Hui Hin... my posh holiday provided by VERY generous people:)

... So here I am, alone again... I'm in Bangkok after my holiday from a holiday from a holiday (you see I'm on a gap year holiday, but had a holiday from that staying with my uni friend Pin in Bangkok, but then had a holiday from that as she took us to the beach resort of Hui Hin)... I was really spoilt by Pin and her family... We stayed in a five and a half star resort (yes, five and a half!) in a pretty acceptable level of luxary... it's amazing how quickly you adapt, how quickly a person can fling away the thriftyness and dirtyness of the backpack and begin to revel in the world of the posh and the people who have a bit of money... I'm reading a book about the Vietnam war and both that and my stay in the posh hotel bring to my mind the idea that a person can get used to anything, just in Vietnam it seems to be how a human can get sucked to the edge of humanity and forget compassion and for me I got used to eating well and being clean... I became one of those species I never thought I would become, a poolside tourist! ... I sat by the pool reading, they had a slide I'd use approx 15 times a day, then I'd swim about in the big loop of a pool, I'd get a bit bored and play hacksac on my own... basically I reverted to old holiday Matt... like being a 11 year old in Tenerife... All I need is a copy of Where's Wally and a kid's club to frequent and I'd be back to the old times... ... ... but to underline how I've been treated and spoilt I'll just list some of the foods I've enjoyed during a mere week with Pin:

Steak
King Prawn (Various)
Lamb chops
Spagetthi (Various)
Pizza (Various)
Tangliatelli
Korean BBQ
Whole white fish (Various)
Waffel
Rulard
Brownie
Ice cream and honey on toast
Ice cream (Various)
Japanese food (Various, I can't spell any of them!)
Roast potatoes and broccoli (my old friends)
scollops
shrimp
Assorted Thai food (sweet and savoury)
Cornflakes and rice crispies (I miss 'em)
squid
(I didn't eat them in that order)

... and last night... for the fanalie (and Pin's brother was returning to uni in England so I guess a bit of a family treat) we went to the poshest buffet I've ever been to (not really saying much) in a very grand hotel... lamb chops and pasta cooked to order, lots and lots of choice... I was a king, and the plate was my kingdom... food came from far and wide... ... 4 mains and two deserts (cricky!)... ... ... so today when I left them... I went to the Cinema to watch Gullivers' Travels (hummmm.... hit and miss... the princess reminds me a bit of Chloe... I'll go for the word 'unique' to describe them both;) and then I had KFC... ... ... Forgive me father for I have sinned... ... hail Marys for me... if I was Catholic... I'll just make sure I have a lovley evening meal to make up for my earlier disgressions (is that a word? and if so, is it the right word? ... I want to be a writer, I should really know these things!)...

... A sign of just how accomidating Pin's family have been came with Champ, her cousin (I love his name because I like calling people names like Skipper:)... we shared a room and he had bought me some ear plugs because he, 'Sometimes snores when he drinks'... how considerate... incredibly so... I put them and feel to an apocaliptic level of sleep... lovley stuff:)

Tomorrow I go to Siem Reap in Cambodia to see the temples of Ankor Wat... Meant to be bloody lovley, where they filmed some of Tomb Raider... I'll fill you in once I've actually seen it... It would be mere speculation to write about it now... but I've heard it's lovley:) ... My level of organisation is summarised by the fact that I actually leave for OZ a day earlier then I thought (now I leave 27th Jan)... this has come as a mini shock... I really don't want to leave South East Asia... it's such a beautiful place and has provided me with great times and given me the oppertunity to meet some cool people... but I guess as one door closes another door opens, and so to OZ... moving into the world of big bucks and hostels that cost about 20 quid a night concerns me but I'll adapt, I'm only going for 2 weeks before New Zealand... ... it's weird how your mind set changes when travelling... Today Chloe (an old PhD friend who was also visiting Pin... such a patient host to deal with us both at the same time... anyone who knows both me and Chloe will sympathise with Pin;) flew back to England after a week here... and there I am worrying that I only have 2 weeks left in South East Asia... I've adapted to the scale of months... it'll be hard to go back to another mindset...

