Location: Pattaya, Thailand
We arrived in Pattaya with the sunrise early this morning after our short and sweet (and final) passage from Koh Chang. It was bittersweet to be flaking our sails one final time. The crew was kept busy all day with an extensive down below BA. We cleaned every nook and cranny, recovering flash drives and squished Mentos from underneath our mattresses. We pulled our suitcases out of the bilges where they had lived for the past 88 days and packed up our cabins. Many of us donated various clothing, toiletries, and school supplies in order to make room for the elephant pants and traditional Indonesian spears we are bringing home. We got a glimpse of shore time this afternoon in which many of us were soaked by water guns as part of a Thai New Year celebration taking place in Pattaya right now. Shannon, Anna, and Katie had their feet nibbled on by little tiny fish. Apparently, it tickled a lot because none of them could sit still. In other news, Mandy did her first backflip off the boat during showers!
It was a pleasure to have Jim join us for a squeeze and dinner. We ate a delicious chocolate cake to celebrate Desiree’s 19th birthday. Happy birthday, sweet Des! As part of our closing ceremony, we watched a video made by Carolyn showcasing how far we’ve come these past three months. It is slightly embarrassing to see how pale we used to be and how long it took us to raise the sails. Currently, everyone has sprinkled themselves around the boat to write letters to one another as part of the Seamester tradition. The 19 of us have spent an amazing three months doing and seeing things I never imagined. Thank you, Argo, for carrying us safely through the Indian Ocean. Through Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Maldives. I’ve lived some of the best memories on board, moments I will never forget.
Lots of love to everyone at home… we will see you soon!!