In the morning Yu’s mother was up early shopping and cooking food to offer the monks at the local temple. Usually the monks will bring their begging bowls around the neighborhood going door to door for food, but today was more special. Most of the family went to the temple to donate all the cooked food so the monks would eat a big breakfast. Afterward, we got to look around the grounds, which included many stray dogs, a sea otter, and a spider monkey. Many people will drop off their pets here if they can’t take care of them anymore. Around the back of the complex was a fish pond with hundreds of fish grouped in one corner waiting for someone to feed them.
After this, we drove over to Wat Buppharam, which is the oldest temple in the area (350 years old). There was an tower we could climb up for a view of the area.
After filling up on some more home cooked Thai food at the family’s home, we set off back to Chanthaburi. After a short stop we then went to the bus station to get on a crowded 3rd class bus to a port town near an island named Samet. Yu and I took on all our bags on this bus where I saw some people sitting 3-across on two seats, others standing in the aisle and others sitting on the floor on a mat in the back. I got to sit on the floor in the back and Yu got to be one of the threesomes in two seats. Here some Thai people tried talking to me. One guy said he drank too much Whiskey and proceeded to sleep on the floor much of the trip. Well, it was only $2 for this 2 hour ride.
Then we get off the bus, but we are not near the port, so we must take a taxi. However the taxi is a small motorcycle and we’re wearing backpacks and carrying bags. Somehow we each get on a separate motorcycle and carry everything to the port without falling off. After stocking up with food at 7-11, we get on a boat for the island where I will spend the next few days.