It was quite an adventure to get to Koh Samui. Small groups of us all took different routes; I went by train and bus and boat with seven other people. Our journey began at 5am on Saturday morning (the 16th), although I ended up staying up the whole night previous to our departure (that NEVER happens...I'm serious...I'm a girl who likes my 8 hours of REM). I had my room all packed up and I took my bags outside to wait for our ride to the train station. I sat alone for a few minutes watching the sun rise over the eastern side of the city, and I felt a profound mélange of sadness, fear, excitement, and closure. I was sad to leave Chiang Mai as I feel a great connection with the city. I was terrified of my adventures to come -- not knowing what will happen next can be a scary feeling, but I think it was a constructive sort of fear. I was excited to get to the beach and relax (finally!). I felt like a certain part of my journey came to a close, but as I reflect, I feel like it was just put on hold. I can always go back to make new memories and embark on new adventures.
After a 15-hour train ride to Bangkok, we were all exhausted and crashed at a cheap hostel on Khao Sarn Rd, famous for its' farang night life and kitchy tourist attractions. A classic Bangkok experience, but completely overwhelming. We woke up early to catch a bus to Koh Samui and we barely made it to the station. As we ran through the terminals, up escalators and dragging bags down stairs again, we definitely looked like frantic characters in a movie...sprinting to make our connection to paradise. Classic.
Our bus ride was another 15 hours. Hellish. We arrived at the port on the coast and still had a 2 hour ferry ride to the island. You can imagine our relief/exhaustion/tears of happiness when we finally arrived at our villas on the beach. Our Thai friend Anne hooked us up with beach-front accommodations for 100 baht/night (just over $3 USD). Yes, that's right, it cost me under $15 to stay on the beach for 4 nights. Incredible -- thanks Anne :)
On Monday morning we walked down the beach to find some breakfast. I ate pancakes and sipped some fresh tea next to the ocean. We spent the afternoon swimming in the crystal waves and exploring the island; Anne took us our for a drive and we found some great lookout points!
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| (Mostly) All of us! |
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| Looking out onto some other islands (and someone on a jet ski) |
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| Climbing some rock formations to the eastern side of the island |
On Tuesday, we woke up late and had another delicious breakfast before swimming (again) and taking a trip to see one of the many waterfall attractions on the island. We packed up our suits and towels and flip flops and headed out, only to confront a mile-long hike up hill through mud and forest. None of us were prepared, so it took a bit of time to get there. But the hike was worth it (of course) when we finally got to the falls and climbed up to lay in the cascades. I sat back on the rocks and let the water run over me -- pure bliss. We hiked back down and swam in the small pool at the bottom.
We had another low key night on the beach, eating sandwiches and drinking good beers, before our epic snorkeling adventure on Wednesday!
We woke up early and took a taxi to the opposite side of the island where we met some boat drivers. We rented the boats for the whole day for just about $5 / person. They took us to a bunch of different spots around Koh Samui and the neighboring islands. I went snorkeling for the first time and it was awesome! While the coral was bleached (a HUGE problem in Thailand), I did see some pretty incredible fish. Here are some scenic shots from the trip (and yes, the water is actually this color. No photo-shopping!)
GORGEOUS:
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| Our boats! |
Later that evening we were invited to attend a party on our beach. The bartenders at our resort were throwing a huge birthday party, complete with a Fire Show!
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| Pretty FREAKING cool! |
Alas, Thursday it was time to leave. Anna, Tim and I said goodbye to all of our Chiang Mai friends and boarded another bus back to Bangkok. Another 15 hours later, we arrived at 5:30 am and checked back into the same hostel we stayed at on the way down. We slept until 2pm the next day and then walked around the Khao Sarn district. We mostly found tourist junk, but ended up getting GREAT massages in a parlor on the first floor of our hostel. Tim also got a great haircut by a crazy Thai lady. We found a great vegan/vegetarian natural restaurant off the beaten path and I had some insanely delicious falafel. We woke up the next day and got ready for our trip to Cambodia...a new adventure in a whole new place...
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