Exploring Lang Suan

I decided to stay in Lang Suan this weekend despite my plans to head down to Krabi to do a day trip to Ko Phi Phi and a rock climbing day trip to Railay.  With only a few short weeks left here, I’ve started to think that I’ve been neglecting my home.  For the next three months or so I’m not going to have a home.  I have taken for granted the luxury of being able to come back to my own space after traveling on the weekends and the idea has started to daunt me a little bit.   Thus, I realized that there are still undiscovered gems of my temporary home that I have yet to explore.  And they’re only a short bike ride away.

Well they’re a bike ride away.

The first destination was the temple located in a cave (not really sure what the name of it is since everything in Lang Suan is not catered towards tourists and thus is completely in Thai).  We headed down the paved road past the new International School they’re building (it looks super nice, but once again the sign out front is all in Thai so we’re not exactly sure if the rumor we heard about it being an International School is true.)  We took a turn down a small dirt road and headed towards the cave.  It was one of the most beautiful bike rides I’ve taken yet!  It weaves through windy roads shaded by trees and past palm tree forests, where the only sounds I can hear are the wind blowing through the trees, my tire crunching through the gravel, and the various calls of birds and unknown insects.   Not many people venture down this road, especially farangs, so we garner weird looks from passing motorists, asking us with their eyes, “What in the world are you doing down here?!”

The temple in the cave was nothing too incredibly special, but it was perfect.  It had multiple Buddha statues and I just loved the way I felt when I was in there.  There’s just something about a sacred place located in the side of a mountain.  I closed my eyes and pictured my happiness (now I know “happiness” is not something tangible, but the feeling can be so strong sometimes that transforms into a real thing).  I pictured how happy I was at this moment, how happy I have been in Thailand.  And then I asked that my happiness continue.  That I find more things to add to my contentment.  That I never feel lost again and I can always bring myself back to this feeling I have right now.  I looked out over Lang Suan (we had to climb thirty stairs or so to get there and it gave us a great view of the town) and relished in the fact that I was there.  That this was my home for however brief a period it was.  It was my home and it still is for a few more weeks at least.

On Saturday there is a market at Paknam (the beach in Lang Suan).  Paknam is a good 7-8 km away and we usually drive (one of the Thai teachers we hang out with has a car), but today we decided to take a nice slow and long bike ride to visit the market (mostly because we couldn’t get a hold of Ta Ta).  It was a beautiful day and although it’s extremely hot, the breeze caused by riding a bike was perfect.

We arrived completely drenched in sweat, but excited to explore the market.   Our first order of business was to grab a beer, which was extremely difficult to handle as I was snapping photograph after photograph.  Of course, I was getting some baffled looks, but it’s hard to tell if it’s because I’m a farang or because I’m carrying this strangely, big camera.   Probably a little bit of both. 

I loved looking at all the food the merchants were selling.  There were lots of booths piled high with dried fish heads and who knows what else having to do with fish (this was alarmingly gross to James since he holds a strong hatred towards anything fishy).  I spotted an unrecognized crustacean and was offered a taste test in response to my confused looks.  The thing looked vile so I laughed it off, said no thank you, and bolted right out of there.   

We spotted two of our M1 students (mine was female and his was male) together perusing the aisles of the market.  We immediately assumed that they were together and excitedly gossiped about how cute it would be if they were an item.  It was one of my extremely quiet students who I loved and James seemed to approve of his student, so we decided that it was a cute match.  Around each turn we seemed to run into them again and again and with each chance run-in their embarrassment augmented.   It was so cute!

I had been craving an ice cream cone for weeks now and I happily got one on two different occasions.  I had James snap a picture of me with it and as I smiled widely holding my cone up, he remarked, “Yeah we’re doing a really good job blending in aren’t we?”  I didn’t care!  I was so excited to have cookies & cream ice cream on a cone!

All in all, we had a really fun day strolling through aisles and aisles of food, deserts, clothing and trinkets and I felt a little closer to Lang Suan!

One of the main Buddhas as you come into the cave

Buddha Mudra

This Buddha looked like Luigi! It was the mustache! I had never seen that before.

The steps up to the temple

The view of the cave as you enter

The view from the steps leading to more Buddhas inside of the cave

There was a lot of writing on the walls that I found interesting

I finally had an ice cream after weeks of dreaming. It was utterly delicious

This thing was awesome! It kept the beer freezing cold!

