The beaches of Southern Thailand...

The overnight train to the south was over fifteen hours.  We were on the eastern side of Thailand and it seemed as if the towns to the east of the railroad tracks had built giant man-made ditches to trap the rainwater during the monsoon season.  I can't imagine how high the water levels get during peak season- the flooding is quite apparent even now.

 

The first island that we stopped at was Koh Mook, on the western side of Thailand.  It was very quiet and peaceful there.  We stayed in a quaint little bungalow right on the beach, and fell asleep and woke up to the waves breaking on the shore.  Each day was just as incredible as the last.  Laurie did yoga every day, and we would lay on the beach and calmly walk into the sea when it would get hot.  Every morning I would sit on the sand and have a moment of silence for the victims of the tsunami.

 

The water there was so warm.  We got massages at sunset.  What an unbelievably relaxing place!  Every moment we could look out at the painting-like landscape and horizon, with only the sound of the water.  We befriended a couple of the locals there who showed us around the neighboring islands.  We were fortunate enough to see the sun drop behind the Andaman Sea at sunset several times.

 

We took a boat to Koh Kradan one day- it was the most beautiful island we had seen!!!  The soft coral we saw while snorkeling was incredible, and the perfect white-sand beach extended at least 100 yards into the sea, creating an enormous natural "swimming pool."  It was incomparable to anything I have ever seen.

 

We went to Emerald Cave after that- this dark cave that you swim through (in pitch black darkness for a short moment) that opens up into a lagoon.  When you look up while you're on a tiny beach, it was as if you were standing inside a volcano, where the walls around you stood a few hundred meters high.  And swimming out of the cave into the turquoise water was stunning!!!

 

We made Koh Mook our home for eight days.  It was such a peaceful island, and the tourist businesses seemed to work together with the villagers that inhabited much of the island.  The village was great- the people were so friendly, and we could buy fresh pineapple, mango, and bananas.  It was a shame to see the devestating effects of the tsunami, but there seemed to be quite a bit of foreign aid and money present to rebuild the island.  I am convinced that, in any situation, there is always hope.

 

We finally left Koh Mook and went to Koh Ngai for a couple of days.  On the way, we went on an incredible snorkeling tour.  There was a French fisherman on our boat who gave us a fresh grouper that he caught on the way.  On Koh Ngai, one of the resort managers fired up a grill for us.  He let me go into the kitchen to fillet this beautiful grouper (which I had to do break down with a knife that was as sharp as a spoon), but in the end, we ate a delicious meal by candlelight on the beach with our Swedish friend Karin. 

 

Our last day on Koh Ngai was a good one- Laurie and I got some great massages at sunset.  It was really gratifying to see Laurie getting her back worked on and feeling like she was in Heaven.  And after I jumped into a pickup game of soccer with a bunch of the local Thais.  Still got it, kind of.

 

I'm going to let Laurie tell you about Koh Lipe.  Hope you are all well and in great spirits.

 

Much love, Eddie

 

 

Hello Friends!!

The adventure continues.  After much deliberation, we decided to go to Koh Lipe, a supposed "untouched island" in the Andaman Sea.  We actually bought tickets on the ferry with our friend and new traveling partner, Karin, and at the last minute, we bailed and traveled back to Koh Mook with our new Thai best buddy, Bank, and then went down the next day (a bit of a money saving venture). 

 

We took a ferry, then a bus, then a speed boat and arrived in Koh Lipe around 5pm and were transported by another boat to the Porn Resort (get your minds out of the gutter).  We're still not sure why it's called that, but it was supposed to be nice and the least populated.  So we got a cute little bamboo bungalow and within the first 20 minutes, I was greeted by a giant, red, flat millipede in the bathroom.  Now, as most of you know, I'm a tough Colorado mountain girl, but Eddie can attest to the fact that sometimes I'm a girly girl, especially when it comes to crawling critters.  He consoled me and I decided I could put up with it for a night and we had a mosquito net, which we tucked snuggly around every corner and we survived.

