I had been in Bangkok for a little over a week before I decided that it was time to move on. After a long relaxing day at the pool and hanging out on the hostel’s balcony I wanted to make sure I had one last night that I wouldn’t remember. Chris and Cheryl had moved on up north and Stacy and Carlos had left to go down to the islands in the south. I had made a couple new friends,Matty, Maddy and Rui. We started with food and drinks at a little place somewhere on Sukhumvit Road.
Lounging atop the balcony at HI-Sukhumvit.
I don’t quite remember how much we drank there. All I know is that I don’t remember taking any of these pictures or having them taken. My shirt reads “Armed and Hammered”. It was and accurate description for the night.
The start of what I can't really remember
I do remember Maddy, Rui and myself heading off to one of my favorite street side bars were I had made friends with the bartender. Anne, the bartender, was always very friendly and made sure that we always had hassle free fun. She seemed to be the caretaker for the girls that worked the streets at night. Anne kept the girls from trying their charms on me or my friends. If you are ever in Bangkok looking for a great place to chill out and do some people watching, please look her up. She was always at the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 22.
As the night progressed, our level of sobriety diminished. We must have stayed out drinking until 4am when I am sure we were cut off. Thankfully, the 7-11′s are plentiful and open 24 hours a day because I needed something with a high dose of caffeine for my flight to Chiang Mai in a few hours. We walked back which ended up taking a little longer than I thought. We arrived at the hostel while it was still dark. I had enough time to pack up my stuff, grab a power nap and leave for the airport.
This is Rui and Maddy still looking almost sober.
I was still quite drunk so naturally I told my cab driver the wrong airport. I must have told him the Bangkok International Airport which was Don Muan. I needed to be at the Suvarnabhumi airport which was 45 minutes across town and my flight was leaving in 1 1/2 hours. The cab driver that brought me to Don Muan was the same driver now taking me across town. He must have known it was urgent because we didn’t slow down all too much when we came to the toll booths. I got to the airport just in time to run down the concourse and jump on my already boarded plane.
My flight seemed to be uneventful for me. I am sure the person sitting next to me would tell a different story. I think I was probably snoring quite loudly. When I got to Chiang Mai, I headed for the Gongkaew Guest Home. I got a heads up from Chris and Cheryl that this is where they were going to stay next. I don’t know how they found out about it but I am glad they let me know. The bunk beds were $4 per night and there was free WiFi, coffee, toast, fruit, tea, internet access via 3 computers set up in public lounge and the layout of the grounds was amazing. All I could really think about when I got there was how much I needed to sleep. I pretty much had my choice of bunks in the guys room since it was just about empty. I grabbed a nap and didn’t wake up until later in the afternoon. That is when I met the rest of the members of what has become the Chiang Mai crew.
The Chiang Mai crew right before we left for our 3 day trek.
