DAY FIVE: DRIVING AND MORE DRIVING AND RAYONG

We had a lazy morning getting out of our homestay. The couple at our homestay prepared a delicous breakfast (the spiced pineapple really sticks out in my mind, mostly because Cody would have loved it).

We headed out at around 10:30 to head to Chantabury Horticulture Research Center. We had a very quick tour around the property. They've done a ton of very technical genetic work. One of the researchers actually worked to produce a durian fruit that is delicous, but not too smelly. Durian, the king of fruits around here, has an extremely pungent smell. It is literally banned in places like hotels and other public buildings due to the stench it can create. I did get to try it and it is actually way more delicious than it smells which is still so mind blowing to me. Though, it is still not a fruit I'd enjoy frequently.

After the tour we drove to the hotel we were supposed to sleep in. Dr. Motsenbocker deemed it not acceptable due to the hard sleep we got the night before. I actually had caught a cold and some of the other girls weren’t feeling too well, so he wanted us to get a good night’s sleep (which included real mattresses and air conditioning). After finding that all the hotels in the area were already booked, Sue and Dr. Motsenbocker decided it best if we drove on to Rayong.

After all the driving, we thought it’d be a great idea for us to get our first Thai massage that night before dinner. We went to a spa who could take all six of us, but two of us had to get only foot massages instead of full body. Claire and I volunteered since both of us were feeling sick. The place was so nice. We got to wear the coolest pants ever. All the ladies had to help us put them on because none of us could figure it out. They have a really funny name that I can’t remember right now, but I definitely intend on buying some before I leave.

Our massage was a whole hour long and was a surreal experience. I want to do it again so badly! I don’t think I’ve ever felt that relaxed in my life, even when I couldn’t breathe out of my nose. The massage place was also so nice. I was expecting it to be very expensive, but it only cost 300 baht which is under 10 USD. We were all amazed.

We ended the night with a really nice Thai dinner, before we all ran to our little shacks and passed out. We were so exhausted. That night we slept so well on matresses and air conditioning. My sick body really needed it.