Rain, uni applications, and Mr. Long nights

Sitting at the pier in Koh Yao Noi, writing my notes wishing
the boat would hurry up!

When I was sitting in the Songthaew on my way to catch the boat from Koh Yao Noi to Ao Nang in Krabi I again felt that stirring of excitement in my stomach. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of that feeling, it's so exhilarating it makes it difficult to sit still. I wanted to tell the driver to drive quicker, I wanted the boat to arrive sooner. I couldn't wait to get to the hostel I had booked online the night before! At 600 Thai Baht (£12) per night Glur hostel was on the expensive side for being a dorm, but the reviews were so great I couldn't resist booking it.

Ah! I almost peed my pants I was so excited thinking about all the fun things I was going to do! Number one, get a pedicure. My feet with my overgrown toenails had begun resembling those of a Neanderthal. Number two, get a coffee. No, not a coffee, a LATTE, proper western style. Number three, drink a beer. 7 days of detox was enough, and I wanted nothing more but to finish my evening sitting in some chillout bar with a beer in this hot weather. What I wasn't looking forward to were filling out my university applications and getting them done, once and for all.... I just had to put my head down and get them done - no day trips, no snorkelling, no beach time, no excuses!

I also had to book a flight, as I needed to leave Thailand by 2 March. Where I was going to go that I didn't know but that was what I loved most. There is no bigger feeling of freedom than being free to go anywhere. I could goto another country in Southeast Asia. Or I could fly and visit Alicia in Melbourne! If I was feeling adventurous enough I could even book a flight to South America! And I could of course always fly home; except I really really didn't want to do that.

Road to Glur

When I got to the pier in Ao Nang I contemplated walking to my hostel rather than taking a tuk-tuk, but as I got to the main road I realised I didn't have A) a map or B) the address to the hostel. What I did have was the weight of two heavy backpacks on my shoulders and the memory from my last cycle tour which I undertook without a map. With this in mind I turned around and walked back to the pier and jumped into a tuk tuk. And I'm damn glad I did! Glur was about 3 km away, worth the whole 100 baht (£2) I paid for the ride!

Glur Hostel

Lounge area at Glur

I had chosen this hostel because of its great reviews (when a place has a 98/100 score it's hard to resist). With its lounge area equipped with a plasma TV, DVD, free wifi, free coffee, tea, and fruit, green leafy garden, and clean new rooms the reviews were right to recommend it. The only negative thing I have to say about Glur is that it is a 15-20 minute walk away from the beach and all the commotion so walking back at night can be a bit dodgy. I met some wonderful people during my stay at Glur, I recommend it to anyone travelling to Ao Nang.

Mr. Long Bar

At Mr. Long's with new friends from the hostel,
Stacy, Joe, Eduard, and....eh...quiet German girl

After I dumped my stuff in the dorm (and secured a lower bunk bed, score!) off I went in search for a pedicure and coffee. Tick and tick (although on the coffee front I have to say it's hit and miss, and this time it was a big time miss. Cold weak coffee, nothing more disappointing. I miss Pret!)

Mr. Long himself

Now I just needed a beer. Walking back towards my hostel I stumbled upon Mr. Long's. Mr. Long shouted from behind the bar "come in my friend, happy people, happy music, happy drink" - and happy it all was, especially Mr. Long who is the funniest, most genuine happy character ever. I spent the remaining 7 nights all at this bar and got to know everyone - the people who worked there, the backpackers who lived there (he's got a couple of rooms adjoined to the bar), and the guests who regularly visited. It's one of those places you end up going back to because you feel so at home there; and how couldn't you, he built the adorable wooden shack himself!

You can also get a tattoo there, and don't worry, they use new needles and they're "clean and safty"!!

New needles AND it's clean and safty!
What more do you want?!

Uni applications
In between visits to Mr Long Bar I slept and worked on my uni applications. It wouldn't stop raining, which was perfect timing as it meant I had no desire to sign up to any of the fun activities others were off doing during the days. I'm kind of proud of how much I got done during the week in Krabi, I almost finished the whole lot! It's a lot of work, and time consuming as hell trying to convince a board of people that you are the perfect Masters in Finance candidate. I grew to hate the online forms, essays, and pressure to get all my references sorted before the deadlines.

Raining buckets! Everyone else hoping it would stop,
whilst me happy it gave me a reason to stay focused
on my MiF applications

Never again! Never never never never never! I would have found it difficult to work on these forms under normal circumstances at home, and being away travelling made it extra hard to concentrate and be creative. Getting and remaining motivated was ridiculously hard but at least at Glur it was better than say, in Cape Sienna hotel in Phuket where the computers were located in the gift shop, or at a noisy Internet cafe where the Thai girls have loud Skype conversations with their multiple western lovers.

Where next?

But even despite the anxiety attacks I was having caused by my applications, I still managed to distract myself from the work. Heh. Procrastination has always been a special talent of mine after all. My mind kept wondering off to trying to figure out where to go next. Aahhhh so exciting! I went on to SkyScanner and started scanning my options.

Drinks at Mr. Long's

As appealing as Rio de Janeiro sounded, I wasn't feeling crazy enough to pay the £1,600 price tag the ticket came with. And plus, my uni applications would find me there, too. Instead, I "settled" for a flight to Bali for £130!

Before I knew it the week in Krabi had passed by. The uni applications made it feel endless during the week itself, but at the same time as the days blended into one long application filled day, and the nights into one long at Mr. Long's, suddenly my last day had arrived. I was sad.

Until I remembered I was going to Indonesia! Move over, people, mama's in a rush!

Eduard kindly helping me with my applications. I don't know how I could have done it without the help from him. And Pete. And Francesca. And Elly. And Marta. And James. And many more who motivated me to keep going.