It is curious how a month in China felt as such a long time, but three weeks in Hat Yuan flew just like that. My one-month Thai visa came to an end, so I had no other choice than to move on. Of course the next moment I bought a train ticket to Butterworth, Malaysia I regretted the choice and realized that I could have just extended my Thai visa without leaving the beach. Funny, how you always mourn something that could have been. Oh well. In the last few days I started thinking of scrapping my original plans and returning back to Hat Yuan equipped with a longer visa. Indeed, why not, I might as well do that. In the end it is all about enjoying what you do and not seeing as many places as possible. Anyways, the main reason I am going to Penang is a meditation retreat at MBMC (Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Center). I am going to spend x days there and hopefully it will bring some clarity to my further plans, Hat Yuan or not.
PS: The price of a three week stay in Hat Yuan is
– one lost towel
– one lost Nalgene bottle,
– one water-damaged Nexus One, which fortunately came back to life
– one salt water damaged Lumix LX5, which is still dead. The situation does not look good either with signs of corrosion. :/
Loved it nonetheless.