Lots of FISH!

Fish is everywhere

Hard at work selling vegetables

The crazy looking animal! Does anyone know what this thing is?! They told me in Thai, but not so sure on the English

Cooking!

More Cooking!

Check out the Picture of the Day from the Saturday Market!  (and no it was not in the above gallery!)

Just Monkeying Around

In Lang Suan, there is an old temple, located on the river in a cave.  Unbeknownst to us, the temple grounds have been overrun by monkeys and they are the most ridiculous bunch of hooligans I have ever encountered.  A person could sit for hours just watching these little guys bounce around the trees, vines, and rocks, sometimes screaming and whooping at each other, but always doing something silly.    

I had been to this “Monkey Temple” one time before.  I had never been inches away from a monkey before, let alone be surrounded by them.  I wasn’t sure what to do around them and when James gave me a bag of cookies to feed to the monkeys I was hesitant.  It didn’t matter how careful I was with the bag, it wasn’t in my hands much longer. 

When I was getting ready to feed one of the bigger ones, he quickly reached out and grabbed the bag from me and ran off.  I couldn’t believe it!  I was completely duped and that little sneak pilfered a full bag of cookies!

Well this trip I was determined to keep my treats long enough so I could feed the monkeys myself.  I had brought with me three pieces of bread that I was planning on splitting up so I could spend some quality time with the monkeys.

While I held the plastic bag in my hand, I was shooting one of the monkeys that had decided to model for me.  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a curious monkey swiftly charging towards me.  Surely, he would stop, I thought. 

Then he lashed out…

And perfectly tore the bottom of bag and collected his prize: all three pieces of bread.  I stood awestruck with the now limp plastic bag.  James was hysterically laughing.  We couldn’t believe it happened again.   

Just more evidence that monkeys are a little more like us than we thought.

The little Minx

More Monkey pictures!

Traveling in Thailand – The Window Incident

I’ve learned that traveling in Thailand takes a lot of patience.  And I mean a lot.  The buses rarely leave on time, usually because a driver is eating, chatting away, napping or just simply isn’t there.  If you want to go somewhere, and specify that to a driver, there is about a one in ten chance you will arrive at your desired destination, and gripe and moan all you want, they don’t care.  They will smile and nod and you will be hailing another tuk tuk or a cab in no time. 

I’ve decided to start documenting these atrociously funny events.  Of course, they’re only funny after the fact.  Weeks after the event I can actually look back on it and think, “Hey, I guess that was pretty funny after all,” so I’d figure I would share.

When I need to head down to Surat Thani, a hub to get to the southern islands, Krabi, or Phuket, I take the local bus from Lang Suan.  The bus is “supposed” to leave at around 12:30, but it might leave at 12:45, maybe even 1, and on a more recent trip, we found that it could possibly leave at 1:45.  There are no tourists in my town and thus I am always the only white person on the bus, which warrants many blank stares and confused looks.

I usually sit on the left side of the bus, I’m not sure why, I’ve just turned it into a little routine of mine.  I love pushing the window all the way up  so that I can lean slightly out the window and feel the warm Thailand air whipping against my face as the bus meanders down the highway.  Usually this isn’t a problem.  But apparently, in the particular seat I chose this one afternoon on the left side of the bus, it was some sort of hazard. 

The lady that collected the money started yelling at me in Thai and motioning to my window.  Unfortunately, after my almost four months of being here, I have not become close to understanding a lick of Thai (aside from the very basic phrases.  I meant to learn, honestly, I really did!), and thus had no clue what she was trying to tell me.  She leaned over me and popped the window down and went on her way.  Now it’s hot in Thailand, and on a bus that dangerously swerves all over the road with no air conditioning, one can tend to get a little car sick. 

This whole window down thing was not going to work.

I glanced around the bus and noticed that everyone on the left side of the bus still had their window up and were enjoying  the fresh air, so I checked that the lady was still at the front of the bus, and stealthily pushed my window up. 

I enjoyed the air for a good five minutes until the lady came charging back up the aisle and proceeded to yell at me in Thai again.  She theoretically grabbed me (she wasn’t as forceful as it sounds, but the yelling and screaming indicated that she might go down that path) and pointed me in the direction of an open seat on the other side of the bus.  I got hurled into the seat, getting whacked in the ankle by some stray metal piece from who knows where in the process.

