Nomadic Cat: R.I.P. Sink & Goodbye Kho Phangan

Oh goodness, where to begin. It's been many days since I wrote, and that is because too much has been happening to sit down and write about it. Which also makes it difficult to write about it because all the things keep piling up and I have more and more to share.
I have left Monte Vista retreat center and the island of Kho Phangan. I decided to end my time there a week early, making my stay 1 week instead of 2. Every person who was there-volunteers, employees, and the owners as well- was unhappy about being there. So I thought it best to move on and find my own happy place that much sooner. I booked my ferry/overnight train ticket, and the day before I was supposed to leave I woke up and got ready to go and rent a scooter for the day (my first scooter experience! More on that in a minute..) On my way out the door, one of the volunteers had left a note asking if someone would take a turn cleaning the volunteers bathroom. I hadn't cleaned it yet and told her I was happy to clean it before I left for the day. I began by spraying the floor with cleaner, and using my foot as a mop with the cleaning cloth. I bent down to pick it up, and rested my weight on the sink while leaning down. Big mistake.
Unknown to me, the sink wasn't actually connected to the wall with more than two small metal clips and the plumbing in the wall... Cool dude... My life flashed before my eyes and before I could blink, this happened:

Ohhh Fuuudddggggeee.

In case the picture doesn't give you the 1000 words it's supposed to, the sink toppled over (luckily my feet and legs were spared) and crashed into a million pieces. Immediately after the sink wobbled over and departed from the wall, so did the plumbing. A violent fountain- not unlike a sideways fire-hydrant- began to fill the bathroom with water and all I could do is scream for help. Luckily, one of the volunteers was in the house when it happened and ran for help. I don't really want to get into all the feelings that this unfortunate event gave me, but I lets just say that I was quite disappointed that I left my emergency Ativan in Bangkok with my luggage. I just about died of embarrassment. It didn't really help that I was leaving the next day, and I was so afraid that I was going to have to pay for it. Stupid clumsy American. Luckily, I wasn't asked to pay for it, and the owner Andy seemed to avoid me completely after seeing the damage I had caused. I was fine with this, seeing as how I wanted to crawl into a hole and die of shame. I was able to dip out early the next morning and pack up my scooter and be on my not-so-merry way to the ferry.
My scooter ride that afternoon was nice, although I felt quite strung out on stress after the sink incident. I tried to enjoy it anyway. It cost me 200 baht to rent it for 24 hours, which is a whole 6 bucks. They 'showed' me how to work it (kind of), but even still, the moment I prepared myself to hit the gas, I damn near told them I changed my mind and please cancel the whole thing. The weight of the bike alone made me feel quite incapable, but some of the tiny Thai women I saw buzzing around on them made me determined to give it a good try.

My beast of a scooter.

If I said I didn't almost get hit by a car and also get stuck in the sand, and also accidentally stop at a store and forget my keys in the ignition, I would be lying. You get the point.

After my date with my sweet wheels, I returned my bike and prepared for my long journey away from the island. My ferry ride was pretty smooth, and so was my bus ride to the train station. I was nervous for my train ride due to the last cockroach-infested, sleepless experience. But this one was much much better despite being the same price. On my sleeper train, there is a bed that comes down from the ceiling, as well as a bed that is made from the two chairs below. The girl bunking below me was named Julie and she was from Belgium, also a lone-traveling-twentysomething girl. After our beds were made, we decided to find the restaurant car on the train, AKA the bar car. Over a couple of hours, we bonded over three large Singha beers. Both of us were headed to Bangkok and planned to book the first available train to Chiang Mai when we arrived. So we decided to make the rest of our journey together. I am finding that it is difficult to truly travel alone for longer than a day. Which I am grateful for.