Just in case I haven't mentioned it yet...Pai is gorgeous. Absolutely stunningly beautiful and gorgeous. It is a small village surrounded by mountains- warm, jungle mountains. Clouds mist and gently surround the peaks. It is just as beautiful as the clear ocean- but a very different beautiful.
Wednesday I went rafting. White water river rafting. First time ever. It involved a bit of driving...an hour to the drop site, and about three hours back to Pai. It was worth it though. It was a beautiful way to see the jungle. floating along the river. Of course the most fun places, the rapids, couldn't be taken pictures of because you had to be paddling. There was one waterfall on the way that we got to stop and take pictures of...and it wasn't just one waterfall. It was a whole series of small waterfalls cascading down to join the river. We had lunch on a quiet part of the river. Floating along and out of the water proof casket in the center of the raft and out comes fried rice neatly packaged in banana leaves for lunch. It was quite fun and really natural. We stopped at a natural hot springs along the river too...just little areas of hot water...and if you buried your feet in the sand they got quite hot. The most fun rapids came after the hot spring stop...got wet but didn't fall in! By the end of the day I had this weird half sunburn going on one arm from paddling. The drive home was a lot of fun...lots of curves. We also stopped at some gorgeous view points overlooking the mountains, shrouded in mist and golden sunlight. Just like you see in the movies. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died at the very end of the boat ride...and it refused to take any pictures for me.But it was so gorgeous that I didn't really mind.
Thursday was travel day. I got up and hit the road, me and the motorbike. I was pretty nervous at first...not sure I had the motorbike mastered, and some of the roads are rather iffy. I got more comfortable driving as the day went on though. In the morning I stopped at the Chinese village...which has certainly kept up a touristy feel, Chinese huts and part of a castle greeting you. Plenty of Chinese decorations and food for sale. After the Chinese village I continued on to a waterfall...over some definitely iffy sections of road. Still, I made it! The waterfall was pretty and multi-tiered...but I scraped my foot when I lost my sandal the other day. Too much walking was a pain so I didn't explore as much as I would've been tempted too otherwise. That went until about lunch when I finally gave in and sought out some band-aids. Then I hit the road again, stopping at the Coffee in Love sign. It is a coffee shop overlooking Pai that is very popular among Thais because of a movie. I drove on to the World War II memorial bridge and Pai canyon. Pai Canyon is very pretty but definitely doesn't make you feel safe...when you are standing on a narrow strip of red rock and sheer cliff on either side. Then I went to the natural hot springs...relaxing in hot springs outdoors. It is always amazing to see steam rising from natural pools, but climbing in and relaxing was amazing. One pool was at 80 degrees Celsius! Obviously, people didn't go in that one. My last stop of the day was Wat Mae Yen...a temple that made me nervous of driving because of the sheer drive up, but had a gorgeous view of Pai. It was a nice temple in and of itself, but the view was what made it really amazing. Instead of going back right away after Wat Mae Yen I decided to go on another cruise...a circuit of the area I'd already been to. Just a nice drive on the motorbike- it was wonderfully refreshing.I even stopped and had coffee and cake at Coffe in Love!
Pai was wonderful, overall, and there were some nice people staying at the guesthouse as well to make the evenings even more enjoyable. The owners and a fun crazy hippy old guy and a few other younger females travelling through. If you ever visit Thailand...go to Pai. You will love it! I promise!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Vacation Tiiiime
Well, it's officially over. My time teaching at Chomsurang is over and done...the end was a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Ups in excitement for vacation and going home, downs in the ending of teaching, saying good bye to students and most of all the teachers and friends I have made during my time in Ayutthaya.
The weekend was full of trying to cram last sightseeing visits and time spent with friends into as much time as possible...including time to pack. It was fun and exhausting...my shoes broke, I bought presents for people, I packed, I hung out with friends. It ended in a dinner Sunday night and a massage to kill some time before my bus for Chiang Mai left. I left the massage parlor to find that my new shoes had been stolen...however the nice Thai people let me have a pair of their sandals.
It was a long, tiring day travelling from Ayutthaya to Pai. It started with an overnight bus that was very well air conditioned...too well air conditioned. It was freezing, and made sleeping very off and on. Then I arrived in Chiang Mai, and caught a minibus to Pai...another 3 hour or so ride. It was very windy through hills and such. It was very pretty and very hard to stay awake and very hard to stay asleep...so it was mid-day before I arrived in Pai.
