Well, it's been a jam-packed couple of days! I got up at 7 a.m. on Thursday morning to head to one of the floating markets about an hour outside of Bangkok. Because of a late start due to some oversleeping tourists we got there around 8:30, well past the time when it's a "local market," which is usually from 5-7 a.m. It was interesting nonetheless, lots of fresh fruit and ridiculous amount of cheap, more so in quality than price, goods for sale. All I did was eat (I know you're shocked) and frankly I'm surprised that all of these merchantes can make a living there. If I'm ever back in Bangkok for any amount of time I'd like to try to find some of the other markets and get there bright and early.
Following that excursion, I had about 5 hours to kill and a minor medical concern that I thought would be better to get checked out before I left Bangkok for the remote Trang Islands. Well, if I am impressed with the food here, I am even more so with the quality of medical care. I decided to go to one of the bettere international hospitals here and I have to say it was more like a 5-star hotel. The service was incredibly efficient; I was in to see a doctor within 30-40 minutes, examined, tested, and antibiotics in hand in just over two hours. There was one payment for everything and the cost for it all was about what you would pay just to see a doctor in the U.S. Amazing. And to top it all off, I was able to stop by the Starbucks on-site before I grabbed a cab to the train station. Also, a uniformed man helped me with my luggage when getting into the cab. Holy cow. Judging by this experience, it's not surprising that Thailand is a destination for medical tourism. If I ever needed major surgery, I would consider it.
Then it was off on a 16-hour train ride south to Trang. After 24 hours of travel that included the cab, train, a motorcycle, van, and boat ride, I found myself on Ko Libong. I was looking for remote, but this island turned out to be a little too remote, even for me. It's the biggest one in the Trang Islands, but the least developed, which was what was appealing. The lack of development, however, meant I was stuck eating at the "resort" restaurant paying their inflated prices for everything from food to a bottle of water. Apparently there was another resort at the other end of the beach, but the beach was strewn with broken glass - not exactly inviting for a sunset walk. The Swedish family with whom I arrived were equally unimpressed and this morning we shared a longtail boat out of there. I got dropped off at Ko Muk and they continued on to another island. I am happy to report that this island is much closer to what I had in mind. Plus, there are more services available. Unfortunately, my computer is not talking to this network, so I can't upload photos at the moment. But I'm sure you can picture it in your mind: white sand, emerald waters, lush green surroundings. It is heavenly. I will write more when I can. For now, I'm off to enjoy some fresh seafood and bask in the sun.
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