Day 13: Goodbye, for now

Sadly all things must eventually come to an end. As we shared our last breakfast together, we were briefly rejoined with Jubib and Phil, on layover from Chiang Mai to Kuala Lumpur, and exchanged last night's stories. They'd been luckier than we, but in a way we had more fun. That's often how it goes.

We all boarded the skytrain towards the city, and of course stood in silence. No one ever talks on public transports. Even people who seem congenitally unable to shut up will often turn mute as they enter a metro. Maybe there is something about the close proximity of so many busy people wanting to be elsewhere that compels everyone to pipe down and turn inward.

I found it very hard not to feel sad. In a little under two weeks, this small group of people had had an almost illegal amount of fun. We swam in two oceans, slept in trees, rode elephants. We all had the best New Year's eve of our lives. Most of all, I'll miss the constant wit. These are some of the very few people I know who are willing and able to say something funny every single time they open their mouths. Their sense of humor, more than any beach or pachyderm, made every moment a treasure, and these thirteen days more enjoyable than any amount of my clumsy writing can ever describe.

The best goodbyes are short, and the sadder the goodbye the shortest it should be. This one was speedy enough. As the electronic voice called my stop, I stood up, hugged everyone as the train slowed down, then walked out without turning back. Thirty minutes later I reached Suvarnabhumi Airport and bought a ticket to Jakarta.