Day 39: New Room & Crazy Aussies

Turns out, for 50 baht more a night, I can have a double room, meaning 2 beds only, with a key to the door, and better mattresses. Joseph and I agree this is a much better option to the concrete slabs we were sleeping on, so last night we agree to awake early, and get F2, the only double room at The Rock. How do we know it's available? It's the advantage of being a highly relational being and befriending all in the complex, ie the guys occupying it told me. Only catch, we have to secure it before 10, reservations here are a foreign concept. So to bed at half past 5, up at 9:30, get the room, move our crap, but I'm up now, so I head off to breakfast at The Reggae Bar. 

We get there and it's a ghost town. It's 10:15am, there's no one in the kitchen, no customers in the seats, no workers cleanining. Some Thai woman from outside says, they closed, open at 11. Now why would you have a breakfast menu and not open until 11? Welcome to Phi Phi, where everything makes perfect sense. So we retreat back to D's Books and order up an omlette and mocha frappé. 

And there I stay for the next 5 hours. Would love to say I was diligently working on my blog or emails, but truth be told, I had met too many people over the last few days, and everyone kept dropping by. Was already there with Joseph when the 3 Aussies stop in at the table looking like death warmed over. They order some acidic juice drinks  - uh, not smart since they've been spewing all morning. Several times they make their exit from the table to hit the loo. Marcus the Swede stops by, then Kate from Philly, Lee the Swede takes the table next to us. People continue to come and go. Joe has left by now and Manne has shown up, looking at pictures from the night before, and vegging beneath the umbrella. Martin arrives, sits and stares, not really with us but occassionally we get a cursory smile. He drinks some of my shake. By this point things have settled down, the 3 Aussies have headed to the beach, only the guys remain, so I can ignore them and get some focused time on the blog. I get through day 37, which was a big one, Manne and I settle up for our additional drinks, it's time to eat again and do a bit of shopping.

I find some pants, not sure what they are called, maybe fisherman's pants, they're huge, you fold them over, tie them up around the waste and they just hang on ya. Pretty suweet! Head back to The Rock to find Erik alive, first time today. He slept the entire day because in his words, "Everytime I stands, the room goes woooaahhhh" as his hands signal spinning.  

We decide as a group to take tonight easy. After dinner I run into Ted, one of the Aussie dudes from the drunk boat two days before, and he invites me back to hang with his crew. I'm awake and not doing much, Joseph and the guys were relaxing/napping back at The Rock, so why not. Head down a path that turns into sand around a corner into a literal hut village. There I find his Aussie crew of Alex, Fred, and Will, plus the English crew of George, Will and 2 girls, plus about 10 Swedes. Ted and the Aussies are non-stop positive energy party guys, collect friends as they go, some of my favorite to meet thus far.  

Side note: If I've yet to mention this, everywhere I've been, the largest group of foreigners are Swedes. Literally there are more Swedes on Phi Phi than Thai's ... It's crazy. But their a hot people group in general, and typically nice once you break the ice, so no complaints.

That night the Aussie crew and I end up hitting Rolling Stones for some live Reggae and Western music, then the Beach for dancing and free buckets. There I meet the two lovely ladies who are half French half Oz, Ms. Melanie & Ms. Camille. They were with Manne, Eric, and Martin, who all made it out, as well as a smathering of others. 

Home by 2:30, in bed by 3, nite nite via the iPhone blogger!