Pai is absolutely gorgeous. It's in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains, a small quiet village. My hostel is gorgeous, overlooking the valley and sort of Thai style teak building. I just walked around a little on Monday before passing out, too tired after all the travel to do much.
Today, Tuesday, I got up and learned how to ride a motorbike! You need to in order to get around Pai and see all the sights in the hills. I am still a little bit shaky on turning and giving it power, but it's going okay. One of the co-owners of the hostel took me on the Pai zipline. It was in the jungle up in the canopy of the trees...it was a ton of fun and beautiful! At the end I got to see a nice waterfall. (After losing one of my sandals to red ants...which my guide found for me at the end!) I ended the day by treating myself to a nice dinner and a little blog post to all of you.
Two more days left in Pai, and then a trip to the beach!
The weekend was full of trying to cram last sightseeing visits and time spent with friends into as much time as possible...including time to pack. It was fun and exhausting...my shoes broke, I bought presents for people, I packed, I hung out with friends. It ended in a dinner Sunday night and a massage to kill some time before my bus for Chiang Mai left. I left the massage parlor to find that my new shoes had been stolen...however the nice Thai people let me have a pair of their sandals.
It was a long, tiring day travelling from Ayutthaya to Pai. It started with an overnight bus that was very well air conditioned...too well air conditioned. It was freezing, and made sleeping very off and on. Then I arrived in Chiang Mai, and caught a minibus to Pai...another 3 hour or so ride. It was very windy through hills and such. It was very pretty and very hard to stay awake and very hard to stay asleep...so it was mid-day before I arrived in Pai.
Pai is absolutely gorgeous. It's in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains, a small quiet village. My hostel is gorgeous, overlooking the valley and sort of Thai style teak building. I just walked around a little on Monday before passing out, too tired after all the travel to do much.
Today, Tuesday, I got up and learned how to ride a motorbike! You need to in order to get around Pai and see all the sights in the hills. I am still a little bit shaky on turning and giving it power, but it's going okay. One of the co-owners of the hostel took me on the Pai zipline. It was in the jungle up in the canopy of the trees...it was a ton of fun and beautiful! At the end I got to see a nice waterfall. (After losing one of my sandals to red ants...which my guide found for me at the end!) I ended the day by treating myself to a nice dinner and a little blog post to all of you.
Two more days left in Pai, and then a trip to the beach!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Sunday Adventures
Of course as soon as I write a post about how nothing much is really happening in my life, I actually do something on the weekend. Part of that is that I am running out of time- running out of time to be in Ayutthaya, running out of time to visit Bangkok. Before I know it, my time in Thailand will be over, done with, a thing of the past, only memories.
I woke up early on Sunday morning to make a trip into Bangkok with a couple of my friends. The plan- to go to a Krishna event and get free food and then go see the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, the Krishna event started later than planned...instead of getting there at the end for food, we got there at the beginning. It was interesting at first to see the service, to listen to them sing and chant/pray. Once they got to the bible study part though...I was bored. So, instead of listening to the study I took off for a walk. The Krishna event was in a pavilion in Lumphini Park in Bangkok. It was a very beautiful park.
Lumphini Park was like a large botanical gardens. At least that's what it felt and looked like. We were in the center, but it felt like I should look up and see a glass ceiling high above my head. That of course, didn't happen. There were pretty flowers of all colors and trees and ponds and rivers and fountains. And a playground. With swings. That I fully took advantage of. Crazy foreigners and their swings. :)
It was fun just enjoying the park and taking pictures, until it was food time and my friends called me back to the pavilion. It was nice vegetarian food, not quite sure what it was, but it was tasty. They even had some apple slices for dessert. I was with Natalie and Jesse, and Natalie and I left pretty soon after we ate to head for the Grand Palace.
It took a bit, including a ride on an over priced boat taxi. (Foreigner only price on the weekends.) We ended up there rather later in the day than we had planned, so instead of going to the Grand Palace we went to Wat Po. It is the temple with the largest reclining Buddha, right next to the Grand Palace. It was a good choice. The temple was gorgeous and the Buddha was huge. Outside the bricks were covered in tile with so many flowers. It was gorgeous and elaborate. We saw a kitten, stuck in a tree, and many other cats.
