I sit here at home, dreading the finale of my entries of our Thailand (and Cambodia) trip. My traveling buddies share the same grief. It's like our trip is ending all over again. I've put it off for as long as I could. Some things we've done there have already escaped my memory, so it's best I do this now.
(Boy, is that a dramatic enough opening? Hahaha!)
Our flight was at 5 something, so we had several hours before departing for the airport. After we finished packing, Mae tearfully said goodbye to her lovely bouquet. Okay, maybe not tearfully, but she was utterly disappointed that she couldn't bring this thoughtful token of our friendship and her ##nd birthday back home. She snipped off a single rose and gingerly placed it in a side pocket of her backpack. The rest of the bouquet was left for housekeeping.
On this day, we decided to take our "same same" t-shirt pictures. Throughout the trip, we had joked and had many interesting discussions about the terms "same same but different." We found this phrase so intriguing and unique that all of us purchased a shirt in different colors with the words "same same" emblazoned on the front and "but different" on the back. I guess this was "our" thing. Haha. It's funny how a phrase like that could hold so much meaning and be the root of so many memories.
After a few indecent photos, our group split up again. Tommy and Eric decided to get a final massage while the rest of us made a trip back to JJ Market for some more shopping. This was a Sunday, a very busy day at the market. The anticipated crowds in my mind did not match what we encountered. It was a madhouse! We agreed to meet at 2pm by a designated area. I just remember the #18 on one of the buildings. Everything else looked pretty much the same. Little shops everywhere you turn! Victor and I stuck together and decided to stay in the less confusing outdoor area. It was basically just a big loop. We bought little souvenirs here and there, and as expected, I bought myself a crapload of clothes. Not quite a crapload, but a few articles. Heh heh... We also tried some foods. Not feeling as paranoid as when we first arrived, we bought some skewers of meat drenched in a sauce (not very good) and also tried a lychee slushy (could've blended in a few more lychees). So we finally met up at 2:15, 15 minutes later than planned because Victor and I were waiting at the wrong place! Ugh! >=( We rushed back to the hotel, trying to make our 3 o'clock agreed time to return, and guess what?! We were right on time! Pretty amazing. Heehee.
We made a last trip to the new Bangkok airport. This would be our sixth time coming here. This is a new airport, opened in 2007, I think. The style of architecture looks very futuristic with long corridors and carefully manicured courtyards outside.
There isn't too much else to say... We boarded our plane to Taipei, Taiwan, had a very short layover, then boarded our plane to SFO. Victor was able to sit next to me on both flights so we kept each other company. My plan was not to sleep so that I could adapt to pacific time immediately. Once the lights in the plane were turned off and Victor started dozing, my eyelids grew heavy too. Well, that's on the second flight. While our whole group slept, Mae wrote each of us letters, reminiscing about the trip and such. It was really thoughtful and touching. =) What wasn't thoughtful and touching was when Tommy whacked me on the head. I got him back though. Hahaha.
By the time we passed customs, all of our rides were already there. Giselle and Tommy split first. Victor's sister came to pick him up and we got to meet her. Eric left with him. Mae and I were picked up by Keith. It was only mentioned afterwards that we should have went out to dinner. It wasn't even 7pm yet. I think all of us wanted to hang on for as long as possible. The last two weeks we spent with each other was nothing short of amazing. We all got closer, learned many things about each other. We shared moments with each other that can never be matched, and I hope never forgotten. It was heartbreaking to release something that would inevitably come to an end, but also warmed by knowing that these fond memories will be deeply cherished and remembered as "the best vacation EVER."
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