What a beautiful country! The beaches and islands are out of this World. There are a ton of islands to explore and I have to come back here! God has created one amazing World and I only wish I had time to explore it all! Hope you all enjoy the update! I am doing good and cannot believe only 10 more days in SE Asia....crazy! Pictures to come soon as I figured out the problem but not able to transfer the photos yet.
2/13 - Manila
We arrived around 5 am and got a cab to the hostel. Luckily, they let us check in and get our beds. I slept until noon but Jordan was up early as she was headed to the India Embassy for her future visa. We went out with a group from the hostel to local bar. We got to try the local beer which was really good.
2/14 - Manila
We booked our Donsol trip! And the whale sharks should be there. We also went to a 5 story mall to walk around. Sorry for this one boys but don't want to forget it.....I was at the supermarket (in the mall) and needed to buy some tampons. The male clerk saw me and pointed right at the only tampons along the row. I paid about $3 for 8 tampons! Steep but they are just not common here! We headed to a the park for a free concert with a guy from Mexico and a guy from Jersey Village ( high school class of 2003 - small world!). The concert was no good but the people watching was great. I think a lot of the locals were watching us too! There were a ton of people in the park and everyone was enjoying the valentines holiday. We walked back to the hostel pretty early. The smells and the amount of people selling things on the sides of the streets is just amazing. It is like nothing I have ever seen in the Western World. Manila is one of the largest cities in the World and I only explored a few streets within.
2/15 - Donsol
Kayla arrived around 12:30 am at the hostel. She had to be a big girl and make her way from the airport to the hostel...one day she will stop giving me crap about it! We flew out around lunch time to Legazpi and got a van to Donsol. We checked into our sweet hostel for the next three nights. The pool was right on the beach. It was beautiful and what a wonderful treat for us backpackers. We checked out the ocean and went for a swim in the pool. We also order fresh fruit smoothies and maybe added a shot of local rum to them! We also signed up for whale shark finding the next day. For dinner, we had an amazing piece of fish and watched the sunset from the hotel.
2/16 - Donsol
We left at 7 am for butanding or whale shark finding. We drove around on the boat for three hours and without spotting one. We got to work on our tans but headed back a little sad. We had lunch next to the tourism center. Jordan went back out for three more hours but Kayla and I had sore butts from sitting on the wood boat for so long. We went for a massage right on the beach! Wow, it was awesome! I was not feeling well as the Philippines has been a little tough on my belly so I went to bed early.
2/17 - Donsol
In the morning, we went to the internet cafe to book some additional things for our trip but it was full. So we walked around the little town and got to see them opening the market. We took the tricycle to town which is like a tuk tuk and fun for us all three to fit on. We headed out for butanding around 11 am. As soon as we got on the boat, the guide was like get your snorkel equipment on. There was a baby whale shark in the bay. Yes! We put our snorkel gear on and we jumped off the side of the boat. They yell at you to look down and when you do, there is a 6 meter whale shark swimming under you. Yes, I swam over the top of his head and was terrified his fin was going to hit me. It was the most surreal moment. The coloring and spots are beautiful. Swimming with the whale sharks has always been a huge dream for me and I am happy to say I jumped in seven times to swim along side this amazing fish! We were on the boat for about 2 hours. We had a great dinner at a restaurant right on the beach.
2/18 - Puerto Princesa
This was a travel day. After riding the local bus from Donsol to Legazpi, we flew back to Manila. The ride was a little long and in the back of a GP, local truck. We had lunch in Manila and headed back to the airport for our flight to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. Both flights were about an hour and we upgraded from the last row of the plane on the first flight to the first row on the second flight!
2/19 - Puerto Princesa
We woke up early to try and go to the longest underground river in the World. We were not able to get a permit until February 25th so we got one for then and planned to stop on the way back to Manila.
