After I last left you, the rest of our afternoon passed in a blur. We spent some time at the MBK Center plugged into the internet and preparing ourselves to re-enter reality and leave behind glorious holiday-land. After checking my email I spent a good half hour scanning the headlines to check what we’ve been missing. Nothing too spectacular. I was a bit surprised to see that the Peace Corps is in the national spotlight – albeit a negative one – regarding the physical safety of volunteers. It looks like this is going on at the same time that the nation is mourning the loss of Sargent Shriver, the father of the Peace Corps. Man, what a bad week for the Peace Corps.
Anyways, after getting our fill of the internet, we noticed that it was already 5pm and realized we had to get a move on it if we wanted a nice dinner before heading to the airport. Ashlee already had the place all picked out: a Thai restaurant near our hotel called “Cabbages and Condoms” that she read about. It’s a place run by an NGO focused on HIV awareness and reproductive health in Thailand. A portion of the restaurant’s proceeds funds their awareness campaign.
Hearing about the restaurant, I really wasn’t expecting much. As usual when you don’t have high expectations, I was really impressed with the place. It was really big, the outdoor patio was nicely decorated with lots of twinkly lights, the menu and food selection was large, and (most importantly) the food was top-notch and moderately priced. We also had a few laughs over some of the place’s decorations – mannequins dressed up in condom costumes and a Christmas tree decorated with multi-colored rubbers. It was an excellent way to say goodbye to Bangkok.
Finishing up dinner, we realized that we..er…Ashlee budgeted for the trip really well and we still had over 1,500B leftover. We thought this a little too soon. On the way out of the restaurant we noticed a gift shop. Shopping? Sure! 750B and a bagful of souvenirs later, we were on our way.
As we were walking back to our hotel it began to sink in that we were leaving. We were both a little sad, but like I said earlier, it has been an amazing trip and we’re leaving with no regrets. With that said, we were both pretty miserable when we had to exchange our shorts and flip-flops for jeans and shoes, which immediately made us sweat. I also felt a little weird walking outside with my carry-on bag stuffed with my winter wear. How cold is it in UB? -40F?!?
We breezed through the check-in procedure at the airport and we spent the last of our baht – one last Auntie Anne pretzel, a magazine for Ashlee, and two bags of dried pineapple.
Both a little giddy from a mix of sleepiness and travel excitement, we’re on the plane now as it is taxing to the runway. We’ve already gone through the on-board media station and we have selected our movies. It’s a short four-hour flight to Korea.
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