Dear D,
I just spent quite some time applying aloe vera to all my patches of inflamed, sunburned skin. The worst burns by far are on both my knees from the 1.5 hour long motorbike ride from Phang Nga to Phuket. It was my first long bike ride, and I didn’t even think of the possibility for sunburn. I found it quite cool and refreshing with all the wind actually. Well now I’m more informed for the future.
I rode the bus by myself from Takuapa to Phang Nga town on Friday afternoon. I bought my ticket from a very large person with long hair in a hair clip, long fingernails, no bra, neck fuzz and a deep voice. The bus ride was up and down mountains, through fields, cool air and rainy season drizzles in bright sunlight. 
I met up with C at her school in Phang Nga and was struck by the incredible difference in her daily landscape from mine. Phang Nga town sits in the middle of a beautiful range of mountain formations. Many of the mountains are free-standing and suddenly jut out of the otherwise flat land.
We walked to her house and when she said “this is my street,” we turned down a quiet residential lane that dead ended straight into a mountain.
We sat on her tiled, unfurnished living room floor eating sala, a very prickly and tart fruit. S came roaring up on his motorbike and the three of us piled onto the bike and drove to a Korean barbecue buffet. The buffet was delicious—a table laden with bleeding meat-filled platters, noodles and greens, grilling with a wad of chicken fat for grease, spicy sauces, cold beer. MM! Afterwards we walked to Stephan’s, one of the only bars in town, run by the German-born Stephan. We played a lot of pool and kept wary eyes on the bartender, who happened to be a student in the area. The night ended with me passing out on a spare bed in a room with unscreened windows and no bug spray. I woke up the next morning with almost 30 new mosquito bites on my legs.
Looking from S's house into his 'garage.'
After a breakfast of tasty sticky rice banana Thai tamales, we rented motorbikes and rode down to Phuket and I fried my knees. I was hugely impressed by C, the excursion being her first ride on a motorbike!
We bypassed the accommodations in Hat Kata, and found a room at the Mermaid hotel in Hat Karon with AC, satellite TV and a private bath with warm water! The hotel was a hop away from the beach and we stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. S did some surfing, but said his entire body was itchy afterwards. After C and I poked around in the surf a bit we concluded the ailment was due to the millions of sea lice wriggling and squirming in the water and sand. {shudder}
Me, jumping at sundown.
I found this girl with a fake Virginia tshirt! It says Canada on it too, and "Pink loves Cavalters" which I think is a misreading of "cavaliers." haha
We went back to Kata, found dinner (pizza) and walked around some before we tired of little girls trying to sell us flowers or tazers and the endless line up of hookers yelling after S and trying to get us to come to their bar. We took a taxi back to Karon to check out the music festival happening on the beach. A huge stage had been set up on the sand and the program included Thai and Western DJs, as well as a DJ that could have doubled as a Lady Gaga impersonator.
C and I talked a bit with one girl who we were pretty sure was a prostitute. She asked us about America and told us about Thailand and dared us to try some deep fried insects. I tried to stay up to watch the US/Ghana game, but passed out shortly after half time.
"A good solid breakfast" at the hotel. (Western)
The next day we spent a couple hours on the beach. S surfed, C and I watched and were slowly roasted to a crisp. I took the bus from Phuket back to Bangsak and the two dogs that live at the bungalows came rushing across the road to welcome and escort me back home.
I spent the night watching the World Cup with these guys.
My friend here chose this pose. He's handing me strawberry yogurt.
Here he is handing J whisky!
I miss you very much.
Love,
L
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