We went to Honda Bay. We went to three islands with three locals and one French man on our boat. The first stop was at a floating dock right over the reef. We jumped in to snorkel and got to see a few fish. The colors were not great because the sun was not out. The water was nice and warm. The second stop was on Starfish Island and I am happy to say we got to see so many starfish in the water. We got some amazing photos of them! We also found a ton of whole sand dollars lining the beach. It was so cool! I have never been able to find so many! The third stop was at Isla Pandan. The water was incredibly clear! It was beautiful and the mountains in the background just made it a wonderful place. We had a really great dinner at a local restaurant.
2/20 - El Nido
We took a 5 hour van ride El Nido on the north end of the island of Palawan. It was a long ride but we learned to sit in the front so you have leg room. The vans are not made for tall Americans! It was raining when we arrived so we got the first hostel that Lonely Planet recommended. Well, the people and restaurant were ver nice but the room and bathroom were horrible. I thought Kayla was going to die after her first visit to the toilet. We had booked two nights so we had to make it work. In El Nido, the power goes off from 6:30 am to 2 pm everyday. When your room just has a fan, it makes it a little hard to sleep in with the warmth.
2/21 - El Nido
We headed out on an island hopping tour. The sky was still a bit grey but the sun started to pop thru along the way. The wind was blowing and the water was a bit choppy. We were pretty much getting soaked every time the boat moved! We snorkeled to a small lagoon. It was beautiful and we were the last ones in so pretty much had it to ourselves. There was also a small cave that Jordan swam right into. The second stop was at a beach but the water was to rough to swim. We had a BBQ lunch that included salad, rice, fruit, grilled pork, fish and squid. It was yummy! The third stop was at a big lagoon. It was beautiful. We jumped off this floating dock and took fun photos with the locals that were on our boat. We then crossed the bay to a beautiful beach. It had the softest white sand! We headed back to El Nido and had a girls night out! It was fun!
2/22 - El Nido
We had a chill, relaxing day as the weather was still not very good. We moved to a much nicer hotel and had our own bathroom. We just strolled around town and ate! Town is right on the beach and had lots of restaurants and little shops. We found our favorite place to eat and went back the next day for breakfast.
2/23 - El Nido
We signed up for more island hopping. We snorkeled on the way to snake island. We got to see quite a few fish. There were a ton of blue ones and I got a pretty good photo of them! Snake Island is awesome. It connects two islands by a sand bar that you can walk all the way along. It is a site to see the two oceans meet on the sand bar. The mangroves were all around and the water was crystal clear. Wait till you see these photos! We had lunch on the island and then headed to two different caves and one more island. These places are amazing and some times we were the only ones around while other places we were not. I like the Philippines because you meet so many people traveling who are from the Philippines and they are incredible nice! And they always want to take pictures with you. Even if you don't know them at all!
2/24 - Puerto Princesa
We headed back to Puerto Princesa around 1 pm. It was a long ride back in the back of the van but we made it. I was fun to just chat and catch up with Kayla. It has been so great to have her here! It made me so excited to see my family so soon!
2/25 - Manila
We woke up early to be picked up later by the tour company for the Subterranean River Tour. We were headed to the World's longest underground river (8.2 km). We had a two hour drive to the boat dock and then a short boat ride to the entrance of the river. The national park only allows 900 guest to enter the cave each day so we are lucky to get to have experienced the cave. We were in the cave for about 45 minutes and traveled about 1.5 km into it. It was dark! Kayla and I were the main light holders but it was hard to hear where the guide of our 10 men boat wanted us to shine the light. They had names for all the funny stalagmite and stalagtights. There were bats everywhere and bugs! Not sure I ever thought I would see something like that. We drove back and got our baggage. We headed to the airport for our late flight back to Manila. We arrived late and I packed a few things for Kayla to take home for me.
2/26 - Manila
Kayla left at around 5:30 am.....sad to say goodbye but I hope she had fun. I really enjoyed having her visit and hope to have passed the travel bug onto her a little more! I got to Skype with my mom, Melissa and Kendall today. It was great to talk to so many people who love and support me! Jordan and I headed to Market! Market! for lunch and ended up shopping in this huge complex! It was nice to just walk around and be girls for a little while. Jordan's India visa got approved with a little mess up on the exit date but now she has her passport for the next two countries we will be visiting!
2/27 - Manila
Plan to hike a volcano! More details with the next update!