Basically the temple was gorgeous. I couldn't help but wonder if that was what Ayutthaya would like like if its temples hadn't been destroyed in the war...if the layers of brick once had many decorative tiles all over them. Or would I have been shocked if I had visited the temples in Bangkok before going to the ones in Ayutthaya? It's very different but no less beautiful.
That was the end of the day...after we left the temple it was time to head back to Ayutthaya for another fun filled week of class. It is so weird and sad to think that next week is the last week of class. The end has come so quickly! I'll be on vacation before I know it!
I woke up early on Sunday morning to make a trip into Bangkok with a couple of my friends. The plan- to go to a Krishna event and get free food and then go see the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, the Krishna event started later than planned...instead of getting there at the end for food, we got there at the beginning. It was interesting at first to see the service, to listen to them sing and chant/pray. Once they got to the bible study part though...I was bored. So, instead of listening to the study I took off for a walk. The Krishna event was in a pavilion in Lumphini Park in Bangkok. It was a very beautiful park.
Lumphini Park was like a large botanical gardens. At least that's what it felt and looked like. We were in the center, but it felt like I should look up and see a glass ceiling high above my head. That of course, didn't happen. There were pretty flowers of all colors and trees and ponds and rivers and fountains. And a playground. With swings. That I fully took advantage of. Crazy foreigners and their swings. :)
It was fun just enjoying the park and taking pictures, until it was food time and my friends called me back to the pavilion. It was nice vegetarian food, not quite sure what it was, but it was tasty. They even had some apple slices for dessert. I was with Natalie and Jesse, and Natalie and I left pretty soon after we ate to head for the Grand Palace.
It took a bit, including a ride on an over priced boat taxi. (Foreigner only price on the weekends.) We ended up there rather later in the day than we had planned, so instead of going to the Grand Palace we went to Wat Po. It is the temple with the largest reclining Buddha, right next to the Grand Palace. It was a good choice. The temple was gorgeous and the Buddha was huge. Outside the bricks were covered in tile with so many flowers. It was gorgeous and elaborate. We saw a kitten, stuck in a tree, and many other cats.
Basically the temple was gorgeous. I couldn't help but wonder if that was what Ayutthaya would like like if its temples hadn't been destroyed in the war...if the layers of brick once had many decorative tiles all over them. Or would I have been shocked if I had visited the temples in Bangkok before going to the ones in Ayutthaya? It's very different but no less beautiful.
That was the end of the day...after we left the temple it was time to head back to Ayutthaya for another fun filled week of class. It is so weird and sad to think that next week is the last week of class. The end has come so quickly! I'll be on vacation before I know it!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Time Flies
It's been awhile since I posted. Mostly because nothing of any real interest has happened. Life is going by like normal- lesson planning, teaching, sleeping, eating. You know. The stuff that seems so mundane and every day to each of us in our own lives but can be interesting to other people because they have no clue what is going on in your life.
Since my vacation, I have been sick. Recovered. Missed home. Recovered. Planned my end of the term vacation and my flight home. Wrote my final exams just this week. Let's see...there was a little science fair that was really cute. Some of my students were selling orchids and wanted me to buy one...but I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it. As individuals I will miss my students, but I think as a class of 50 I will not miss them. Big class sizes are definitely not my thing!
Next week is my last full week of classes. Then there is a sort of half week before finals start, and I finish the week by grading. September 21st is my last day of work. At least I will have more to write once I've gone on vacation!
Anyways, I'll leave you with this short post before I end up telling you the story of George the cockroach. It's really only amusing to me...but poor George, he died just when I was getting used to living with him. Ah well.
Since my vacation, I have been sick. Recovered. Missed home. Recovered. Planned my end of the term vacation and my flight home. Wrote my final exams just this week. Let's see...there was a little science fair that was really cute. Some of my students were selling orchids and wanted me to buy one...but I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it. As individuals I will miss my students, but I think as a class of 50 I will not miss them. Big class sizes are definitely not my thing!
