EVP 2014: Day 9 and 10.
The stars didn't fall today; Sunday, January 4
Final two days.
16th Dec 2014, Tuesday:
Checked out of the hotel first thing in the morning. I was in a rather pensive mood since I woke up. As the morning proceeded further, I got even more pensive due to more information coming in. Anyway, we set off for James Bond Island and Panyee Island after breakfast. James Bond Island was pretty and Panyee had its own quaint charm. I think I can last about three days in Panyee before I get bored out of my mind though. All those houses on stilts; I wonder what the teenagers do on that island. We also had lunch before we went back to Phang Nga Bay to go to Phuket. It was (what else) a seafood dinner and they served crabs! There were seven different dishes and it was all delicious Alhamdulillah. Eating on top of the sea contributed to my appetite, I guess. Anyway, we got back to the vans and set off for Phuket. Stopped to pray and buy fruits and it was like an hour's drive to Phuket. Stopped by Surin Beach which was full of half-naked mat salehs (like I swear the only Thais there were the shopkeepers) and set off again for our hotel. I slept the whole day away, seriously. I'm usually not the type to sleep a lot while traveling; I even had a good sleep the night before. But I slept in the boat on the way to James Bond Island, slept again in the boat after lunch and continued my sleep in the van.
Anyway, when we arrived at the hotel, it was already 4 p.m local time. The girls decided to gather after Maghrib to have dinner. Nearing time, Nabilah and Fira asked if we wanted to pray together at the mosque across the hotel so we did. After that, we ate at a street stall which was Muslim-owned. We didn't know where to go so we asked the owner if she could get us a tuk-tuk or taxi to send us to the nearest shopping mall. She was worried for us so she got her husband or brother to send us instead. So we got on the back of the pickup truck and had 30 minutes worth of fun and flying tudungs while singing anasyeed haha. The nearest shopping mall turned out to be the one at Patong Beach. And oh dear, the place was full of tourists! Phuket is different from Krabi in the sense that it has more of the club/bar/partying vibe. Or maybe it was because we went at night while we were at Krabi during the day. Because at Krabi, around 6 p.m, we got accosted by those transgenders that Thailand is so famous for. I prefer Krabi but I'll recommend Phuket if you go during the day.
17th Dec 2014, Wednesday:
Had breakfast at the hotel and said goodbye to Afiqah and family who had decided to extend their stay in Phuket by four more days. I like Afiqah; she's such a sweet girl. Hope to see her around school since she's a Year 1 Chemistry major. Checked in at the airport, walked around some, got disgusted by the behaviour of some unknown woman in the toilet and boarded our 10:40 flight. Now I'm in the air, typing this post out. Not sure when it's gonna be published but should be within the week inshaAllah. [Edit: LOOOOL]
I'm not sure how I feel. (I never am.) Do I miss the school? The students I've met? I do hope I have brought benefit to the students in one way or another. I hope they become great English speakers inshaAllah. The English program itself was definitely better than the previous years'. What about the people I've been on this trip with? There were the usual faces, Sakinah, Hannah, Nabiha, Farid and Aziz. Syafiq came along last year too. The new additions were Fira, Rifqah, Nabilah, Afiqah, Arif and Hidayat. I learned new things about my friends. I'm pretty sure they learned new things about me too (I've gotten a couple "I didn't know Maryam's like this!" haha. ) I learned too about things that I wish I hadn't. But maybe it was Allah's plan of telling me to be more mindful of what I say and do...
AND CAN I SAY THAT I AM PROUD OF MYSELF FOR SURVIVING WITHOUT MY LUGGAGE FOR TEN DAYS? [Edit: So what happened was that.. My luggage wasn't on the belt when I finally came out of immigrations at the Phuket airport.. Ten days' worth of clothes, mind you.] C'mon I deserve like ten pats on the back or something. Granted, I had about SGD220 worth of Thai baht with me and I was able to wash my clothes every day. But it would definitely not have been possible had I not have such good friends with me. I would forever be grateful to Sakinah and Hannah for lending me clothes and constantly asking me if I needed more. Also to my roommate, Nabiha, for being so understanding because I needed to hang my stuff all over the toilet and room after doing laundry. Also to Mr Isham's wife who gave me money to buy things after my bag went missing and Cik Nora who gave me her purple shirt. Basically everybody, actually, because they all showed concern and I didn't panic as much as I thought I would. I only felt like crying once and that was when I called my mum to tell her about the bag because there's just something about a mother's voice haha. I think I'll only feel really annoyed about my luggage when I need to go shopping for new stuff later. Ugh.
