Thailand

It's amazing how fast 3 weeks can go by like no time at all. This seams to happen every time we go to Koh Phangan. When we look back and ask ourselves 'what did we do'? The answer is always the same, not much at all. Our days were spent visiting with friends on the Islands many beaches and laughing the time away. Koh Phangan is truly a timeless paradise.

This is my favorite beach, the location is TOP SECRET!

Eric and I dedicated this time as our 'social time' considering we had spent the majority of the last few months with only each other. We arrived in Koh Phangan with our friends from home Richard and Michelle. We were soon joined, for a short time, by Jim and Kate (friends we met while traveling in Nepal). The first week in Koh Phangan was a bit hecktic with full moon party goers ruling the island. A week later once the chaos diminished, a good friend from home Karatron also joined the crew and brought with her the serenity we had been waiting for. Its amazing how quickly the day goes by, after a few games of cards and some laughs on the beach the day is over. Often at the end of the day, we would find ourselves at Pooh's Vegetarian Kitchen. A devout Buddist who makes the best Papaya Salad; you can taste the love. We eventually found a good Yoga teacher and were able to stretch our lazy muscles out.

Koh Phangan sunsets

Our Yoga teacher Paula and her boyfriend Pascal knew the ins and outs of the island and were kind enough to take us to a hidden river bank in the jungle. We spent the day wading in the river and playing cards as Paula and Pascal cooked an amazing meal on the BBQ for everyone.

Not the best photograph I know but after traveling all day through the muddy mountain off roads with scooters, we were just happy to arrive in one piece. A feeling of triumph at Bottle Beach.

I try not to think much about the past or the future but for some reason I cannot get this dog out of my head. She was truly a loyal companion during our stay in Koh Phangan. I miss her dearly and think every day about how I can bring her home.

We are now in Sumatra experiencing the natural and historic island. The lush greenery and lake front cottages are very relaxing... if you can handle the rain. Remind me again why I sent my rain jacket home?

This is the last thing we saw before the relentless skies opened up in Bangkok. The thunder was so loud I thought the buildings around us were falling. And then the rains came, covering the roads with two inches (sometimes more) of water. We need to get out of Bangkok...

Flights to Nepal were sold out until Friday. The sensory overload of Bangkok was getting to me and staying for another week was out of the question. Koh Samet was a short 4 hour trip away. To say I'm happy to be here would be an understatement. Bangkok is expecting more floods, lets hope we can make it to the airport in time for our flight on Friday.