My last day on Railay (Saturday), I spent it alone. Derek and Liz were headed for Koh Lanta, and I didn't have enough time left to travel with them and then head back to Bangkok. I spent most of the day reading on the beach, and just soaking up my last bit of Thai sun. I fell in love with the south of Thailand. Thinking back on my 3 months in Pattaya, it was such a different world, and it is crazy that the same country can be so ugly and so stunning at the same time. At the last minute, I bought a bus ticket back to Bangkok instead of taking the overnight train as I had planned. It is such a hassle to take a taxi, a bus, AND a train...when I could just get on a bus that would take me straight to Bangkok. My bus left at 5PM the next day (Sunday) and arrived in Bangkok at 4:45AM the next morning. Ironically enough, the bus dropped us off on Khaosan Road...which is the same spot my taxi dropped me off the day I arrived in Thailand 3ish months ago. Not to sound cheesy, but it felt like I had come full circle.
Thailand has been an incredible experience for me. It feels like I have been here for a year. All of the obstacles I had to overcome, all of the good times and bad times had here, the kids in my class that I came to love, the ugly town I had to learn how to live in, the awful motorbike crash that feels like it happened ages ago, and then the wonderful experience backpacking around Thailand...all of it was worth it. I think back to my first month here, when I had a bad day and wondered why the heck I hadn't just gone to Italy. I thought of how I could've been experiencing delicious food and beautiful architecture, instead of doing my business in holes in the ground, and eating questionable meat all the time. It is now so clear to me that my life led me to Thailand because I needed it. I needed to go somewhere that was going to challenge me, that was going to stretch me beyond my limits, and take me so far out of my comfort zone. I have grown so much during my time here, and in so many different ways. I am so glad that I took a blind leap and followed through with my desire to experience Thailand. It has truly been the best thing I've ever done, and I'm so proud of myself for making it through alone.
Thank you for following my adventures!
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