But apparently this seat was different than its predecessor…I could have my window up.

Life in a Thai Town

Los Angeles has a China Town, Korean Town, Olvera Street (Mexican heritage), Little Armenia, and so much more.  I’ve had Chinese neighbors, Greek neighbors, German neighbors and neighbors from Latin America.  I attended college with exchange students from Japan, Singapore, Spain and India.  I can walk down a busy street and hear five different languages in three different dialects. Needless to say,  I have seen a lot of diversity in my short life in California.  Thus, being one of two white women in a small city in Thailand has come as a bit of a shock to me.

The Infamous Street - Come to think of it, I have no idea what the name of my street is even called...something in Thai I assume. I should probably take a look at the Road Sign!!

I am stared at everywhere I go.  Actually, I’m not sure if stare is a strong enough word for what local people do to us “farangs” in our little town of Lang Suan.  Conversations are stopped the second  I open my door, ride my bike down the street, or enter the grocery store.  Little kids aren’t sure what to think about this strange white woman.  They stare with their mouths wide open and as soon as I smile, they yell, “Farang, farang, farang.”  Trust me, it gets old after awhile.  But then again, I am in their territory, and most people in the town have seldom left, thus seeing a white woman in person is quite a showstopper.

As daunting as it has been to adjust, I feel at home.  I used to just feel intimidated and would avert my eyes whenever someone looked at me.  I would get annoyed when I would receive the common “cat-call” of “HELLO!” from both men, women and children.  I used to feel completely self conscious when I tried to smile at someone and received nothing but a blank stare in return.  But now I don’t.  I’ve accepted it.  I make eye contact as much as I can, I wave, smile and yell “hello” right back, and I smile regardless if I get one back.  I have more confidence and there’s nothing like the feeling of changing that blank stare on a child’s face into a smile. 

Even still, living in a small Thai town isn’t a walk in the park and the particular street I live on does not make it much easier.  I live on a cul-de-sac type street, with the street’s dead-end at the railroad tracks.  Yes, that’s right, railroad tracks.  They are approximately twenty yards from my house, and you guessed it, there are trains running all night long.  That wasn’t too difficult to get used to, but I had another hurdle that I had never encountered: roosters.  There might be a common misconception about roosters floating around.  Apparently, they’re only supposed to crow in the morning right?  Well, not the roosters next door.  They must find something dawn-like about every hour of the day and night, because they pretty much never stop.  Once again, the rhythmic crowing of a rooster does not keep me up at night and even though the next door neighbor’s German Shepherd seems to be another night owl, who senses danger every thirty minutes or so, it’s not the nights that have been hard to get through.  

It’s the mornings.

 In America, cul-de-sacs are known for their serenity and solitude.  No sounds of cars whizzing by.  Not a lot of foot traffic.  The perfect place to live a quiet life.  Well, my little street didn’t get that memo.  I am usually woken up around six, sometimes even five, by screaming children, yelling workman, and trucks that make my house rumble.   I have to leave my windows open or else my house will turn into an oven and  I live across from an unknown warehouse, where trucks apparently need to honk their horns, blast their music, and unload their cargo all before 7AM.   

But I live. 

My Neighbors that think its a perfect time to scream and shout at 6AM...but aren't they adorable?!

And it all makes it worth it after thirty minutes of chasing the neighbor kids around the streets and attempting to teach them how to give high fives, which they still haven’t picked up yet, but I’m pretty confident they will.  It makes it worthwhile when my landlord brings me bananas from his tree about once a week, even though bananas are the one food in this world that make me cringe and when he asks me the real translation of the old English proverb: Whatever is good for the goose, is good for the gander.  I’ve seen little chicks hatch and grow up.  I’ve seen children sprinting home from school as if seeing getting home was going to keep them alive.  I’ve heard fathers and grandfather’s make the weirdest noises cooing a baby to sleep.  I’ve seen and heard so much love on my street that I feel privileged to live there. 

I love being a part of that little community even if I can’t speak the language.  Smiling and laughing is enough.

I may gripe and moan about my lack of sleep, but at the end of the day, I fall asleep with a smile on my face…about six times a night.

