companions), we completed the short drive out to Ao Nang. This was the Thailand that you see in the brochures. Well, maybe the ones in European travel agents' offices because I laid eyes on far too many overweight German and English tourists in Speedos. Aside from the unwanted eye candy, Ao Nang was my first experience with "tourist Thailand" as it had all the usual Western charms (McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks) and its streets were predominantly filled with farang (Thai word for non-Thai person). Hell, if not for the Thai massage shops and ubiquitous elephant trekking advertisements, I could have just as easily been in Cancun (assuming Carson Daly showed up later in the afternoon). In stark contrast to sleepy Ao Luk, nobody in Ao Nang gave my pale chest even a second glance. Where was the gawking to which I had grown so accustomed? Apparently I'm not as special as I had been led to believe for the previous three weeks. Despite the lack of attention paid toward us, I think everyone enjoyed the brief respite from being stared at and I KNOW everyone enjoyed their hotel rooms' air conditioning and hot showers.
As we awoke on Sunday morning, a few folks (not me, of course) were operating at far below 100% (2 for 1 happy hour seemed like a good idea at the time...). After making the ill-advised decision to kick the cobwebs by consuming the greasy offerings of Burger King, we boarded a speedboat for a day of sun, snorkeling, and trying not to drown. Our guide was Nong (pictured above), a former GVI student and resident expert on the best locales for seeing marine life around Ao Nang. Nong seems to have an unlimited supply of energy and he kept us afloat (literally and figuratively) for the whole trip with his constant joking and rousing renditions of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" (sung while hanging off the end of the speeding boat). Although I briefly considered trying to impart to Nong who R. Kelly was and what he had been accused of doing, my lethargic state (and complete focus on not throwing up as we bounced along the water) ultimately prevented me from doing so. Anyway, the snorkeling was good, the beach naps were better, and the scenery was second to none (an example can be seen below in my picture of Hong Island, which was the third stop on our island-hopping tour).
In sum: I slept in an air conditioned room, had some good meals, went snorkeling, and listened to Nong sing. Life could be a whole lot worse.
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