Next week is my last full week of classes. Then there is a sort of half week before finals start, and I finish the week by grading. September 21st is my last day of work. At least I will have more to write once I've gone on vacation!
Anyways, I'll leave you with this short post before I end up telling you the story of George the cockroach. It's really only amusing to me...but poor George, he died just when I was getting used to living with him. Ah well.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Koh Samui: The Long Weekend, Part 3
Part 3 has been rather delayed in coming. I blame being sick and then being lazy...I'm still not 100% but 90-95% is when I should stop making excuses and finish my weekend story.
So, Saturday I was already feeling quite toasted from Friday. Still, I had no intention of not going on my trip, opting for the intense slather of sunscreen multiple times throughout the day, and wearing a shirt to protect my back as much as possible. It was Saturday, and I was going to Angthong Marine Park.
Angthong is actually closer to Koh Samui than Koh Tao is, but the journey was about just as long, mostly because the boat was slower. The vessel I traveled in was much bigger, and had two stories and an upper deck. I went with the far less entertaining, but far more anti-sun option of spending most of the boat ride in the benches on the middle deck. There were also a lot of German tourists on the trip, the tour guide spoke both English and German and gave his directions and instructions in both languages.
Our first stop of the day was in a little cove, surrounded by rocky, uninhabited islands. The German tourists went kayaking first, so there was some time to jump off the boat into the water, swim around, and go snorkeling. I only jumped from the middle of the boat, but you could jump from the top too. It was a lot of fun. The snorkeling was really pretty too. I didn't see as many colorful and pretty fish, but I saw some nice coral and sea urchins. Having gone snorkeling once, the experience went much smoother a second time, less sea water in my mouth.
The sea kayaking was two people to a boat, and in the morning I went with another woman who was part of a third, or whose family didn't want to go. I'm not sure which. It was both a fun and not so fun experience. We didn't kayak together well at all...or communicate barely. It made the kayaking journey itself a rough one. However, it was really cool to kayak under rock and into a little cave in the island, or simply just kayak under the outcroppings. It's obviously something that can't be done when the sea water level is higher.
After the kayaking was a short lunch trip down to the other end of the Marine Park, where we let the kayaks out and made our way to the only island with anything really human on it. Restrooms and a little shop. Those were only their to support the real attraction...the green saltwater lake. It really wasn't very far, but it was a long climb. Up and up cement stairs that were practically like ladder rungs at some points. Still, it was beautiful to look out and see the lake, and from the highest point, look out over Angthong Marine Park itself.
The worst part of the climb, was climbing down to the edge of the lake, knowing that you would have to climb back up in order to go back to the beach. It was fascinating to see all the sea urchins in the bottom of the lake, and to look out over emerald green water. The sea urchins really amazed me with their shiny red and blue disc looking things amid the black spikes. Somehow I made it back to the beach...stair by stair.
I got a little rest and then it was time to go kayak out to the point the boat had dropped the other kayaks off. I went with the guide that time...it makes an amazing amount of difference when you have an awesome kayaker in the back. Plus it meant I could take pictures pretty much whenever I wanted. We went under a crack of limestone that went all the way to the sky above, and the beaches and shore of the island we could see as we passed looked lovely.
Once we got back to the boat there was a little time for swimming, which I basked in...the water feels great after a hot day. Once all the kayaks were on board one of the Thai guides started doing fancy jumps off the boat- spins and turns and twists and flips. It made me wonder if he had grown up on the island, by a beach, playing on boats all the time, and what kind of life that would have been like. I envied it a little- I do love the ocean.
After that, it was just a boat ride back to Koh Samui and a bus ride back to the hotel. I rested for a bit, before getting dinner and stubbornly trying to see a sunset on the beach. It didn't work out too well, since the beach was facing the wrong way. So, exhausted, I went to bed early and on Sunday I flew from Koh Samui back to Bangkok and journeyed to my home in Ayutthaya. Where I proceeded to spend the rest of the week sunburned, exhausted, and sick. It was a great long weekend though. :)
So, Saturday I was already feeling quite toasted from Friday. Still, I had no intention of not going on my trip, opting for the intense slather of sunscreen multiple times throughout the day, and wearing a shirt to protect my back as much as possible. It was Saturday, and I was going to Angthong Marine Park.