My life is like a Corona Commercial

Or a Beer Chang commercial, since I’m in Thailand and all.

I get to go to tropical islands on the weekend.  What do you get to do?!?

Ko Tao

Living in the South of Thailand most definitely has its perks.  Having a four day work week makes those perks much more attainable.  There’s nothing like spending your weekend spread out on a lounge chair with a good book as the soft ocean breeze tousles your hair and the warm sand sifts through your toes.  There’s nothing better than the feeling of being under that clear, blue water and resurfacing to a beautiful rock formation surrounded by colorful coral and tropical fish.  Or hiking through a slender mountainous path where giant lizards and quick moving snakes stand in between you and your destination.    

And I’m only describing the daytime!

Nighttime is when the island comes alive.  Echos of animals or insects that sound like they could eat you and that give a rhythmic soundtrack to the tropical surroundings.  The sky peppered with millions of stars and galaxies that force you to ponder other worlds and the meaning of life.  The slow wading of the ocean’s miniscule waves and a darkness that only allows you to barely see your hand.   

It’s at times like these, when I’m taking it all in, that I feel completely engrossed in nature.  As cliché as this sounds, I feel one with the island.

Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m sitting in Thailand that sometimes the language is the only thing that brings me down to earth.  This far-off dream used to only be a blip on the horizon and now here I am, traveling to islands on my weekends, when before the idea of an exciting weekend was standing in long lines at Hollywood clubs and paying $20 for a watered-down drink. 

I think I prefer the islands.

Five Lessons I’ve learned so far: Thailand Travel Tips to live by

I’ve been living in Thailand a few months now and I feel like I’ve learned a few things.  I know that I have much more to discover, so here’s what I’ve picked up so far.

1.        While in a minibus, taxi, or even a motorcycle taxi, its best not to watch where they are going.  Trust me, it will save you a lot of heart attacks.  The first time my cab driver sped up to pass a slow moving vehicle by using the oncoming traffic’s lanes I thought I was going to pass out, especially when the car I occupied barely missed the traffic whizzing towards us.  Now, my favorite pastime is to watch the other passengers in my minibus freak out! 

2.        You will never get anywhere at the time stated on the schedule, but you will eventually get there.  It might be hours later and you’re past your frustration point, but you will have made it to your desired destination.  Countless times I’ve checked my phone every 2 minutes to see if the bus will be on time.  It never is.  Fifteen minutes late.  Thirty minutes late.  Two hours late.  It’s all the same to them.  Just remember.  You’ll get there.  Eventually.   

3.       Take a deep breath and go with the flow.  That’s what the Thai’s do.  Just know, you can’t control what you can’t control.  If they don’t want to listen to you, they will act like they don’t understand what you’re saying.  But they do.  Even if you’re saying it in a nice way, they don’t care, they will look at you and smile and nod.  And you know what a smile and nod means?  It means they have no idea what you’re asking of them.  Or that’s at least what they want you to think.

4.       Even though you may not be accustomed to a lacsidasical attitude that Thai people have, get used to it or it will drive you insane.   They move slowly.  They stop to chat to their friends.  They might even take a few minutes to grab something to eat, and also eat it in the restaurant, and then even order a cup of coffee, and take their time drinking it, all while you are waiting in the car.  Just relax.  It’s what Thais do best.  We should take some notes. 

5.       Safety is not an issue.  It never was.  It never is.  And it never will be.  Enough said.   

Wanderlust – How I became a Teacher in Thailand

I’m a 23 year old Californian who decided to step a little outside my comfort zone.  Ok, a lot outside my comfort zone.  Now I know I’m not blazing any trails here.  Teaching English in Thailand wasn’t just developed and I know people leave home and travel all the time.  But for me, this was a huge leap of faith. 

I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Psychology.  I played softball for four years and was the centerfielder for the 2005 National Championship team.  This is what has defined me for so long.  Or in other words, this is how I have defined myself.  When I left Michigan, I felt lost.  I was no longer a college athlete or even a college student.  I went from seeing my best friends every waking minute of the day, to never seeing them and barely speaking to them.  I joined the workforce at a small money management firm in my hometown of Pasadena.  But I still felt lost.  I didn’t feel like what I was doing was important or that it was helping me figure out who I really am.  I always yearned for more.  I was constantly thinking of the next big thing I was do or where I was going to go.  But those were just words.  I didn’t have the courage to make them my reality.

