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 17, 2010 – Day 388 – Koh Samui, Thailand

At the ripe hour of 7AM we descended upon the city of Ranong intent upon finding the immigration office. We need that exit stamp from Thailand so we can officially leave and come back with a fresh 15 day visa. Gives us plenty of uninterrupted time to “explore” the beaches of southern Thailand. Of course, that mainly hinges on the idea that “explore” means drink beer, go diving and snorkeling, and maybe—if duty calls—some lying on the beach, just to make sure it’s safe for future travellers, of course.

Boats at the Thai side of the border

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 5, 2010 – Day 376 – Bangkok, Thailand

With all the bicycling we did yesterday, we felt fully justified in taking today to relax and rest our lazy bums. For Lin’s birthday we splurged on beer and pizza. Yum!

Happy birthday Lindsey!

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

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January 2-3, 2010 – Day 373-374 – Bangkok, Thailand

Well, the time came for us to go back to Bangkok and sad as we were to leave beautiful Samet, we made the drive back. We made another visit to the Chatuchak Weekend Market to pick up any last minute souvenirs before we send Lin’s backpack home with Latham stuffed full of goodies. (Note: in place of Lin’s 35L backpack listed on the packing list, Lin will be downsizing to a 24L pack. Seems small but we have learned to travel with very little).

Musicians in the market

January 1, 2010 – Day 372 – Koh Samet, Thailand

So it’s officially 2010. Feels nice, like a clean sheet of paper and sharpened pencil. Ready for anything!

Best way to start the new year