Angthong is actually closer to Koh Samui than Koh Tao is, but the journey was about just as long, mostly because the boat was slower. The vessel I traveled in was much bigger, and had two stories and an upper deck. I went with the far less entertaining, but far more anti-sun option of spending most of the boat ride in the benches on the middle deck. There were also a lot of German tourists on the trip, the tour guide spoke both English and German and gave his directions and instructions in both languages.
Our first stop of the day was in a little cove, surrounded by rocky, uninhabited islands. The German tourists went kayaking first, so there was some time to jump off the boat into the water, swim around, and go snorkeling. I only jumped from the middle of the boat, but you could jump from the top too. It was a lot of fun. The snorkeling was really pretty too. I didn't see as many colorful and pretty fish, but I saw some nice coral and sea urchins. Having gone snorkeling once, the experience went much smoother a second time, less sea water in my mouth.
The sea kayaking was two people to a boat, and in the morning I went with another woman who was part of a third, or whose family didn't want to go. I'm not sure which. It was both a fun and not so fun experience. We didn't kayak together well at all...or communicate barely. It made the kayaking journey itself a rough one. However, it was really cool to kayak under rock and into a little cave in the island, or simply just kayak under the outcroppings. It's obviously something that can't be done when the sea water level is higher.
After the kayaking was a short lunch trip down to the other end of the Marine Park, where we let the kayaks out and made our way to the only island with anything really human on it. Restrooms and a little shop. Those were only their to support the real attraction...the green saltwater lake. It really wasn't very far, but it was a long climb. Up and up cement stairs that were practically like ladder rungs at some points. Still, it was beautiful to look out and see the lake, and from the highest point, look out over Angthong Marine Park itself.
The worst part of the climb, was climbing down to the edge of the lake, knowing that you would have to climb back up in order to go back to the beach. It was fascinating to see all the sea urchins in the bottom of the lake, and to look out over emerald green water. The sea urchins really amazed me with their shiny red and blue disc looking things amid the black spikes. Somehow I made it back to the beach...stair by stair.
I got a little rest and then it was time to go kayak out to the point the boat had dropped the other kayaks off. I went with the guide that time...it makes an amazing amount of difference when you have an awesome kayaker in the back. Plus it meant I could take pictures pretty much whenever I wanted. We went under a crack of limestone that went all the way to the sky above, and the beaches and shore of the island we could see as we passed looked lovely.
Once we got back to the boat there was a little time for swimming, which I basked in...the water feels great after a hot day. Once all the kayaks were on board one of the Thai guides started doing fancy jumps off the boat- spins and turns and twists and flips. It made me wonder if he had grown up on the island, by a beach, playing on boats all the time, and what kind of life that would have been like. I envied it a little- I do love the ocean.
After that, it was just a boat ride back to Koh Samui and a bus ride back to the hotel. I rested for a bit, before getting dinner and stubbornly trying to see a sunset on the beach. It didn't work out too well, since the beach was facing the wrong way. So, exhausted, I went to bed early and on Sunday I flew from Koh Samui back to Bangkok and journeyed to my home in Ayutthaya. Where I proceeded to spend the rest of the week sunburned, exhausted, and sick. It was a great long weekend though. :)
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Koh Samui: The Long Weekend Part 2 (Or Friiiiidaaaaaaaaay, I did write too much)
Just to get this over with, I have to say the most annoying part about going on tours is that you constantly get asked the question, only 1? Only one person? Just you? Yeah, thanks for reminding me that I'm traveling alone. I don't normally have a problem with it, but if you want to hammer it in that I am indeed just one person alone...still, I was fine being alone. I just wanted the people to shut up about it.
Another observation, in Chomsurang Upatham school they offer English, French, Chinese and Japanese as foreign languages. Apparently if you are in Ko Samui, another big language you need to know is German. At least a fourth of the signs would be written in English and German, and you heard tourists spewing German everywhere. And especially in Chaweng Beach, there were tourists everywhere. A few times I found myself wondering where the local Thai people were, or hung out. Certainly they weren't all working at the shops, restaurants, and resorts.