2/28 - Flight to Brunei late at night!
A quite transfer to the island of Borneo and flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. More details with the next update also!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Singapore
The adventure continues to be amazing! I have enjoyed very much traveling thru SE Asia and everyone needs to make a trip over. I have done things that are so far out of my comfort zone and hope to remember everything perfectly when I am an old lady. Well, maybe I could forget a few of the smells! My ipad will not upload photos anymore so I will try and add some but not sure when. Here is an update from my Singapore trip! Hope you enjoy!
2/9 - We were up early for our flight to Singapore. Although we planned to have a chill evening, things might have gotten a little crazy! After going through customs and getting our bags, we were asked to send our bags through the X-ray machine before leaving. Jordan and I were both asked to take out our pocket knifes. Jordan's larger knife was okay to carry through but my smaller but switch blade knife (knife that opens with a press of the button) was not. I was like no big deal, you can have the knife. The security guard was like no we have to do a police report and you will be questioned. He asked for my passport and I had to follow another security guard. They told Jordan I would be about 30 minutes and she need to wait in the common area. Off I went with the security guard to the police station. They filled out a ton of paper work and finally two police officers came in. One questioned me on all my background/general information and why I was carrying this knife. I was like I used it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and to maybe cut a rope or something. He just laughed. So I had to sign a paper saying that I understood they would not be pressing charges at this time but if commit another crime, I could be taken to court. I had to sign a few more and then I was released to leave about 45 minutes later. Never a dull moment in my life! We checked into our hostel located pretty close to the train system but it was raining. We walked to the local food market but it was mostly closed. That evening, we ordered pizza to the dorm and went to bed early.
2/10 - My Uncle Anthony's and Aunt Diane's friend, Robert, lives in Singapore and picked us up for lunch. We had great American food and I ate every last bit! He also drove us around town since it was raining. And we spotted the H&M!! The streets are lined with beautiful greenery and everything is so clean.
That evening, Robert, Jordan and I went on the Night Safari at the zoo. We spent about 4 hours looking at all the animals. The zoo is very open concept and the deers could walk right up to you if they wanted. On the way home, Robert stopped at his favorite food court. We got to try some local foods and they were really good! They have 24 hour food courts around town. I have caught a little cold along the way so not feeling 100%.
2/11 - We walked around Little India and had lunch. It was a bit spicy for my taste. Then, we walked around China Town but most things were closed due to the Chinese New Year. They had millions of lanterns lining the streets. It was really cool to see. Then, we headed to Orchard Street with all the shopping malls. I did a little damage at H&M but not much...don't want to carry anything else in my bag! We then headed to Marina Bay Sands Hotel (the hotel with the big boat on top!). It was very impressive. We had a $30 glass of wine on the top and watched the sunset behind the Singapore skyline. On the deck in front of the hotel, we watched a really good light, water and fire show. They did a great job with it. Not a bad way to end the evening!
2/12 - We were total bums as it was raining. We finally went out to the Gardens behind the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. They spent over $1 billion dollars on these gardens. Pretty Crazy! They were very nice. Jordan and I were both in totally goofy moods which is a good thing for the rest of the day was a little crazy. We headed back to the hostel and picked up our bags to head to the airport. We arrived early at the airport thinking we could check in early and hang out in the huge airport. But we could not, so we just had dinner. Around 10 pm, we could check in but we were stopped at the check in counter. You must have a ticket showing you are leaving the Philippines within 21 days of your entrance. Well, we did not have one. We ended up buying to tickets to Brunei (small county in Southeast Asia). I was having all sorts of problems booking my ticket and the counter was going to make me pay like $40 more if I didn't book thru the Internet. Anyways, just a little stressful! We made it thru check in and the ticket agent had saved up two seats at the front of the plane together....so nice! We had McDonalds in the airport and border the plane at about 1 am.