... good news (my parents will like this), I'm traveling to Cambodia alone tomorrow but I'll meet me old Irish friend David in Siem Reap... yay:) ... This is hot off the press... he is booking me a dorm bed at this very moment... this is news in action people...

... another aside... I've learnt how to order two lots of Singha beer in Thai... Singha beer is pronounced 'Sing'... and two is 'Song'... they say the object before the number... so you just order a 'sing song'... class dismissed...

... OK, I've been thinking... I'm roughly at half way in this trip, so have I 'found myself'... in a word 'no'... I'm not sure that is how it works really, I just think people use it as a phrase to justify travelling... they might not exactly say that but it is often implied... I have the feeling (although not massive experience) that you learn about yourself through adversity... not through drinking beer and looking at temples and laying on beaches... Some things I've seen in my own character during this trip had always been there or I'd seen hints of them before (I guess the only moment that really stretched me was in St.Petersburg with the Joe incident... but that could have ended so much worse... hope all's well mate)... things that I didn't know about myself I still don't know (I assume... but how would I know)... I have my moods, can be a bit of a funny bugger (not necessarily ha ha funny) and I think I'm made for the lone traveller game (that doesn't mean you're not missed Joe! ... Christ, this post is turning out to be a bit Joe-heavy;)... My Nan once told me that living on your own makes you more selfish just because you control what you do and when you do it, you're used to setting your own agenda... that is kind of the way for me I think during this trip... It has been great when I've shared time travelling with people, but an equilibrium needs to be established... I need to run off and do my loner thing once in a while, sit in a coffee shop, drinking and reading, pretending I'm contemplating deep worldly problems while taking a sly look at some of the ladies walking by... then when I get bored of myself, it's off to do a tour or have a drink with some people... it's a good balance once set up... The last week me, Pin and Chloe have been in some ways living together... this is quite weird really because we had only seen each other before in the lab or for the occasional drink... both those activities mark the agony and exstacy of a PhD... working like a monkey in a lab and then meeting together to bitch about the work and the supervisor (sorry APH, you know it happens... who am I kidding, you ain't reading this)... so this week together was something new and I think it worked pretty well... Pin was a fantastic host and her family, like her brother Pitoon, were awesome and made me feel at home... and me and Chloe didn't drive each other or Pin insane... so it was a successful experiment... but as I said, I'm a loner at heart and so it's quite nice to be a free bird now (I don't mean that in a bad way... I had a great time... Pin, Chloe, I'm sure you know what I mean)... ... ... It's time to fly like the beautiful bird I am... off to Cambodia... ... ... (Jesus Christ, that was a bit of a weird passage... if I was wise enough I'd proof read these posts and erase this paragraph... but I'm not, so I won't... I really should spell check these things more often as well... I'm sure I'm pissing off the spelling police... that actually make me feel good, annoying the spelling police... flight the machine people... spell things really teribbly:)

... OK, It's quitting time... the sun has set while I've been in here... it's Friday night on Ko San Road... the boozers will be out with there bottles of Chang (the hard stuff (upwards of 6.2%) ... I heard a guy buy one at 10.30 this morning... ouch!)... a river of puke will fill the streets... the bass will blow on the speakers and the buckets will be spilled... tattoos will be scratched upon the back of a regretful pissheads (I heard a guy in Lao (an English guy) got a tattoo of a quote from a book on his ankle but can't remember getting it done... don't worry, he was a tosser!)... guys will sleep in gutters and girls will stumble home at 9am searching for keys in bottomless handbags... and I'll be tucked in bed like a good little boy as my bus leave at 7am tomorrow... (I haven't seen all those things happen on Kao San, just some of them... I let my imagination go with the rest)

... anyway, it's quitting time... keep well people and I'll upload photos when I can from Cambodia... Miss you all (well, except from anybody reading who I've never met before;)

From,

Matt:))