Back to Friday morning. Luckily tours include hotel pick up, free transportation. Since it was a huge tour company, I was with a lot of other tourists, having a little snack for breakfast they provided, and grabbing the cheapest underwater camera available. I didn't have to wait long before it was time to wade out to the speedboats. This time I was lucky...being only one person I was able to find room to squeeze out onto the front of the boat, a seat in the sun and wind where I could thoroughly enjoy the trip. It was my first time taking a long trip on a boat in the ocean...I didn't count my adventure on Thursday, when I really saw nothing. We were in a speed boat for about an hour and a half, watching islands fly past. It was a little choppy, but a lot of fun. So some of my pictures I took aboard the boat came out a little crooked...
The first destination was Koh Tao. We came to a little bay where everyone got out and went snorkeling! It was my first time snorkeling, which involved a little fretting, a little salt water, and a little scratch by coral between trying to figure out how to breathe through the stupid thing and how to use the underwater camera I bought. When I finally got going it was a wonderful experience. It was like being inside a tank in an aquarium. It was very isolating too...to be underwater, breathing through a tube, so all you can hear is the sound of your own heartbeat and loud breathing as fish swim past you and coral lies beneath you. At one point it felt like some of the fish were swimming in my face! The coral was all darker color but it was very pretty and there were some bright color fish swimming around.
We were there for an hour, but it felt like no time at all. It was really pretty and fun, once I figured out the snorkeling thing. They had an included lunch which was yummy. (Only 1?) After which we went to the nearby private island Koh Nang Yuang. First I climbed the many stairs to a view point. It wasn't a very long hike put pretty steep. The view point of the island was quite gorgeous! I was very hot at this point, and climbing down I could feel my skin burning. I was getting tired, so I passed on snorkeling at this island, just relaxing in the ocean for the rest of the time, trying to stay cool while my skin fried. Of course, I had to sit out front on the way back too!
The rest of my day was fairly quiet. I had pizza for dinner. It was a weird pizza, which had cheese and tomatoes but not sauce. It was good. Afterwards, when it was dark, I walked to the beach and spent a little bit wading in the water before heading back to bed...Saturday would be another busy morning!!!!!
Another observation, in Chomsurang Upatham school they offer English, French, Chinese and Japanese as foreign languages. Apparently if you are in Ko Samui, another big language you need to know is German. At least a fourth of the signs would be written in English and German, and you heard tourists spewing German everywhere. And especially in Chaweng Beach, there were tourists everywhere. A few times I found myself wondering where the local Thai people were, or hung out. Certainly they weren't all working at the shops, restaurants, and resorts.
Back to Friday morning. Luckily tours include hotel pick up, free transportation. Since it was a huge tour company, I was with a lot of other tourists, having a little snack for breakfast they provided, and grabbing the cheapest underwater camera available. I didn't have to wait long before it was time to wade out to the speedboats. This time I was lucky...being only one person I was able to find room to squeeze out onto the front of the boat, a seat in the sun and wind where I could thoroughly enjoy the trip. It was my first time taking a long trip on a boat in the ocean...I didn't count my adventure on Thursday, when I really saw nothing. We were in a speed boat for about an hour and a half, watching islands fly past. It was a little choppy, but a lot of fun. So some of my pictures I took aboard the boat came out a little crooked...
The first destination was Koh Tao. We came to a little bay where everyone got out and went snorkeling! It was my first time snorkeling, which involved a little fretting, a little salt water, and a little scratch by coral between trying to figure out how to breathe through the stupid thing and how to use the underwater camera I bought. When I finally got going it was a wonderful experience. It was like being inside a tank in an aquarium. It was very isolating too...to be underwater, breathing through a tube, so all you can hear is the sound of your own heartbeat and loud breathing as fish swim past you and coral lies beneath you. At one point it felt like some of the fish were swimming in my face! The coral was all darker color but it was very pretty and there were some bright color fish swimming around.
We were there for an hour, but it felt like no time at all. It was really pretty and fun, once I figured out the snorkeling thing. They had an included lunch which was yummy. (Only 1?) After which we went to the nearby private island Koh Nang Yuang. First I climbed the many stairs to a view point. It wasn't a very long hike put pretty steep. The view point of the island was quite gorgeous! I was very hot at this point, and climbing down I could feel my skin burning. I was getting tired, so I passed on snorkeling at this island, just relaxing in the ocean for the rest of the time, trying to stay cool while my skin fried. Of course, I had to sit out front on the way back too!
