Time Flies in Paradise
Trip Start
Feb 25, 2008
1
6
7
Trip End
Ongoing
Koh Phangan, Thailand
Sunday, July 27, 2008
small towns that see very few tourists. I was frequently pointed and
stared at while the locals screamed "falang! falang!" which means
foreigner. I rented a motorbike and explored a cave that is touristy
among locals for the hundreds of Buddha statues which supposedly have
been there for thousands of years. I met up with my friend Celia and
we visited a great waterfall town called Tat Lo where we jumped and
played in amazing fresh waterfalls.
My favorite place in Southern Laos was an area called Si Pan Don (4000
Islands) which is near the Cambodian border. It's a special area where
the Mekong River fans out to form literally thousands of islands full
of lush land cape and palm trees. I had been told to visit a very
special guesthouse where "Papa" (the owner) would take good care of
me. I had quite the experience with him: we went fishing at a huge
waterfall and after grilled and ate the fish dipped in chili sauce,
drank lots and lots of Lao Lao (Lao Whiskey), and played with his
adorable 1-month old baby to give Mama #2 (yes, that's how he referred
to her) a rest. He really welcomed me into his home and his life so it
was a great way to see how the locals live.
I crossed the border back to Thailand where I have been for almost 1
month now. First I went to Koh Tao, the smallest of the three islands
off the southeastern coast of Thailand. I enjoyed some amazing
snorkeling, which Koh Tao is known for. I saw some beautiful fish that
are SO colorful and I even spotted a Black-Finned Shark! It was about
1 meter long and supposedly harmless, but I was freaked out
none-the-less! A friend and I rented a kayak and had a great time
exploring different beaches around the island.
After Koh Tao, I headed to Koh Phangan where I've been for about 3
weeks. I found an amazing beach here called Bottle Beach that has
retained its charm over years of development that has tainted other
areas of the island. The terrain to get to the beach is mountainous
and treacherous, therefore only accessible by boat. It's as if you are
on and island, in and island! My friend Dariush (who I worked for in
Cambodia) met me there so we had a great time catching up and soaking
up the sun together. A few days ago we came to the beach where I am
now called Haad Yuan. It's equally as isolated from other popular
beaches on the island and you can only get here by boat as well. I am
going to take a few yoga classes at a well-known retreat center here
called The Sanctuary. However, I decided not to do the month long yoga
course as I had planned for a few reasons, mostly that it's too
expensive.
In a few days I'm headed to Malaysia and Singapore. I'll be there for
a few weeks to visit the jungle, a few cities and more tropical
islands. Then I'll return to Thailand and stay as long as I can until
my money runs out. Unless I find work somewhere along the way, I'll
head back to Shanghai to mooch off my parents and save money before I
head to India/Nepal in January.
