Home.

With my watch and my mind still on Thai time, as opposed to the more regularly used human time, I completely mucked up my arrival. I was convinced that by flying back on tuesday morning realy early on a 12 hour flight, combined with the time difference, I would arrive on wednesday morning. It wasn't until 5 hours before landing at Schiphol that I realized that is was, and would be still tuesday when I reached home...
Typical.
Changing back my biological clock and time-set aren't the only things I have to get used to after only one month in Thailand. When my mother picked me up from the trainstation, the first thing I asked her was: "Taxi by meter, ok? yes?". At home I searched my bags for toiletpaper before going for a wee, and afterwards threw the papers in the bin. Another amazing thing happened: I walked over a pedestrian crossing (zebrapad) and you know what? The cars actually stopped! I was so confused, I proceeded carefully whilst signaling a quiet 'Khap kun khaaaa' (Thai for 'thank you') to the drivers. Next on at the supermarket, I felt the need to negotiate on the price of vegetables; 1 euro for just a cucumber seems a bit steep, if you can get a Phad Thai for that money. Or a green curry with tofu... Or a coconutshake.
Ah well, I'm sure I'll settle in soon enough, I already put my gasheater back on and bought (and ate) some real cheese. In the meantime, I'll share my top 10 on Thailand:

10) Going home
I never appreciated hot showers and my green Dick Boons boots more than after spending only one month in Thailand.
9) KOC at Moon Star Studio
and talking to (not as much 'with') Erlend and Eirik. With a big thank you to Renika and Patricia.
8) Black lake and Karaoke
realising I'm my own guide again.
7) Watching the stars with a powerblack out and forgetting tides from a hammockmill
this also included a Snickers-shake, so I don't feel this needs more explanation.
6) Coconutshakes (and ice-coffees and ice-tea)
i hardly drank cocktails or alcohol, why would you with such marvelous other drinks? Good company also helps. With a big thank you to Beatrice, Vanessa and Manuel.
5) Food from a certain stall at Soi Rammbuttri.
I never ate so much rice in my life; for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Occasionally alternated with pad thai noodles. And then right back to rice.
4) Pai land
a small self-regulating farm right outside Pai; the sweetest thing I've ever seen (apart from the baby-kittens, but they were also in Pai).
3. Another hammock moment, but now with Peter's brother playing the guitar@Koh Chang
I was lying in his hammock, completely hidden from everything, liked an unpeeled banana while he was just quietly played his guitar. For me this was the closest to heaven I'd ever been.
2. Pai.
I could probably fill a whole top 10 with Pai-related events, but I won't (I dedicated 3 blogs to Pai and it has to end somewhere). I already feel like I cheated by referring to Pai land seperately. With a big thank you to Kat, Carol and Thomas (our little troop).
1. Diving @Koh Tao.
Yes, I'm as surprised as you are. For someone who doesn't like snorkeling (water-in- the-tube-trauma) and has a small fear of live swimming fish, getting my Padi was a big thing, and I never would have dreamt of enjoying it the way I did. Diving is like being part of a giant big screen television, but better.
With a big thank you to Jesse.

So, this is it. I'm back home. Bags are unpacked, laundry is drying, pictures are being developed and friends and family met again. My routine had missed me a lot, it couldn't wait to suck me right back in (it's just not the same without me). But hopefully I'll slow down a bit to a more Thai-time pace...

Big mistake!

Now what would a blog be without bloopers, also known as travelers mistakes. Their not all mine, I should add. Could be, but aren't.

T. Dutch, 31
"So this 'friendly' guy at the National museum warned me that the Grand Palace I was heading for was closed today at 3. Yeah, what a coincidence! So he was nice enough to literaly throw me in a tuktuk and get me towards this other budha (and a tourist information office and a tailor). When I got back to the guesthouse I read in my travelguide about this well known friendly-guy-telling-you-things-are-closed-scam..."

K. Irish, 28
"My luggage got lost at the airport, and I never pray for anything. But now I went to the grand temple to pray for my luggage to get back safely. When I left the temple I discovered that my brand new, custom-made, yellow Nike's had been stolen. And I wasn't even at the grand temple...."

T. German, 22
"I didn't even like Vietnam, but being tricked into a gambling scheme and losing 2500 dollars didn't help..."

NN. German, ?
"On one of my first travels I didn't lock my backpack properly and when I got to the guesthouse I noticed that someone had gone through my stuff. Luckily I hadn't left anything in there, but it's well known that things get stolen on the nightbus."

T. Dutch, 31
"I had just been warned that things get stolen on the nightbus. But when I got to the guesthouse I noticed that someone had gone through my not properly closed backpack. Unfortunately I had left some money in there and I lost 4000 Baht."

I. English, 47
"So I had this tuktuk-driver that was supposed to wait for me till I was done visiting this temple. I had made the mistake of paying him in advance and when I came back, he was gone. And so had the tuktuk."

B. English, 19
"In India I got pressured into buying this silk top, that was way over budget. But tuktuk-drivers can be very persuasive..."

T. Dutch, 31
"I thought I got a good deal buying two tv-series on dvd on the Chatachuk weekendmarket. When I got home, E4's 'skins' turned out to be 'Desperate Housewives season 6' and only works on my laptop. And the other one? Well, let's say that Simon Walker of 'the Mentalist' is just as handsome in black&white..."

Please feel free to add your (or others) mistakes in the commentsection below. My next blog will be written from home, see you soon!