The rest of my day was fairly quiet. I had pizza for dinner. It was a weird pizza, which had cheese and tomatoes but not sauce. It was good. Afterwards, when it was dark, I walked to the beach and spent a little bit wading in the water before heading back to bed...Saturday would be another busy morning!!!!!
Koh Samui: The Looong Weekend: Part 1 (Because I write too much)
First four day weekend since I started working, and I set my sights on the beach. Specifically southern Thailand. I spent one morning of finals week simply crunching numbers in my notebook, just to make sure I had the money to spend to go there and do what I wanted to do. I determined that I did, so Wednesday afternoon, as soon as classes were over, I left to begin my journey to Ko Samui.
I went about it the most stress free way possible, though probably the more irritating way. I bought a overnight bus ticket from a tour group in Ayutthaya. It meant I didn't have to pay for anything other than any food or snacks on my trip, and that I got herded around. Of course I didn't meet the rest of the horde until Bangkok, where there were literally hundreds of foreigners getting the tour bus. It was like a swarm of ants and people being herded. Yuck. I got the last seat on my bus to Ko Samui...right next to a French woman. Of course she was sitting by the window while her husband sat in the row across from her. Which meant I was being talked over quite a bit. I don't like being talked over. But, I had a good book to read.There
The bus ride wasn't bad. We made one pit stop where I got severely ripped off for my cup of yogurt, but had no time to protest because of all the other foreigners milling around. I have this weird thing about traveling...when I'm living somewhere I don't enjoy seeing other foreigners everywhere. I prefer to see actual Thai people. You know, the ones who live in the country.
Anyways, when I finally got to the boat there was some pretty scenery and coastline. I was excited for my ferry across the ocean to the island, but since I was one of the first on there was either indoor seating on top or indoor seating on the bottom. With air conditioning, and crappy windows. Needless to say I was disappointed. There were also a lot of people speaking German for me to eavesdrop on and test my German skills...it is always sort of interesting to listen when other people have no clue that you understand their language.
From the boat it was a nice pretty drive along rocky harbor beach to the area I was staying at, Chaweng Beach. I had quite a ways to walk from where I was dropped off to the hotel...and my energy was rapidly dwindling. Still, it was only noon by the time I arrived. I thought it was later! Anyways, I rested for a bit before setting off in search of the beach. I hadn't been to a beach yet in Thailand and the thoughts 'beach' and 'ocean' and 'swimming' had been driving me for a week or so. Choosing Chaweng Beach had been a calculated mistake on my part. It is a long beach, it is close to the airport, it is supposed to be beautiful. What could go wrong with that?
Resorts. It was a frustrating afternoon. I spent awhile wandering around before I realized that my inner-map was a little off...the beach was the opposite direction of where I thought it was. Even after I figured that it, it took awhile to find a way to get on the beach....because every single little entrance to the beach in my area is controlled by a resort or hotel of some kind. They don't really encourage entering through their resorts. I managed to get on the beach somehow, and I was briefly happy before I decided I wanted to leave the beach and go change into my swimsuit and play in the water. It was on the way back that I truly realized how controlled the beach was. Every place I could find to exit was controlled by a resort with signs saying "Guest use only" or even workers guarding the exits. At the point in time I was getting warm, tired, and frustrated. It made me doubly glad that I had booked a day tour for Friday on my way out to explore.
The exit I finally found to Chaweng Beach was right next to a restaurant but they didn't control it. And it turned out to be a 10-15 minute walk away from the hotel. Well, who knows how long it really was, I never kept track and I made the trek a couple of times after that. I always started out thinking "Oh it's not that far, it's not bad" and ended up thinking "Wow, I underestimated that...it's actually quite a bit.".
At the point I was warm, tired, frustrated and had had enough of the day. So I decided to go shopping. That is one thing the main road in Chaweng was great for, shopping. They had lots of pretty bracelets and bags and dresses and flower carvings. Shopping did bring my mood up a bit, and I spent more money than I needed too. It also started the ball rolling on buying souvenirs for others. Once I get started it's hard to stop. I think of how one person might like something, and then I think of half a dozen others who would like it too. I did practice some restraint though.
