Day 5:

So the not so enjoyable part comes, checking out of our comfortable ho(s)tel to the not-so-known log cabins. Like would it have a mama shop with nice toilets and mini-bar? For the 1st time in 5 days i am glad I brought my towel. I think I was one of the last to check out and I was stressed since I had 3 plastic bags in addition to all those to my 3 other bags to carry. Made it down 5 mins late for breakfast and realised that a lot of people had not come down just yet. After breakfast, more bridge, and it ended up with me winning some sets and losing a lot. Went to Wavee coffee to get some Kiwi ice boom, but arghhh@#$%!$$$!!! got wind in the stomach after that and for the first time in a long time, I was car/van sick. By the time we got to Freedom Wheelchairs, I severly regretted my decision to even try that dammed juice. We adjourn to a stuffy, hot upper level and that was not really helping. Thanks to Chong Wee for giving me the Poh Chai Yun, the pill to help stomache. And yes, I was still well enough to emphatise with those disabled people, and how it was a sort of social stigma around them. The wheelchair designer was really talented, and how he could make his own motorcycle to take him around wherever he needed to go. Then the staff showed us more about how to make a wheelchair, and sometimes we do not realise how poor some of these people are and they cannot even afford a wheelchair, so I was thankful that at least a portion of the funds could help the foundation to make more wheelchairs. Some of us then tried to sit in a wheelchair and move ourselves around. Quite fun. But I suppose your hands would ache after a while. Freedom of movement is not really an option in Chiangmai, with hardly any pedestrian crossings for the disabled or toilets or lifts. We then go for lunch, and I am glad that I was feeling much better since I had tried to stay in the shade for a while until I felt better and it was going to be a good lunch. Green curry with tang hoon all and a menu that varies no better where we go. Some of us sit in the swing next to the restaurant after lunch, and I attempt to play chess with Daryl, but times up, as I try to set up the pieces, it's goodbye. The mango with sticky rice was fantastic and so was the green curry, so I brought 3 packets of green curry home. We go back to the hostel for the very last time to load up our luggages, and using this last chance, I buy more potato chips and chewing gum. After loading up, we leave for the highlands. Try to get some sleep during this time but it was disrupted when we stopped by the Queen's shopping arena. Many were like @#$%@ (add your swear here) like so many stops. So i grab one strawberry ice cream and very tempted to buy tea leaves but I say, forget it. Like why would I want to get tea leaves. We then move on again, expecting to wake up only when we reach the destination. Crap. We stop at a waterfall and more swearing again, Wesely making his point about stupid Mike Hock and why we have to stop here but by the end I think most of us were converted as the waterfall was rather peaceful and it was nice for me to have a quick dip in water to bring back my sanity. I was still thinking about my sprite bottle and yeah, I tried rather stupidly to bring one back. But no. 10 baht does not include the bottle and so for the 3rd time this day, I was going @#$$%%#$$%%%%!!!!! Also caused everyone to wait for me, so I am really sorry, but please blame it on @#$%%$$##@#@!!! sprite bottle. So we make our move up the mountains and a rather bumpy journey. Everyone trying to get more sleep as a result of those interrupted sleep previously and I managed to get some before we arrived at the top. I see some very nice log cabins and pray that those would be the places that we would be sleeping in for the next 2 nights. Da chuo te chuo (big mistake special mistake) when literally translated. Girls sleeping 5 in a room then I am like going heng ah... until Mr Chiam says 19 boys in a room then I really freak out. Because first, people snore. Because 2nd, privacy is an issue. Move your own mattress + pillow. So stained I can really freak out. But the aunties there are understanding and as we sleep, the aunties help us to add bedspreads and pillow covers to lessen the shock of "Columbus- discovering- dirty- pillows" discovery. Thanks to them, I had 2 good sleeps during the time that we were there. Then we discovered the toilet, like "Columbus discovering dirty fly infested toilet". 1 shower hose. 3 standing cubicles. Nasty. So we thank the girls for generously sharing their toilet, like " Queen Isabella sharing her ******* with Columbus". Thanks to them, we live another day. And in the mean time, I play bridge with Mich and Yang Jian and the last person who I hopelessly forgot. 1 Club rules the day man!!! Like 1 Club! 7 sets only. Peanuts. The joke continues and we win like hands down because Yang Jian had the Ace and I had the King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8 5, and 2. It was a real joke. Never had such a low bid before. But anyway, we adjorun for dinner and guess what, Mountain food is really good like you have kapao with egg and seaweed soup. Nice. Kapao rather hot and everyone cries like a slain goliath. Wonder why I am still pretty much ok? Start singing some parody songs about myself using hymms. Like Beethoven's 8th symphony glory glory we adore thee. And that night we start singing practice and I am playing with my fan a bit too often, saying something about boys replacing girls, and so Michelle my mother decides to hit me real hard using my fan and I start laughing like a retarded person. I dont think I slept too early that night since other people were still playing cards and I was really tired. So I slept with Jammies and short pants, new fashion which everyone stares at me and thinks I am a weirdo. Yes I am one. Sleep with a blindfold on as there is still light and I cant sleep with lights on... And i hug my jackets to sleep, without pulling up the blanket. So I wake up in the middle of the night, freezing cold, but still , just pulled up the blanket and everything was ok! Good sleep. No one snoring. Glad.