I spent several hours tossing and turning last night. All I
wanted to do was sleep but all I could think about was the stupid scooter I had
rented. I kept replaying my short test drive in me head and how I couldn’t get
the hang of the throttle. I started thinking about having to quickly make my
way across intersections during small openings in traffic, and accidently
turning into the wrong lane and my heart started to race. This was all just
hypothetical and I was on the verge of having a panic attack, what was going to
happen when I got on the scooter for real?
I eventually managed to calm myself down and get some sleep
only to wake up a few hours later with a throbbing migraine. I was in a
ridiculous amount of pain and knew there was no way I was getting back to sleep
anytime soon. I fumbled through my bags using my cell phone as a light trying
to find some Tylenol without waking up my roommates. Someone had turned off the
air-conditioning so the room was like an oven. I’m not sure if I was drifting
in and out of consciousness or if I was hallucinating but since I was so hot
and picturing strange things I started to freak out thinking I had contracted
Malaria. And that’s when the stomach pains started; I was sure I was going to
start exploding from both ends any minute and rushed into the bathroom. I
didn’t throw up but what did happen wasn’t pretty and I spent about half an
hour curled in a ball on the bathroom floor occasionally sitting up to dry
heave. I was up for about two hours before I finally managed to fall back to
sleep.
I felt incredibly weak when I woke up making the thought of
driving a scooter up a mountain seem even more daunting. I made my way
downstairs for breakfast and after I finished eating the cook asked me what my
plan was for the day. I told her how I was debating going to see the Giant
Buddha and she asked me if I had ever driven before. I told her I have, but
never a scooter, and always on the opposite side of the road. She told me it
would be dangerous to try to make it to the Buddha, especially since I was
travelling alone. I told her I was considering taking the local bus to Phuket
City and she asked me if I like shopping. When I said no she told me there was
no point in going there, unless I wanted McDonalds. Between the advice I got from the cook, the panic from my mom when I told her my plan, and my own fears accompanied by the lack of insurance making me financially responsible for anything that happens I decided not to touch the scooter at all today, making my choice to rent it a complete waste of money.
For about the millionth time on this adventure I was left
feeling defeated. I should have just paid more to go on a half-day tour to see
the Buddha along with a few other attractions, or forgotten all about the
statue and gone to James Bond Island. Neither of those options would have
worked though because they were super expensive, and I really would have
struggled to drag myself out of bed after the night I had.
All of my plans had fallen through and I had no idea what to
do with myself. I ended up walking to Karon beach, just a few blocks away from
Kata beach where I’m staying. It wasn’t really much different from here so I
was back at the hostel after barely any time had passed at all. A few people
were sat in the lounge watching old episodes of How I Met Your Mother so I joined
them until the TV was taken over by people watching dive videos.
I made my way to my room and applied for a few jobs before
starting to watch season 4 of Parks and Rec. About ten minutes into the first
episode I received a call on Skype from an Australian number. I quickly paused
the show and answered the call but the connection was terrible. Luckily the
person on the other end was patient enough to continue with the call for a few
minutes before deciding to email me instead. It turns out one of the jobs I
applied for is through a placement agency and they would like to meet with me.
I told them I don’t get to Australia until the 15th and they said
that was fine and to come in then. My spirits had been lifted. Suddenly my day
didn’t seem so terrible after all.
I watched a few more episodes of Parks and Rec before
heading out for one last wander in Phuket. I walked the full length of the
beach before stopping for some dinner. I had fried noodles with chicken, and
some steamed rice while overlooking the beach. I noticed a few people were
standup paddle boarding and I felt a little disappointed because that was
something I wanted to try on this trip but on my previous visits to the beach I
hadn’t seen anyone doing it so I didn’t think it was an option. If I ate as
quickly as possible, ran home to change into my bathing suit, and ran back, it
would be dark and that doesn’t really seem like a sport to try for the first
time after dusk so hopefully I get an opportunity to try it in Bali.
After dinner I decided to treat myself to a Thai massage. I
went to the ‘spa’ just a few doors down from my hostel mainly because the price
advertised was exactly how much I had left after booking my taxi to the airport
in the morning. I was ushered into a small booth surrounded by curtains and
handed a change of clothes. The masseur left while I changed and returned a few
minutes later. The massage was definitely an interesting experience; I have
never been so relaxed while in so much pain before. She was targeting pressure
points I didn’t even know existed and causing pain that was excruciating at
times and yet I found myself struggling to stay awake. I'm not sure if I feel
better or worse for it now but either way it was worth doing. Much different
from the massage I received in Cambodia, and more thorough than the one from
the elephant yesterday.
After being put into a full-nelson and forced into a
backbend over my masseurs knees I made my way back to the hostel and repacked
my bag. I cannot wait to get settled in Australia and not have to pack and
unpack every few days. I turned in my keys so I could get my deposit back since
the front desk will be closed when I leave and had the receptionist assure me for
the hundredth time that the taxi would be here at 5am. It wouldn’t be such a
huge deal if it didn’t show if I hadn’t already paid for it, but I have, even
though it seemed super dodgy. The receptionist wrote down the phone number for
the taxi company and told me he would be here at 5 although I don’t believe
him. Fingers crossed everything goes according to plan because I am completely
screwed if I miss this flight.
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