After that though, the day was rather bland and I just had dinner before relaxing, watching TV, and going to bed early. I had a tour early the next morning after all! I think I will stop here, however, to keep one post from being overly long. This was only the day I traveled! Of course, I went by myself so much of what I might've said never got to be said, so welcome to my complaining post! Up next the beautiful day at Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan. Maybe including Saturday as well, depending on how much ramble I can contain.
I went about it the most stress free way possible, though probably the more irritating way. I bought a overnight bus ticket from a tour group in Ayutthaya. It meant I didn't have to pay for anything other than any food or snacks on my trip, and that I got herded around. Of course I didn't meet the rest of the horde until Bangkok, where there were literally hundreds of foreigners getting the tour bus. It was like a swarm of ants and people being herded. Yuck. I got the last seat on my bus to Ko Samui...right next to a French woman. Of course she was sitting by the window while her husband sat in the row across from her. Which meant I was being talked over quite a bit. I don't like being talked over. But, I had a good book to read.There
The bus ride wasn't bad. We made one pit stop where I got severely ripped off for my cup of yogurt, but had no time to protest because of all the other foreigners milling around. I have this weird thing about traveling...when I'm living somewhere I don't enjoy seeing other foreigners everywhere. I prefer to see actual Thai people. You know, the ones who live in the country.
Anyways, when I finally got to the boat there was some pretty scenery and coastline. I was excited for my ferry across the ocean to the island, but since I was one of the first on there was either indoor seating on top or indoor seating on the bottom. With air conditioning, and crappy windows. Needless to say I was disappointed. There were also a lot of people speaking German for me to eavesdrop on and test my German skills...it is always sort of interesting to listen when other people have no clue that you understand their language.
From the boat it was a nice pretty drive along rocky harbor beach to the area I was staying at, Chaweng Beach. I had quite a ways to walk from where I was dropped off to the hotel...and my energy was rapidly dwindling. Still, it was only noon by the time I arrived. I thought it was later! Anyways, I rested for a bit before setting off in search of the beach. I hadn't been to a beach yet in Thailand and the thoughts 'beach' and 'ocean' and 'swimming' had been driving me for a week or so. Choosing Chaweng Beach had been a calculated mistake on my part. It is a long beach, it is close to the airport, it is supposed to be beautiful. What could go wrong with that?
Resorts. It was a frustrating afternoon. I spent awhile wandering around before I realized that my inner-map was a little off...the beach was the opposite direction of where I thought it was. Even after I figured that it, it took awhile to find a way to get on the beach....because every single little entrance to the beach in my area is controlled by a resort or hotel of some kind. They don't really encourage entering through their resorts. I managed to get on the beach somehow, and I was briefly happy before I decided I wanted to leave the beach and go change into my swimsuit and play in the water. It was on the way back that I truly realized how controlled the beach was. Every place I could find to exit was controlled by a resort with signs saying "Guest use only" or even workers guarding the exits. At the point in time I was getting warm, tired, and frustrated. It made me doubly glad that I had booked a day tour for Friday on my way out to explore.
The exit I finally found to Chaweng Beach was right next to a restaurant but they didn't control it. And it turned out to be a 10-15 minute walk away from the hotel. Well, who knows how long it really was, I never kept track and I made the trek a couple of times after that. I always started out thinking "Oh it's not that far, it's not bad" and ended up thinking "Wow, I underestimated that...it's actually quite a bit.".
At the point I was warm, tired, frustrated and had had enough of the day. So I decided to go shopping. That is one thing the main road in Chaweng was great for, shopping. They had lots of pretty bracelets and bags and dresses and flower carvings. Shopping did bring my mood up a bit, and I spent more money than I needed too. It also started the ball rolling on buying souvenirs for others. Once I get started it's hard to stop. I think of how one person might like something, and then I think of half a dozen others who would like it too. I did practice some restraint though.
After that though, the day was rather bland and I just had dinner before relaxing, watching TV, and going to bed early. I had a tour early the next morning after all! I think I will stop here, however, to keep one post from being overly long. This was only the day I traveled! Of course, I went by myself so much of what I might've said never got to be said, so welcome to my complaining post! Up next the beautiful day at Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan. Maybe including Saturday as well, depending on how much ramble I can contain.
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