2/9 - We were up early for our flight to Singapore. Although we planned to have a chill evening, things might have gotten a little crazy! After going through customs and getting our bags, we were asked to send our bags through the X-ray machine before leaving. Jordan and I were both asked to take out our pocket knifes. Jordan's larger knife was okay to carry through but my smaller but switch blade knife (knife that opens with a press of the button) was not. I was like no big deal, you can have the knife. The security guard was like no we have to do a police report and you will be questioned. He asked for my passport and I had to follow another security guard. They told Jordan I would be about 30 minutes and she need to wait in the common area. Off I went with the security guard to the police station. They filled out a ton of paper work and finally two police officers came in. One questioned me on all my background/general information and why I was carrying this knife. I was like I used it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and to maybe cut a rope or something. He just laughed. So I had to sign a paper saying that I understood they would not be pressing charges at this time but if commit another crime, I could be taken to court. I had to sign a few more and then I was released to leave about 45 minutes later. Never a dull moment in my life! We checked into our hostel located pretty close to the train system but it was raining. We walked to the local food market but it was mostly closed. That evening, we ordered pizza to the dorm and went to bed early.
2/10 - My Uncle Anthony's and Aunt Diane's friend, Robert, lives in Singapore and picked us up for lunch. We had great American food and I ate every last bit! He also drove us around town since it was raining. And we spotted the H&M!! The streets are lined with beautiful greenery and everything is so clean.
That evening, Robert, Jordan and I went on the Night Safari at the zoo. We spent about 4 hours looking at all the animals. The zoo is very open concept and the deers could walk right up to you if they wanted. On the way home, Robert stopped at his favorite food court. We got to try some local foods and they were really good! They have 24 hour food courts around town. I have caught a little cold along the way so not feeling 100%.
2/11 - We walked around Little India and had lunch. It was a bit spicy for my taste. Then, we walked around China Town but most things were closed due to the Chinese New Year. They had millions of lanterns lining the streets. It was really cool to see. Then, we headed to Orchard Street with all the shopping malls. I did a little damage at H&M but not much...don't want to carry anything else in my bag! We then headed to Marina Bay Sands Hotel (the hotel with the big boat on top!). It was very impressive. We had a $30 glass of wine on the top and watched the sunset behind the Singapore skyline. On the deck in front of the hotel, we watched a really good light, water and fire show. They did a great job with it. Not a bad way to end the evening!
2/12 - We were total bums as it was raining. We finally went out to the Gardens behind the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. They spent over $1 billion dollars on these gardens. Pretty Crazy! They were very nice. Jordan and I were both in totally goofy moods which is a good thing for the rest of the day was a little crazy. We headed back to the hostel and picked up our bags to head to the airport. We arrived early at the airport thinking we could check in early and hang out in the huge airport. But we could not, so we just had dinner. Around 10 pm, we could check in but we were stopped at the check in counter. You must have a ticket showing you are leaving the Philippines within 21 days of your entrance. Well, we did not have one. We ended up buying to tickets to Brunei (small county in Southeast Asia). I was having all sorts of problems booking my ticket and the counter was going to make me pay like $40 more if I didn't book thru the Internet. Anyways, just a little stressful! We made it thru check in and the ticket agent had saved up two seats at the front of the plane together....so nice! We had McDonalds in the airport and border the plane at about 1 am.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Thailand Part 3 - Bangkok and Islands
It has been a pretty crazy last few days. The beaches have been amazing! The diving was a great escape from this crazy World that we live in. It was nice to just relax and meet some people. Here is some big news, I fly home to Houston from Seattle on March 15th. My mom is meeting me in Seattle on March 9th and we are spending a week exploring. Yes, I really am lucky! I have mixed feelings about coming home and a little nervous that I am going to have culture shock when I get there....no more dinners for $2 and hotels for $4! But I do miss Texas food and big hugs!
Here are the details!
1/31 - Night Train and Ferry from Bangkok to Koh Tao Island
We arrived in Bangkok on the train in the morning. We checked our big bags into the storage room at the train station. We headed out to explore the city a little more. We headed to Khao San Road. I did a little shopping which included a new swimsuit, a leather purse and two new tank tops. We went to watch the movie Zero Dark Thirty. And got a haircut and wash at the salon (both only six bucks)! We got a taxi back to the train station where our night train left around 7:30 pm. The train was a little older than most and lots of locals that stayed up pretty late. Hard to sleep when you just have a piece of cloth blocking you from the rest of the people.
