By the light of a flash light and other adventures

I'm in Ko Chang right now and we have been here for about 2 days now. We left from Pattaya at about 8 in the morning and arrived in the afternoon after a long day of traveling. We were whisked away from the bus station to the ferry and from the pier on Ko Chang we jumped into bus bound for somewhere. We ended up reaching a fabulous resort, KB Resorts, right on the beach. We have a fantastic little bungalow and are in a perfect location. It's a bit more expensive than we were planning, but it's worth every baht. We have been worried that it would be rainy while we were here but today was a beautiful day and we spent all day in the sun. My legs and arms can attest to that as I got a bit burned. Yesterday morning we kayaked from shore to several islands of the coast and enjoyed that. It was a strenuous paddle, but was beautiful. We ended up at on a beach with a nice calm cove and stayed there for a bit and relaxed before the last crossing back to the beach. We were a bit worried about the current coming back as the winds were strong and the current seemed to be strong as well, but after asking a boat pilot we met on one of the islands we decided that all was well and made the crossing. Upon reaching another island, we realized that some water had penetrated my ziplock bag and had gotten several things wet. So, we dried that out and attempted to make do. My camera made it through okay, but my phone didn't. On the beach I saw that water had gotten inside and had condensed on the screen-not a good thing-but at that moment it seemed to still work. After we got back I opened it up to dry it out and noticed that it wasn't reading the sim card - not good. I thought that the phone was okay and it was the sim card that had been damaged and was really worried because I'd have lost all my phone numbers and text messages - something that would have been survivable, but no fun. It turns out that the sim card is okay and it's the phone that's shot. I've been thinking about getting a new phone, so in the end, I did and am only out 3,500 baht and have a new phone. So, it could have been worse. After dealing with the phone we showered and rented a motorbike to drive around the island. We headed up the coast and stopped at a restaurant along side the road. It was just us at this little restaurant and we ordered food and fruit shakes from the lady and ate. After she had finished cooking, she sat down and started to talk to us. It was great to chat with her. She moved to Ko Chang about 5 years ago from a province in Isan (northeastern Thailand) and runs this restaurant. I asked her about the changes over the last few years and she attested to the changes alluded to in the guide books about the rapid development of the island and the ever increasing influx of tourists every year. She talked of forests coming down and guest houses rising, but also of a greater income than she has had before because of the foreign tourists. She also talked about the slow and high seasons and how in a few weeks more and more tourists will come as the rainy season comes to an end. It was a fantastic conversation and we exchanged bits and pieces. I talked about my experiences here and teaching and she talked about her family (she has two sons; one drives a bus from her home town to BKK and the other has a farm). We talked about whether or not I had a Thai girlfriend yet or not and if I wanted one. As with most every other Thai, she was very curious to know about my relationship status and many jokes were made. A friend of hers came to the restaurant and told me that she didn't have a boyfriend and asked if I wanted to be hers (I'm assuming she was joking...). It was just wonderful to have that conversation and to be able to communicate like that. I still surprise myself sometimes at how much Thai I do know and how much I can communicate with others. It's moments like that which help to erase the moments where I wasn't able to communicate or struggled - we really had a conversation. After lunch, we continued on around the island and ended up at the entrance to a trail in the national park. I spook Thai to the women working the gate and she immediately asked me if I worked in Thailand and told me that I could enter in the national park for the Thai price (20 baht). Peter, a foreign tourist, would have to pay 400 baht. It's crazy how that works, and I'm glad I can take advantage of the Thai price (it doesn't always happen like this - getting this rate was easy. I tried to get a similar deal at the Grand Palace in Bangkok but to no avail). We decided that we didn't have enough time to do that and continued on to another waterfall further down the island that was free. We got there and hiked a bit in, but it started to get dark before we got there. The island has some very neat roads and are very steep in some places. We had made it there find, but it appeared that some o f the hills coming back would be very steep. We attempted these hills and we were almost flung back down the hill (figuratively). The first hill was a challenge and our bike stalled half way up. So, we turned the bike perpendicular to the hill, started it again and continued up in first gear. The bike worked hard, we thought of fluffy cotton and other light objects and we made it. We certainly put on a show for the others on the road and while you may be thinking this is one of those moments where, at the time, it's not funny but in hindsight it is. In reality it was a moment that was as hilarious then as it is now. We were laughing our way up that hill as well. On our way back, as it got dark, I (as most people would) turned on the headlight on the bike. Unfortunately nothing happened - it was getting dark and we had no head lamp. After discovering this, I did the prudent thing and pulled into the next motorcycle repair shop and asked them to change the light (assuming it was a burned out bulb). Upon closer examination, they realized that the whole light assembly needed to be replaced. Now, keep in mind this is a rental and I'm in Thailand - that combination does not work in the renters favor if something breaks while renting. So, instead of spending the money (almost 3 times what is cost to rent the bike for one day) we went to 7/11 and bought a flashlight. So, by the light of our blinker and the light of a 55 baht ($1.15) flashlight we found our way home (about 10 km). It was a slow but exciting ride. It was one of the few times in my life when I found myself thankful for development and the light pollution that exists in cities as it made driving without a headlight much easier.

Today was a much less eventful day. It was the first day that really felt like vacation and I enjoyed simply laying on the beach and relaxing. After a lazy morning and a phone call home, we decided to start our day by driving into the next town, White Sands, and go shopping. There were a few gifts Peter wanted to pick up, so we did that and returned from where we can the night before (the drive during the day is much easier with light). A quick shopping trip and a short hike to a waterfall rounded out the morning and we headed back to put on our swimming suits and lay on the beach. After looking forward to jumping in the ocean (it was another beautiful morning), right as we walk out our door it starts to rain. All we can do is look at each other in disbelief. But, luckily for us after about 30 minutes the rain let up and we were rewarded with yet another beautiful afternoon. As the sun began to set, Peter headed back to the bungalow for a surprise and returns with two bottles of Sunshine beer, one of my favorite beers bottled in Colorado by the New Belgium Brewing Company. I was delighted to have one and we spent the next half hour sipping our beers (which tasted amazing by the way) and watching the sun set.

And thus that wraps up our time in Ko Change. We are planning to leave tomorrow afternoon after another relaxing morning and head to Ayudhaya (an old capital of Siam).

Hope all is well,

RM