Until now.

I realized that I needed to get out.  I needed to see the world and experience another culture, another country.  I needed to push myself and discover that I could depend on myself.  My entire life I have been depending on others.  Not just wanting them in my life, but needing them.  I wanted to change that. 

I chose Thailand.  Everyone asks me why Thailand.  I just felt like that’s where I wanted to go.  Where I needed to go.  I just felt it. 

I started researching what I needed to do to get there.  Teaching is one of the easiest ways to travel and see the world, so I decided to get my TEFL Certification online from International TEFL Teacher Training (ITTT) .  It was a 100-hour course and I felt that it would give me ample time to figure out if this was what I really wanted to do.  Once finished, I received a list of contacts and schools from ITTT and I started rattling off email after email, just hoping to find an opening or get a reply.  No luck.  Most of the openings I found were immediate and I was in no way ready to leave quite yet.  I then found AYC Intercultural Programs Thailand.  They are a company that hires teachers and places them in schools within their network.  It was a guaranteed job.  In Thailand.  Exactly what I wanted.  I took it.   

So here I am.

Being in Thailand has opened my eyes to the amazement of being in another country.  Of living and learning another culture every day.  It has taught me to be on my own, think for myself and rely solely on ME.  It has taught me to relax and go with the flow.  It has taught me that life can be what I want it to be.   It has made me want more.  It has lit that fire in my heart to discover other places, people, history, everything.  It has taught me to feel my dreams, to connect with them and make them a reality. 

Thailand has shown me that I am on the right path.

And It won’t stop at Thailand. You can bet on seeing me somewhere else in the very near future.  Hope you join me on my Wanderlust…from here on…

Transitions

Coming to Thailand was the most overwhelming experience I have ever had.   I had never really been out of my comfort zone.  I had always been surrounded by friends, family and those that I love.  I had never travelled to a foreign country.  I had never been on my own and alone.  Put all of these things together and I found myself completely out of my element.

 It took me a long time to get accustomed to Bangkok and its quick, crowded and crazy lifestyle.  Once I was used to that, I was thrown into the little town of Lang Suan, a town where only 5-6 people are fluent in English, my bathroom was sans sink and flushing toilet, and the sounds of the train tracks 20 meters away and crowing roosters kept me awake all night. 

Two months later, I was comfortable.  I loved my life in my little town.  I was used to the trains passing all through the night.  The roosters were now comforting and were a sign that I was at home.   My transition to my life in Thailand had taken a few months, but I had done it.  I had battled through heartache, solitude, and fear and I had come out on top. 

Then I went home…

I slept in my bed.  I took a hot shower for the first time in months.  I ate food I had been dreaming about. I was able to use my iPhone features again.  I called.  I texted.   I drove my car.  I listened to the radio.  I watched TV.  I hugged my dogs. I saw my most amazing friends.   And most importantly I spent a lot of time with my parents. 

I became so comfortable at home, that even though I had just left “home” in Thailand, I was once again apprehensive to go back.  I definitely hadn’t foreseen that this would be so difficult.  That it would be hard to go back to a place where I was already acclimated and happy.  Where I had friends.  A paradise.  A vacation spot.  A place where I could travel to tropical islands on the weekends and attempt to speak a foreign language. 

I found myself wanting these next few months to go by quickly just so I could be back home again.

Then I went home…Thailand home.  And it fits too.  I know this is where I need to be for the next few months.  Home rejuvenated me.  It helped me close the book on certain aspects of my life and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go.  It inspired me to go out and do more.  Learn more.  Experience more.      

Life is full of these transitions.  Once one chapter is over, another one starts right up and we have to adjust.  We have to start anew.  We have to believe that we are on the right path and we will be stronger because of it.

Phuket – The Ultimate Tourist Destination (and not in a good way)

When people think of tourist destinations in Thailand, Phuket is one of the first hot spots to check out. Although it is the biggest island in Thailand, after my latest trip, I would most definitely say its not the best. Because of its popularity, it has been over-run by tourists and the allure of a tropical island has been stripped away.  Beautiful white sand beaches are covered in lounge chairs and umbrellas adverstising Western Union to the local banks to Subway. Streets are filled with vendors that have no problem pestering and following you in hopes of making a sale.  Guesthouses are expensive and although the food is good, it is truly an investment. 