2/1 - Koh Tao
We arrived at the train station around 4:30 am in Chumphon City. We bought ferry tickets and waited until 7 am for the transfer bus to the dock. We watched the sun rise as we got on the ferry. We got to Koh Tao in the morning around 10 am. We had read good things about Big Blue Diving Resort so we got their free transfer. They had one room left in their sister hotel down the road. We signed up for two afternoon dives and a full day diving trip. We walked around Sairee Beach. It was a cute, little area with lots of tourist. The streets are narrow but that does not stop cars and motorbikes from zooming through the tourist. We had drinks on the beach and watch the guys twirl fire on ropes and bars. It was pretty impressive!
2/2 - Koh Tao
We sleep in until like 9 am, wonderful! Our room ended up having AC and the beds were super nice! We headed to the dive shop to prepare our equipment and headed out for the two afternoon dives. The first dive was a place with caves. The dive included a lot of swimming to and from the boat. It was not very fun because the water was so rough that the waves were white capping. The second dive was at White Rock. It was beautiful and the fish were everywhere. At the safety stop, I was just taken away by all the fish. We came up right by the boat which was another good thing. Right before the second dive, I grabbed a cookie out of the cookie jar. When I was eating the cookie, I noticed blood everywhere. Yes, I cut the tips of three of my fingers on the cookie jar. It bleed a lot. Luckily, a dive master (ex nurse) was right there and cleaned it and put band aids all on three of my figures. And luckily, no sharks were around on the second dive. We headed back, had dinner and called it a night!
2/3 - Koh Tao
We were up at 5:30 am for an all day dive trip. The trip included three dives. The first two were at Sail Rock. It is suppose to be the best spot to dive in the Gulf of Thailand and the best chance at seeing whale sharks. Unfortunately, the visibility was no good. We could still see the coral and got to see an eel swimming out of his hole. It was cool to see him swim. I had and still have horrible blisters on the back of my feet from the day before. I wore my smart wool socks in hope to stop the sting. The second dive was at Sail Rock also. We got to see a very large eel but he was in his hole. We also saw some of the largest colorful fish that I have ever seen. Overall, I would not say the best dive spot but I think the visibility was the issue for us. The last dive was at the South West Pinnacle. And it was my favorite. The visibility was great, tons of fish everywhere and the coral was beautiful. I really enjoyed the last dive. For dinner, we got a whole fish and potatoes..yum! We hung out with some of the dive masters at night and we had a really fun night! Everyones life's are so different and people are on these crazy journeys!
2/4 - Night Ferry and bus to Koh Lanta
We checked out of the hotel and headed to the beach. My bag was completely empty and all over the hotel floor. It will be nice to have a closet again! We went to Koh Nangyuan Beach. The two tops of the mountains are connected with a white sand bar (wait until you see the photo). We hung out for about two hours and got our water taxi back to Koh Tao. On the boat ride back, the weather changed and it was pouring. We were soaked by the time we got back. We had lunch at the dive shop and then the sun was back. We laid out on the pillows at the dive shop for a few hours. We paid and had a shower at one of the massage places, dinner and border the night boat. The boat was pretty hilarious. There are not beds, just mats laid right next to each other. I think there were 37 mats on one side. Thank goodness, I am a little person and that the girl next to me was too!
2/5 - Koh Lanta
We arrived at 5 am in Thathong. We loaded on in a van for a 2.5 hour drive . Then, waited 2 hours and had an 1.5 hour drive in another van to Koh Lanta. We are stayed at a resort on the south end of the island away from everything. The tour company we used forgot to call the hotel when we got there and we waited at a 7 Eleven for 40 minutes and then had to pay for a taxi. The hotel reimbursed us for half the cab ride. Made for a long day but we finally made it to a low key, beautiful beach! I laid out for a few hours and watched the crabs and hermit crabs walking around the beach. Our place is alright but the bathroom has a horrible odor to it. Really every bathroom smells here. The septic systems and sewer pipes are poorly designed. Sometimes you are walking and it is just smelly. You have to walk faster and hold your breathe. I am looking forward to clean bathrooms and sewer pipes at are buried under ground!
