Hi Gram,
Today was our day to sleep in, but my internal clock still had me awake before 5am. Despite being wide awake, I refused to get out of bed before 7:30. When I got up, I started my new daily regiment of medicine that the doctor gave me yesterday. Between the vitamins and medicine I already take and these new potions and pills, my belly was full before we even left for breakfast.

Around 9, we met some of our workout companions in the lobby then all walked down to “Let’s Sea”, a restaurant near the beach. We met our friend Jill at a table outside, then maneuvered umbrellas to keep each of us shaded. The next couple of hours served as a classic brunch example with each person ordering small dishes, juice concoctions, espresso and teas, then discussed the flavors and compared notes on quality. A few people made a plan to meet at another beach later, but the sweltering heat helped me decide to choose activities that included AC and shade. After brunch, we walked back to the hotel and realized why our morning walks always start at 6am – the sun was baking down on us making the journey between spots of shade into an adventure.

Back at the hotel, I stripped off my wet shirt and stood by the air conditioner until I felt human again. Once I had cooled off a bit, I spent most of the afternoon getting things done on the computer. After a few hours of computer time and lying down, my eyes had had enough, so I decided to head out and grab some lunch. I caught a songtaew, which I just learned is the name of the green truck busses I’ve been using, down to the Village Market mall where I hoped to find a small, healthy snack to tide me over before dinner. I headed downstairs to the food court/ street food area and wandered around a few times trying to find the right balance of small and healthy. I eventually landed on a mango dish that, while full of sugar, had fiber to offset it and was small enough that I’d be hungry again later. Once I was fed, I walked around the mall for a while, mindlessly browsing without really seeing anything. Once my watch told me that I should head out, I walked out and caught a ride back.

I really love these songtaews! For only 15 baht (about $0.42 USD), I get to ride in the open air, do a little people watching, and get where I want to go without having to negotiate with a cab driver or walk in the sweltering heat. I stopped back at the apartment briefly, then David and I walked over to drop his bag at Palapon on our way to the Tamarind Market.

We met Michael and Chris there, then were joined by a few other ex-pats, Chris and PJ, that are slow traveling the world. We found a table, then took turns walking up to make our selections from the food vendors. Chris and PJ got a massive rack of ribs, David had some honey roasted chicken, and I got some spring rolls that had fewer vegetables and were more fried than I was expecting. We all sat around and chatted for a while, then Jill and David took off to catch their ride to Bangkok and the rest of us slowly disbanded and headed off for massages or air conditioning. I chose the AC and a shower, then prepped my bag for the morning and headed to bed.