Kate finally admits she’s wrong… and Jim says “Dang Straight!” Jim feels that women should be treated like “dainty morsels.” Craig and Jim’s new nickname becomes “Crim”… and by saying this, they have entered into a man-pact to hit me… HARD! Shelli and Kate have their first falling out on the trip.
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After a short sleep at the very nice hotel we snagged for $10 a night per person (I love how cheap things can be in Thailand) and a delicious omelet breakfast, we hopped in a cab and headed to the train station to travel to Kanchantaburi. Spirits are still high, but Jim continues to self-imposed his shun. Kate is scared of seeing rats on the train and is disappointed when she realizes she has already read the book she just bought. Shelli continues to be the mother and Brandon is in search of Amazing Race landmarks. Also, Craig smiled for the first time on the trip. All in all, everyone is happy that’s is 80 degrees and breezy… oh and that the sky is blue again. We forget that in Korea sometimes.
The 3 1/2 hour train ride was dusty, but relaxing. Craig worked on his right arm tan as he sat next to the window on the train.
Working on the tan...
We passed some lovely countryside views and pretty much everyone enjoyed the street meat that the ladies sold us on the train. Quite tasty, if I do say so.
Enjoying the countryside
Eating on the train
We arrived at the Ploy guesthouse to find comfortable, but not as awesome accommodations as the website described (what happened to the outdoor garden shower? This is a doorway off the shower into the garden… not the same thing!).
There's no shower out here... unless you count the sprinkler system!
Quite comfortable!
But we couldn’t complain because the room was nice and very affordable… even the stick to bar the door at night.
We left to find sustenance and after walking quite a ways and Kate and Shelli being startled by a new doggy friend, we came upon a place that Shelli heard was pretty good called Apple Restaurant. It was the first of almost every meal that I’d take a picture of my food (I think everyone got to the point of ignoring it after a while).
YUMMMY!!!
I had a beef curry that was quite delicious. I could have taken it a little spicier, but now I know what Thai medium spice is for future reference. Unfortunately, my fresh pineapple juice tasted like the pineapple had been sitting out all day in the sun. No matter… I also got to walk barefoot in the grass, which is a rarity in Korea.
Can't find too many places to do this in Korea.
We headed back to the guesthouse and as we walked by every bar (there were about 15 in a row), Craig and I were propositioned by what we could only figure to be prostitutes all the way back. We finally found a prostitute-free zone and played some pool and Jenga.
Careful... careful!!!
After a tense 20-minute game of Jenga and Shelli cursing our names for not screwing up and leaving the tower standing for her knock over, I needed a break. While the girls played one round of pool with the help of the boys (in the time it took the boys to play three), I decided it was time to get my first Thai massage. For one hour, I was in heaven… or that’s what I kept telling myself. I was not expecting the hand crawling up my inner thigh. I just closed my eyes and prayed it would be over soon. Then she contorted my legs in ways I’d never thought would be flexible. By the end, I felt much looser. All that for only about $5.
Anyway, time for bed because we have an early morning at 7a that will take us on a Thai trekking adventure!!! Still… I have to sleep between Jim and Craig with one eye open.