2/6 - Koh Lanta
Jordan had two blisters on her toes and they were not looking good. Her foot was red and hurting so we headed to the clinic to have them looked at. They ended up being infected and she got an antibiotic and cannot swim until they are better. I think she is allergic to the beach....anyone remember the Nicaragua stitches story. We headed back home and laid on the beach for the afternoon. I have a fresh juice or shake everyday. I am going to have to start making them back home because they are so amazing (Melissa F. - it reminds me of your shakes and how you put spinach in them!). We had dinner right on the beach and watched the sunset. I absolutely love sunsets! And my camera takes amazing sunset photos!
2/7 - Koh Phi Phi
We were up at 6:30 am to take the morning ferry over to Koh Phi Phi. Just google images of this island! We found a room behind a massage place for the night. We dropped off our bag and spent the entire day on the beach! Wow, what an amazing beach! The tide rolled out and rolled in all while we sat in layout chairs! It was a GREAT day! I took an hour nap, listened to some old jams on my iPod and laughed at the old memories that came with the old songs (Lauren - California Here We Come!). Alright, I will stop bragging about my wondering day. We went out to some pretty cool bars on the island for the night!
2/8 - Phuket
We woke up and had to get a ferry ticket to Phuket as we have a flight out the next day. We took the 11:30 ferry and then had a short van ride over to Patong Beach. We are staying at a hostel and headed to the beach. It was very nice but not as great as the surrounding islands. The city has a ton of bars lining on of the streets. It looks pretty crazy! We have a flight that we have to leave for the airport at 7 am so it will be a chill night for us.
Singapore is the next country and next stop on my adventure!
Here are the details!
1/31 - Night Train and Ferry from Bangkok to Koh Tao Island
We arrived in Bangkok on the train in the morning. We checked our big bags into the storage room at the train station. We headed out to explore the city a little more. We headed to Khao San Road. I did a little shopping which included a new swimsuit, a leather purse and two new tank tops. We went to watch the movie Zero Dark Thirty. And got a haircut and wash at the salon (both only six bucks)! We got a taxi back to the train station where our night train left around 7:30 pm. The train was a little older than most and lots of locals that stayed up pretty late. Hard to sleep when you just have a piece of cloth blocking you from the rest of the people.
2/1 - Koh Tao
We arrived at the train station around 4:30 am in Chumphon City. We bought ferry tickets and waited until 7 am for the transfer bus to the dock. We watched the sun rise as we got on the ferry. We got to Koh Tao in the morning around 10 am. We had read good things about Big Blue Diving Resort so we got their free transfer. They had one room left in their sister hotel down the road. We signed up for two afternoon dives and a full day diving trip. We walked around Sairee Beach. It was a cute, little area with lots of tourist. The streets are narrow but that does not stop cars and motorbikes from zooming through the tourist. We had drinks on the beach and watch the guys twirl fire on ropes and bars. It was pretty impressive!
2/2 - Koh Tao
We sleep in until like 9 am, wonderful! Our room ended up having AC and the beds were super nice! We headed to the dive shop to prepare our equipment and headed out for the two afternoon dives. The first dive was a place with caves. The dive included a lot of swimming to and from the boat. It was not very fun because the water was so rough that the waves were white capping. The second dive was at White Rock. It was beautiful and the fish were everywhere. At the safety stop, I was just taken away by all the fish. We came up right by the boat which was another good thing. Right before the second dive, I grabbed a cookie out of the cookie jar. When I was eating the cookie, I noticed blood everywhere. Yes, I cut the tips of three of my fingers on the cookie jar. It bleed a lot. Luckily, a dive master (ex nurse) was right there and cleaned it and put band aids all on three of my figures. And luckily, no sharks were around on the second dive. We headed back, had dinner and called it a night!
