Day 106/7 - Back to Bangkok, again

Tuesday was a rather unremarkable day, overcast and grey, so all we did was sit, read, and eat. In the evening it was rather odd, we couldn't find anyone around - there were a few people in the bars, but nowhere near as many as there had been in Sunset. We met some friendly Dutch people and chatted with them for a while, but I decided to have an early night as I had to be up at 8 to go and get the Songthaew/Ferry/Bus back to Bangkok. This was fairly uneventful, I made all the connections without any problem, talked to a cool guy from Bristol called Bill at the bus station. The VIP bus was reasonably comfy and cheap, although I ended up sitting next to an old monk for the journey, and this meant I was constantly aware of where my feet were pointing, which sucks as I am a little taller than the seats allow, meaning that the most comfortable position for me is with my feet up on the seat...

My knee isn't as bad as I feared, although due to the placement of the missing skin (all the way round my kneecap) it won't quite heal, or at least it does if I stay still for a few hours, then cracks the second I walk. I was hoping it might have healed a bit more by the time I write this, but it is still a bit of a problem. I arrived back in Khao San, picked up my stuff and headed off to the public bus stop, to head up to Salaya - this was an hour long journey, mostly made standing, carrying both my bags, which must now weigh upwards of 30 kg combined. After 40 minutes or so I managed to get a seat on top of the engine, which was extremely hot, and resulted in me burning myself a couple of times, although quite minorly. On arrival at Marie's, we had to sneak our stuff in over the hedge to avoid detection, although I still had to be signed in. The life of an international exchange student in Thailand is pretty much the same as that of a student at home - everyone was sitting about watching pirated american TV shows, which we joined in, before going for dinner at the poolside restaurant. I currently have no plans for this weekend, although I'm sure some will crystallise pretty soon.