The coastline on Patong Beach

I originally did not want to go to Patong beach, which is the “main” popular beach on Phuket Island.  I knew that it was filled of backpackers looking to party and get into trouble.  This isn’t the type of scene I’m looking for, but after futher review of the islands accomodations, I concluded that it might be the cheapest.  There are other beaches that are supposed to be more quiet and secluded, but high-end resorts have monolpolized those areas and they were not an option for me on my small budget. 

I arrived in Phuket Airport on Thursday morning, after my first domestic flight in Thailand from Bangkok on Air Asia.  It was filled of Thais trying to coax you into their taxi or tuk tuk in hopes that you pay a high price in return.  Because I am not new to Thailand, I know that 700 baht to get anywhere is quite the premium.  I ended up taking a mini-bus for 150 baht to Patong Beach.  I orginally wanted to go to Kata Beach because I had read in Lonely Planet that it was more my speed, but when perusing the guesthouses and resorts there, I was told that it was way too expensive, especially this time of year which is considered high time.

A scarf saleswoman on the crowded beach

On our way to Patong Beach, the minibus stopped at a booking agency and this is where I discussed accomodations options.  The cheapest place the lady could find for me was 1,300 baht at Golden Beach Guesthouse!  That was way more than I was accustomed to paying, but since I was meeting my friend Adam there, I knew that I was only going to be paying half.  I also decided that I could look around and see if there were any cheaper places, but when I reached my destination it was pouring rain, and I decided against that.  The room wasn’t too bad and I was a little jet-lagged so I took a nap before Adam arrived. 

Later, we decided to explore a little a discovered the overly crowded beach and rows and rows of stalls catered to swindling tourists.  I thought it was hilarious that the only things I pretty much took pictures of were hilarious signs that we spotted instead of beautiful scenery and breathtaking beaches.  Instead, people watching was our pasttime and wherever we went to dinner, we were always sure to get a table that had the best view of the passersby.  And boy did we see a lot of great ones.

The sexiest man on the beach

 

The next couple days were full of relaxing on the beach and exploring the town, if you can even relax when a screaming baby is a few meters away and a naked two year old is running around.  The one thing we cannot fathom is why in the world would you bring your newborn on a vacation.  The kids aren’t going to remember it and the parents are most definitely not going to get all they want out of their vacation!  It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense!

A touch of beauty amidst chaos

The food was definitely a high point of the trip and I sampled a few amazing drink concoctions as well.  We went to a great mexican restaurant on the main road and although it was nothing like California Mexican food, it definitely hit the spot and gave me a litte taste of home. 

On my way back to Lang Suan, I had the chance to tour the other beaches in the minibus and much to my surprise they looked a lot like Patong.   It doesn’t look like there is much seclusion on Phuket!  I’m definitely glad I went there, just to see how it was, but I will most definitely choose other islands over going back!

Getting a Work Out on Ko Tao

Ko Tao or “turtle island” is an island right off the coast of Chumphon in the Surat Thani Province in Southern Thailand.   It is known for its beautifully clear water, which makes it a prime dive and snorkel destination.  It is full of dive shops and avid scuba divers looking to see the wonderful world of underwater sealife.  Despite my desire to see turtles, sharks and other colorful and large sea creatures, I am extremely frightened of being underwater, and being meters below sea level does not appeal to me. 

Thus, I went to Ko Tao looking for a relaxing weekend in the sun.  I had scoped out the place a few days before and realized that because its quite small, it is very accessible on foot.  There are hiking trails and although most of the roads are not paved, most of the island can be reached with a short hike.  Well, hike is an understatement…

On my way to serenity, although this is pretty close

I arrived to Ko Tao early on in morning.  Luckily, there is a boat leaving Lang Suan (the tiny town I live in about an hour south of Chumphon) to the island that only takes 2 hours and takes off around 7AM.  Ferries and boats are also available in Chumphon and a night ferry is available from Surat Thani. 

