A long day of traveling ahead, we woke up early and hopped on a bus to catch our ferry from Krabbi to Phi Phi. Apparently it was a beautiful journey. Fast asleep in the steamy underbelly of the ship, we couldn't tell.

We docked at Phi Phi around noon, and the cleanliness and clarity of the water around its shores had the Japan Crew regretting that we'd be piling back into another ship's steamy underbelly in only a couple of hours. However, as we stepped into the sweltering heat and were once again mobbed by locals offering offensive bracelets, overpriced clothing, and "original" Thai massages, the three hours seemed plenty.

We escaped the mob of shopowners and arrived at Pelz and John Colford's hostel dripping in sweat, ready for our final lunch as a group. We ordered 7 pad se-ews both because, having sustained us cheaply throughout our journey, it seemed like the appropriate final meal and because pad se-ew is very good and we likely would have all ordered it anyway..

Having looked to the past the night before and reflected on the highs and lows of the trip, during lunch we made a point of looking towards the future, discussing how our lives and friendships would change after the trip ended, which for many of us was very soon.

Before we knew it, we were walking back to the port to catch the Japan Crew's connecting ferry to Phuket. After another incredibly tempting but always disappointing slice of Thai pizza, we hugged and said our goodbyes as the group finally split.

After another ferry ride which I believe some of the Japan Crew stayed awake for the entirety of (I did not), we arrived at Phuket town, the San Jose de Cabo to Phuket beach's Cabo San Lucas, except much worse.

The Japan Crew wandered around aimlessly for an hour or so, confused by the legitimacy and normality of the city. Unclear what to do in such a regular city, we quickly made our way back to the safety of thai massages and elephant pants.

After dinner, we headed to the airport and caught our midnight flight back to Bangkok, where we'd spend only a couple hours before catching our flights to Tokyo.