Went for dinner just across the street with Mike, Matt and Nate, though others joined soon, got pad thai and a sprite, 40 baht all told. Delicious. A cat peed on Mikey's leg, Liz one-upped by pointing out that yesterday, a little boy peed on her. (Apparently he was peeing on the street and she walked across it. I pointed out that it was her fault for walking into it. She said “I was not in the wrong here.”) Came back to the train station, grabbed some delicious ice cream. Matt and Mike bought meat on a stick, Matt made me eat one – very bony. I went to the bathroom... I guess the best bathroom I ever paid 2 baht for, anyway. When I come out, everyone's standing still and the national anthem was playing on the speakers. I take a few steps, confused before I figure out that EVERYONE is standing (employees notwithstanding), and I stand still and look at the portrait of the king, which seems to be appropriate protocol. That stops, I come back and sit. Michelle points out that it's no different than standing for our national anthem, I point out that our national anthem doesn't play at a prescribed time every day in public places, and MORE relevantly, the national anthem wasn't weird, it was the national anthem immediately after coming out of the bathroom that was weird. Or not so much weird as surprising.

Anyway, got a 22 baht 7up and waiting for the train now. We board at 6:30, train leaves 7:30, we get to Koh Tao at 4 AM. Then it's cushy resort time, and hopefully wireless.

Sunday, January 24th, roughly 6:05 PM local time