2/3 - Koh Tao
We were up at 5:30 am for an all day dive trip. The trip included three dives. The first two were at Sail Rock. It is suppose to be the best spot to dive in the Gulf of Thailand and the best chance at seeing whale sharks. Unfortunately, the visibility was no good. We could still see the coral and got to see an eel swimming out of his hole. It was cool to see him swim. I had and still have horrible blisters on the back of my feet from the day before. I wore my smart wool socks in hope to stop the sting. The second dive was at Sail Rock also. We got to see a very large eel but he was in his hole. We also saw some of the largest colorful fish that I have ever seen. Overall, I would not say the best dive spot but I think the visibility was the issue for us. The last dive was at the South West Pinnacle. And it was my favorite. The visibility was great, tons of fish everywhere and the coral was beautiful. I really enjoyed the last dive. For dinner, we got a whole fish and potatoes..yum! We hung out with some of the dive masters at night and we had a really fun night! Everyones life's are so different and people are on these crazy journeys!
2/4 - Night Ferry and bus to Koh Lanta
We checked out of the hotel and headed to the beach. My bag was completely empty and all over the hotel floor. It will be nice to have a closet again! We went to Koh Nangyuan Beach. The two tops of the mountains are connected with a white sand bar (wait until you see the photo). We hung out for about two hours and got our water taxi back to Koh Tao. On the boat ride back, the weather changed and it was pouring. We were soaked by the time we got back. We had lunch at the dive shop and then the sun was back. We laid out on the pillows at the dive shop for a few hours. We paid and had a shower at one of the massage places, dinner and border the night boat. The boat was pretty hilarious. There are not beds, just mats laid right next to each other. I think there were 37 mats on one side. Thank goodness, I am a little person and that the girl next to me was too!
2/5 - Koh Lanta
We arrived at 5 am in Thathong. We loaded on in a van for a 2.5 hour drive . Then, waited 2 hours and had an 1.5 hour drive in another van to Koh Lanta. We are stayed at a resort on the south end of the island away from everything. The tour company we used forgot to call the hotel when we got there and we waited at a 7 Eleven for 40 minutes and then had to pay for a taxi. The hotel reimbursed us for half the cab ride. Made for a long day but we finally made it to a low key, beautiful beach! I laid out for a few hours and watched the crabs and hermit crabs walking around the beach. Our place is alright but the bathroom has a horrible odor to it. Really every bathroom smells here. The septic systems and sewer pipes are poorly designed. Sometimes you are walking and it is just smelly. You have to walk faster and hold your breathe. I am looking forward to clean bathrooms and sewer pipes at are buried under ground!
2/6 - Koh Lanta
Jordan had two blisters on her toes and they were not looking good. Her foot was red and hurting so we headed to the clinic to have them looked at. They ended up being infected and she got an antibiotic and cannot swim until they are better. I think she is allergic to the beach....anyone remember the Nicaragua stitches story. We headed back home and laid on the beach for the afternoon. I have a fresh juice or shake everyday. I am going to have to start making them back home because they are so amazing (Melissa F. - it reminds me of your shakes and how you put spinach in them!). We had dinner right on the beach and watched the sunset. I absolutely love sunsets! And my camera takes amazing sunset photos!
2/7 - Koh Phi Phi
We were up at 6:30 am to take the morning ferry over to Koh Phi Phi. Just google images of this island! We found a room behind a massage place for the night. We dropped off our bag and spent the entire day on the beach! Wow, what an amazing beach! The tide rolled out and rolled in all while we sat in layout chairs! It was a GREAT day! I took an hour nap, listened to some old jams on my iPod and laughed at the old memories that came with the old songs (Lauren - California Here We Come!). Alright, I will stop bragging about my wondering day. We went out to some pretty cool bars on the island for the night!
2/8 - Phuket
We woke up and had to get a ferry ticket to Phuket as we have a flight out the next day. We took the 11:30 ferry and then had a short van ride over to Patong Beach. We are staying at a hostel and headed to the beach. It was very nice but not as great as the surrounding islands. The city has a ton of bars lining on of the streets. It looks pretty crazy! We have a flight that we have to leave for the airport at 7 am so it will be a chill night for us.
Singapore is the next country and next stop on my adventure!
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