I just finished Moby Dick

Let me first start my saying the two days we spent traveling up the Mekong River were some of the most relaxing days of our trip. The boats are big and wide and chug slowly up the huge river. North of Luang Prabang there is very little in the way of infrastructure so it is just jungle, sandy banks, and the odd fishing hut. Most people travel east from the Thai border into Laos rather than doing the opposite like us. On the first day there were only about twenty of us on the fifty foot boat. The boat was pretty much just a big bathtub with a roof on it. The seats were old car seats and could just be slid around the deck depending on if you were looking for shade or roasting hot sunshine.
Since we were traveling upstream the trip goes very slowly but we eventually made it to our halfway destination just a few short hours behind schedule. The next day proved even more deserted with only about ten of us on the boat. More of the same: Sun, shade, cards, naps. Early on the third day we crossed the Thai border.
Now if the past few days were some of our most relaxing then the following two made me feel like a member of a highspeed land-race. The catch of course in this race was the participants could only rely on public transportation. And by high-speed I of course do not refer to the rate of transportation but rather our perseverence in making connections from one mode to the next.
We wanted to get down to the island I am on right now, Ko Phan Ngan, in time for the Full Moon party which was the 2nd of December. So: six hours from the border to Chiand Mai, a two hour layover and then a 12 hour night bus to Bangkok. Three hour layover. Nine hour train to Chumphan.
Now sadly our race had to end there for the night. We were trying to catch a three hour boat (now 11 oclock at night) but had to stop. I admit that this was my fault here. See in Chang Mai I realized what lay ahead so wandered into a pharmacy to inquire about some sleeping medication or something of that nature. The druggist, after hearing about the journey that lay ahead of me, handed me a little white box and told me they were like benadryl. Happy as a clam a took a few on the first bus trip, then a few more when I coulnt fall asleep. By the time I got off the train I had a fever, had thrown up everything I could, and could barely keep my eyes open let alone move. Not the benadryl we know and love at home. Oh no these were tranquilizers. I guess the sadistic son of a bitch really wanted to make sure I remembered nothing of my twenty-four hour trip through his beloved country.
It took me a few days to recuperate to say the least. But we made it to the Full Moon party, which is a big deal around here. How was it? Well I was still throwing up every ounce of beer or Red Bull I tried to coax down my throat and Nate was robbed. So yes of course it was all worth it.
But now, two days post party, we are both rested and healthy. We move now out of the Gulf of Thailand and over to the west coast. More beautiful beaches and cozy little bungalows.