Here I am in Southern Thailand, and it's mind blowing. I keep thinking, "how did I get here, is this real life, am I really on the opposite side of the WORLD?" I guess some of it is the jet lag, but it's also simply that beautiful, and truly surreal.
I landed in Koh Samui after 36 hours of travel, and hopped on a boat to Koh Tao with my friend Kelly who I met during our yoga training in Bali. We decided the little Turtle Island would be a great place to pamper ourselves and relax on the beach for a few days while we recovered, and it was. After checking into our lovely 3rd story room ($12/night with beautiful ocean views), we crashed... at 7pm! And once we woke the next morning, after 12 hours of sleep, we were ready to explore the island by motorbike!
(By far the best way to get around Southeast Asia).
We were faced with overwhelming amounts of lush greenery, flowers and white sandy beaches, just as you'd imagine. And not a single stop sign! Tiny Koh Tao is a special place, the kind of place where cool people from around the world gather for outdoor adventure. In fact, one of them that I know quite well happened to be sitting several feet away from me in a little cafe! Here we are, a couple of yoga pals from Athens Ohio, enjoying breakfast in Mae Haad Bay!
So, once we'd gotten our fill of fresh coconut, Thai massages and spontaneous run-ins with friends from around the world, it was time for the next - Koh Phangan, a neighboring island where we got to visit MORE gorgeous beaches, do some yoga, enjoy spectacular sunsets and catch up with our treasured friend Roni over dinner at Macrobiotic World.
Some would say we should have done more sight seeing, day trips to famous attractions, hopping around to other islands, but for a couple of coconut girls, just enjoying the beautiful ocean views, salty breeze, delicious Thai food and even a little snorkeling right off the beach was just perfect.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteIt's Drew from Colorado. Thought I posted this a few minutes ago, but it appears it didn't post..... Soooo glad for your travel experiences - possessions go away but you'll keep these experiences forever! We'll be living vicariously thru your blog - meanwhile, we're at our house in Mexico for November, so not so bad either. Happy trails!
Drew! Wonderful to hear from you and I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. Mexico for November sounds like a pretty great gig. Soak up that sunshine and tell the family hello from me!
DeleteFreaking "$12 per night with an awesome ocean view" can only exist in a world of wonders. Life should be a lot easier and enjoyable than it is. I am so happy to see people like you exploring the world and getting to know other cultures and all. We made sure that our kids have brothers and sisters around the world. we also made sure they travel to far places. Thanks for sharing these experiences and the joy that comes with them. Enjoy and keep sharing. Athens, and people of Athens love you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ali, I agree that we gain so much insight through travel and exposure to different cultures. The vast experience your kids have in this area shines so bright and they're unique because of it! While it's nice to see the world, it's also nice to have such a great town to return home to. Hope you're enjoying Athens! :)
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