Thursday,12th February 1998. “Hat Yai Garden Home Hotel” and Home Sweet Home at 20.30 hrs. My Dream Come True:

http://www.gardenhomehotel.com

Having spoken to Wat and Andrew on the phone from my hotel room, I took my long dreamed of shower and it was glorious, sitting on the floor of the bathroom, totally exhilerated. I changed into clean clothes and went down to find my friend, the hotel manager, who was in the coffee shop. I showed him my ‘Walking For Thailand’ information sheet and he read it twice. You walked here from Sadao?

Later in the evening we went to a disco, close by and I was doing my Thai style dancing and entertaining the crowd. The DJ informed everyone that I had just walked to the disco from Sadao which caused roars of laughter. I didn’t take any information sheets, as there is a time and place, for doing it correctly.

“Whatever The Mind Of Man/Woman Can See And Believe, He/She Can Achieve”.

During the 3 rest days I got my small rucksack weight down, by 2 kilos to 5 kilos. For example I had a full small bottle of hair shampoo and replaced it with 2 sachets. Also during my walk to Hat Yai I had my rucksack on my back using the 2 shoulder straps. This made me off balance and the straps grated against my shoulders, as my shirt was very wet from perspiration and I lost some skin, where the straps had been.
I bought a small thick towel to put, folded in half, across my shoulders, so I can carry my rucksack on my left shoulder, protected by the towel. Then I can hold on to the ends of the towel, which stops me swinging my arms, when walking, saving my energy for my legs and feet. This will place the weight on my left leg, which is stronger than the right one, that I broke, badly, in 1996. I also had to find a way of getting the blisters on my feet to heal quickly and realised the skin on my feet was too hard, so it needed softening and I went to the 7 Eleven and bought some Nivea Cream to put on my feet, 3 times a day. It worked!

On Saturday evening 14th February 1998, we had a Valentine’s Day party at the hotel coffee shop with many of my friends present. It was a wonderful evening, which I shall never forget.

http://www.escati.com/walking/padang_besar_to_hat_yai.htm

Today, 14th February 2006, is Valentine’s Day. I wish you all a Very Happy Valentine’s Day, Especially to Your Escati Webmaster and My Great Friend, Dan Nickerson and his lovely girlfriend Brandie in Sanford, Maine, USA:

http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine

I shall continue our Walking For Thailand 1998 Story from Hat Yai to Nonthaburi, via Phuket Town, mid August 2008.

Here are our 1998 Walk Experiences & Publicity…

http://www.walking-in-thailand.com/1998.htm

Yours truly,

Escati.