16th Dec 2014, Tuesday:
Checked out of the hotel first thing in the morning. I was in a rather pensive mood since I woke up. As the morning proceeded further, I got even more pensive due to more information coming in. Anyway, we set off for James Bond Island and Panyee Island after breakfast. James Bond Island was pretty and Panyee had its own quaint charm. I think I can last about three days in Panyee before I get bored out of my mind though. All those houses on stilts; I wonder what the teenagers do on that island. We also had lunch before we went back to Phang Nga Bay to go to Phuket. It was (what else) a seafood dinner and they served crabs! There were seven different dishes and it was all delicious Alhamdulillah. Eating on top of the sea contributed to my appetite, I guess. Anyway, we got back to the vans and set off for Phuket. Stopped to pray and buy fruits and it was like an hour's drive to Phuket. Stopped by Surin Beach which was full of half-naked mat salehs (like I swear the only Thais there were the shopkeepers) and set off again for our hotel. I slept the whole day away, seriously. I'm usually not the type to sleep a lot while traveling; I even had a good sleep the night before. But I slept in the boat on the way to James Bond Island, slept again in the boat after lunch and continued my sleep in the van.
Anyway, when we arrived at the hotel, it was already 4 p.m local time. The girls decided to gather after Maghrib to have dinner. Nearing time, Nabilah and Fira asked if we wanted to pray together at the mosque across the hotel so we did. After that, we ate at a street stall which was Muslim-owned. We didn't know where to go so we asked the owner if she could get us a tuk-tuk or taxi to send us to the nearest shopping mall. She was worried for us so she got her husband or brother to send us instead. So we got on the back of the pickup truck and had 30 minutes worth of fun and flying tudungs while singing anasyeed haha. The nearest shopping mall turned out to be the one at Patong Beach. And oh dear, the place was full of tourists! Phuket is different from Krabi in the sense that it has more of the club/bar/partying vibe. Or maybe it was because we went at night while we were at Krabi during the day. Because at Krabi, around 6 p.m, we got accosted by those transgenders that Thailand is so famous for. I prefer Krabi but I'll recommend Phuket if you go during the day.
17th Dec 2014, Wednesday:
Had breakfast at the hotel and said goodbye to Afiqah and family who had decided to extend their stay in Phuket by four more days. I like Afiqah; she's such a sweet girl. Hope to see her around school since she's a Year 1 Chemistry major. Checked in at the airport, walked around some, got disgusted by the behaviour of some unknown woman in the toilet and boarded our 10:40 flight. Now I'm in the air, typing this post out. Not sure when it's gonna be published but should be within the week inshaAllah. [Edit: LOOOOL]
I'm not sure how I feel. (I never am.) Do I miss the school? The students I've met? I do hope I have brought benefit to the students in one way or another. I hope they become great English speakers inshaAllah. The English program itself was definitely better than the previous years'. What about the people I've been on this trip with? There were the usual faces, Sakinah, Hannah, Nabiha, Farid and Aziz. Syafiq came along last year too. The new additions were Fira, Rifqah, Nabilah, Afiqah, Arif and Hidayat. I learned new things about my friends. I'm pretty sure they learned new things about me too (I've gotten a couple "I didn't know Maryam's like this!" haha. ) I learned too about things that I wish I hadn't. But maybe it was Allah's plan of telling me to be more mindful of what I say and do...
AND CAN I SAY THAT I AM PROUD OF MYSELF FOR SURVIVING WITHOUT MY LUGGAGE FOR TEN DAYS? [Edit: So what happened was that.. My luggage wasn't on the belt when I finally came out of immigrations at the Phuket airport.. Ten days' worth of clothes, mind you.] C'mon I deserve like ten pats on the back or something. Granted, I had about SGD220 worth of Thai baht with me and I was able to wash my clothes every day. But it would definitely not have been possible had I not have such good friends with me. I would forever be grateful to Sakinah and Hannah for lending me clothes and constantly asking me if I needed more. Also to my roommate, Nabiha, for being so understanding because I needed to hang my stuff all over the toilet and room after doing laundry. Also to Mr Isham's wife who gave me money to buy things after my bag went missing and Cik Nora who gave me her purple shirt. Basically everybody, actually, because they all showed concern and I didn't panic as much as I thought I would. I only felt like crying once and that was when I called my mum to tell her about the bag because there's just something about a mother's voice haha. I think I'll only feel really annoyed about my luggage when I need to go shopping for new stuff later. Ugh.