Koh Tao, Thailand

I woke up shortly after noon today, physically and mentally drained from the two previous nights’ adventures. I showered, packed my bags, checked out, drank water, and watched most of ‘The Edge of Tomorrow’ on the hostel’s projector screen (one of the Americans working there had put the movie on) before my ride – to the nearby tourist pier – came to pick me up (at about 14:10) – I had booked the transportation and ferry to Koh Tao yesterday, before going out for dinner. When the minivan came to pick me up, I said goodbye and loaded my bags and my body on to the van; we then drove off and picked up more passengers before arriving at the pier (located near the airport on the island). We then waited there with many other passengers until 16:15, when we were given the “go-ahead” to board the 15:30 ferry. I found a seat on the top deck and the journey took about two hours to reach Koh Tao (we did dock at Koh Phangan first, where many passengers exited and some came on). After leaving the ferry, I looked for the dive shop I had booked with previously (they have an office on the pier); I met one of the men who works there and he set me up with a taxi which took me to the actual dive shop, further inland; then I picked up the key to the room I was given for the night and loaded my bags and myself in to the side-cart on a motorbike; the motorbike driver then took me to the hotel, which was not far at all and I could’ve easily walked the distance. After unloading my bags, I set out in search of food. I found the nightlife hotspot on the island in Sairee (the town I was staying in) and then walked the short loop around, looking at all the bars and restaurants; also, even this small island, has its share of ladyboys. I settled on an Australian restaurant and had chicken pasta and nachos, as well as a “Hangover” shake. I also decided to put myself through a self-imposed detoxification period to allow my body to recover and return to a normal, healthy state of being. After dinner, I walked around some more, before finding a shop to buy some liquids; I had a grass jelly drink (which tasted too foreign for my tongue) and milk – I haven’t had real milk for a long time (Mongolia may have been the last time). I then tried to find something worth watching on the satellite television in the room, but it was no use, despite the large number of channels listed (there were several Somali channels and many others from all over the world, others were blocked by Thailand’s council for peace and orderly conduct). I then went to sleep.