January 24, 2010 – Day 395 – Koh Tao, Thailand
Saben packed in two dives today before lunch! Starting out at around 6:30 am he was loading gear and heading out on the Big Blue boat. First dive spot of the day was splendid chompron pinnacle. A place famous for its sharks! (Due to Saben’s lack of underwater camera the following photos are brought to you via flickr. Bull shark via user cliffandally.)
Bull Shark via cliffandally
January 23, 2010 – Day 394 – Koh Tao, Thailand
If we previously thought we had landed in paradise, we were wrong. Today we really did land in paradise. The moment we stepped off the ferry and had a glance around the bay we were docked in, we knew it was going to be a really spectacular week.
Beautiful Koh Tao
January 20-22, 2010 – Day 391-393 – Koh Samui, Thailand
Well, it’s the middle of winter and we have managed to lodge ourselves in a palm shady sandy spot listening to the soft sound of waves lapping up at the shore.
Palm
January 19,2010 – Day 390 – Koh Samui, Thailand
Made the move down south from Mae Nam Beach to Lamai Beach. Expected it to be packed and even more overpriced than Mae Nam but were pleasantly surprised that most things (food, lodging mainly) are a tad cheaper on Lamai. Even more surprised to see just how few people are here on the island.
Saben on Lamai
January 18, 2010 – Day 389 – Koh Samui, Thailand
Well it’s off to a bit of a bummer day. Stormy weather moving in, darkish choppy water and a very skinny beach with coarse yellow sand. Not quite what we were looking for in the way of Thai islands, especially after having travelled two days just to get here. We chose Mae Nam beach because we had heard it was quieter than the more popular Chaweng and Lamai Beaches. Sounded pretty nice to us but it left us wanting something a little different. Of course the crummy weather was no help either!
Filling the void
January 16, 2010 – Day 387 – Ranong, Thailand
Another uninteresting day to read, sorry dear readers! It was a very uncomfortable 9 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Ranong. It’s a little border town where we will cross into Burma tomorrow morning to renew our visa (we need some extra time for the south and instead of using up our full first 30 days, we are cutting off a few days in order to save us unnecessary travel back and forth from the islands). More to come!
January 7-15, 2010 – Day 378-386 – Bangkok, Thailand
Well, you’ve probably noticed the big jump in time here. We decided to spend a week doing absolutely nothing! We moved off Khao San Road and into a quieter area a bit farther away. We didn’t do much this week. Got Saben some rabies shots, hung out in this pretty waterfront park, walked around the market and bought some new flip flops to replace the old hole-ridden ones, and generally took it pretty easy. We’re getting ready for a whirlwind of activity coming up and it’s creeping up to our last couple of months on the road. Maybe it seems a bit early but we’re trying to prepare ourselves and at the same time savor the lifestyle we have come to enjoy so much.
Sunset over Bangkok
January 6, 2010 – Day 377 – Bangkok, Thailand
With Latham’s approaching flight this evening, we decided to save some of Bangkok’s best of last. Today we went to the Grand Palace. When they named it, they really were not kidding!
Golden statue
January 4, 2010 – Day 375 – Ayatthaya, Thailand
The ruins of the old capital Ayatthaya are scattered across the now restored, modern city. Renting bicycles is a great way to get yourself around the city, using the extensive road system, a handy map from the rental folks, and a bit of caution when crossing the multi-lane highway that operates on the opposite side you might be used to. This is how we saw Ayatthaya’s ruins and it turned out to be a whole lot of fun.
In the ruins
Taxi Rides = 123
Boat Rides = 35
Motorcycle Rides = 10
Plane Rides = 16
Bus Rides =330
Train Rides = 124
Rickshaw Rides = 98
Truck Bed Rides = 25
Rainy Days = 42
Current Rummy Score
Lin 10950, Saben 12435