Scaling rocks, smacking trees aside... What a time

When I arrived into the Mae Hat peir, I was quickly pestered by tuk tuk drivers and resort managers willing me to come with them to Sairee beach, the most popular and in turn the most crowded beach on the island.  On the map to my right, I noticed a little dotted line leading to more secluded (and cheaper) places to stay.  This was the path I chose to take.  Five minutes later, I was pretty much climbing a mountain and forging myself through a very faded trail and overgrown brush.  The one time I forget my shoes!  My trip to Ko Tao was definitely a testiment to how trusty Rainbow Sandals can be. 

I had a huge smile across my face the entire time.  I love hiking and I loved that there was a huge possibility I was lost.  The trail was not easily marked and there were plenty of times when I had to make the executive decision on which way to go, left or right, up or down, through those trees or across the pile of boulders.  I loved that I had no idea where I was going or where I was going to end up.  I loved that I had no clue what I was looking for or what it was going to look like when I got there.  To put it plainly, I loved it. 

Sai Thong Resort

I made it to a secluded beach covered in little bungalows called Sai Thong Resort.  It was perfect!  I checked in and was led to a little bungalow a ways up the hill.  As soon as I saw the hammock I knew I was in heaven!  I dropped my backpack  and jumped into the hammock to relax after my hard trek through the wilderness.  But I wasn’t done.  There was way more forging ahead of me.  There was still a dotted line on the map that I hadn’t followed and I wanted to reach the next town, Chalok Baan Kao, that day so I could set up a snorkeling trip. 

So I set out again.  This trail was much more difficult to follow and it included large boulders and steep inclines, but once again I found myself on a little secluded beach near the Sunset Bungalows and decided to take a dip in the crystal clear water.  The ocean in Thailand is absolutely heavenly.  It is the perfect refreshment from the hot sun. 

After an ample amount of time relaxing, I set out for the town.  Lots of hiking later on what they call “roads” I reached a place called Viewpoint resort and stopped to have lunch.  My table was located right on the rocks with the perfect view of the beautiful Chalok Baan Kao Bay.

This is supposed to be a road?!

After an amazing lunch of sweet and sour chicken, I headed into the town to find a place to set up a snorkeling trip.  I found a shop and put down the money to buy the trip.  He asked me where I was staying and much to my dismay my bungalows were too far for them to pick me up in the morning!  I had to do the hike again early in the morning!!  This didn’t discourage me one bit.  I enjoyed the hike and because I haven’t worked out too much in Thailand, I took it as a wonderful challenge.

The next morning I woke up around 7 and made my way into town.  The hike was rough and difficult, especially in the morning, but it was a good rough and difficult.  I truly enjoyed it and once again had a smile plastered across my face.  Apparently, I was forgotten because I waited for about an hour at the booking agency and then was rushed to the boat with everyone starting at me like I was the late one.  And by rushed, I mean I had to jump aboard a motorcycle taxi, and a motorcycle taxi on the mountainous Ko Tao, is an adventure I wasn’t ready for.  But, as always, I survived, and made it to the boat, with another crazy adventure under my belt. 

I spotted a Rainbow Fish!

The day of snorkeling was exhausting, but completely worth it.  At the first stop, Shark Island, I learned about “sea lice.”  According to a website on staying safe at the beach, “Sea lice are actually the microscopic larvae of jellyfish and other ocean stingers which contain the same nematocysts (stinging cells) as mommy and daddy.”  I felt like my body was on fire!  The first sting was surprising.  I literally said out loud, “What in the world was that!!” Then as I decided to follow the path of some big fish, I must have swam into a swarm of them, because I felt them on every inch of my body!  The snorkeling was amazing there, huge fish, beautiful coral, but I had to get out of the water as soon as I could! 

The rest of the day was magnificent!  We circled the entire island and ended up on the little island off the coast called Ko Nang Yuan.  With two hours to kill on the small island, I quickly climbed the hundreds of stairs to a breathtaking lookout, knowing that I would soon be swimming in the crystal blue water and relaxing in the white sand.  What an amazing sight.   I would have loved to see the island when it was empty and uninhabited, but then again I probably wouldn’t be standing there if it was deserted.

Ko Nang Yuan - Simply breathtaking

Ko Tao is has so much to offer.  Dive excursions and snorkeling trips are incredibly easy to find.  The sun is strong and the beaches are beautiful.  It is the perfect stop for adventurous travelers!  I will be going back soon!!