Buckets and flipflops

Fucking Cheap Bucket

So they have these things called buckets here. You all probably think you already know what a bucket is, but in Thailand, the word carries extra meaning. In the West, if someone was like, "Hey, man. Do you wanna split a bucket?" You'd be all, "I have no idea what you're talking about." But here, people will say, "Yeah, man!" because here a bucket is a small plastic pale filled with ice, a flask of liquor, a can of soda, and a Red Bull, thus creating a utilitarian cocktail to go. They're the unofficial national beverage. Beach fronts or streets known for their night life are filled with vendors selling the exact same buckets for the exact same prices, and all you have to go on to choose a seller is the vendors' decorations and the volume of their voice. Beers can get expensive here, so for the frugal traveler, buckets are the popular, economical choice.
My flipflops got stolen here on a night when Miles and I were indulging in the national beverage. As I've said before, the island we're on is famous for full moon parties, but for those of us on the other side of the lunar cycle, they also throw black moon parties with the same spirit. After dinner and a bucket or two, we arrived at the party around 1 a.m. (things get started really late here), and since the dancing was on the beach, we hid our sandals to enjoy the night barefoot. Our hiding spot was pretty decent. When I tucked them behind an out of the way bungalow, the thought didn't even enter my mine: "Is this hiding spot good enough?" I had total faith that I would be leaving the party with footwear. But alas, I was wrong. We danced the whole night without a single worry, but when light began creeping in from the east, we went to get our flipflops, but only found one pair--Miles' pair. The real bummer is that I really liked my flipflops. I sent my tennis shoes home. because I was so confident in the comfort of my flipflops. And Miles didn't really like his flipflops. He was even thinking of buying a new pair here, but his were the flipflops that weren't stolen. I've already got a new pair. They're alright, but I take them off half the time, because my bare feet are just as comfortable. I'm over it now. It's all just a part of travelling.