 

So we went to the restaurant for a bite and a beer and after about 20 minutes, a longtail boat (the long wooden boats without mufflers that are the main mode of transportation in the islands) began to sink.  All of the Thai men ran out to bail it out and, while Eddie was watching, he decided to give a hand.  For the next 20 minutes or so, about 10 men were in the water, waves crashing, trying to keep the boat upright.  Success!! It was a bit exciting for Eddie, especially because he couldn't understand what they were saying or their plan.  As usual, they probably all thought he was Thai, but weren't sure. 

 

THe next day, we checked out some other bungalows and moved to another beach, where we promptly ran into Karin, our Swedish buddy.  So for the next 3 days, we all hung out together, eating (as usual), sunbathing and relaxing -- movies, massage, fruit shakes, fried chicken sticks, swimming in the clear blue waves.  We also made some other good friends from Seattle, who were on the last couple of weeks of an 8 month around the world journey.  It was interesting talking to them and comparing notes. 

 

Koh Lipe is a beautiful island with clear blue water and amazing views.  However, the development, like most "untouched" places in Thailand, is rampant.  There is a village of about 700 natives that is slowly being pushed out and might even be relocated to a neighbouring island so that the resorts can move in.  It was hard to tell what the locals felt considering they don't speak much English, but to us it seemed as if they were on the raw end of the deal.

 

We did talk to a couple of Rastas who ran a reggae bar on the very crowded beach, who were pretty upset about the fact that their bar, "Time to Chill", had to move in less than a week.  It was a very cozy spot right on the water, close enough so that when the tide was high, you couldn't occupy a couple of the tables without your feet dangling in the water.  They had an open mike and Eddie got up a couple of nights and worked his magic fingers on the guitar.  It was a good end to a great couple of weeks on the beach. 

 

So, after a delicious barbeque of fresh king mackerel on our last night, we got a mellow night's sleep  and got on a 3 hour ferry, a 90 minute bus ride and then a 16 hour train back to Bangkok.  Unfortunately, the sleeper cars were sold out, so we sat up all night -- needless to say, not comfortable.  But we arrived safely and are back in the city for a few days.  Went to the Grand Palace today with our friends, Brent and Leah, from Koh Lipe and enjoying the city life.

 

We'll be here for a few days and then head to Cambodia or Laos.  We'll keep you posted.

Namaste,

Laurie

 

 

The Grand Palace in Bangkok (just turn your computer a quarter turn clockwise)




Sunset in Koh Lipe




Sunset in Koh Mook

Entrance to The Emerald Cave, Koh Mook, Thailand



Yes, another sunset in Koh Mook!

Finally photos!!!!

Wow!! For two blog illiterate posters, this has been a nightmare. So check them out b/c we are going to sleep now.
Peace, Laurie and Eddie


Tsho Rolpa at 15000 feet in Na, Nepal





Laurie's new lover (the elephant, not the nepali)in Royal Chitwan National Park




Bodhnath Stupa, largest stupa in Nepal




Gauri Shankar, the sacred peak of the Rolwaling Valley





Beding Medical Clinic



The streets of Kathmandu, sideways






With the porters and locals in Dongan, Nepal on the way to the Rolwaling valley

Nepal to Thailand

Sawadee from Thailand!!

Wow, what a contrast.  We arrived safely, conveniently and organizedly to Bangkok last night and it's been a breeze ever since.  We had an amazing time in Nepal, as recounted by Eddie, but it was nice to get to a place where there is some sort of organization.  Nepal is full of amazing people, beautiful landscapes and sights, but the two lane roads with 4 lanes of cars, buses, yaks and bicycles going in different directions can get a little overwhelming (not to mention life threatening). 
 
Our last days in KTM were spent with our friend, Chandra (thanks to KJ), who is a mutual friend of a friend in Colorado.  He met us in Pokhara, a small town at the foot of the Annapurna Range (which, unfortunately, was snuggly hidden in the clouds the whole time we were there).  We spent a few days there relaxing and in the serenity away from KTM and then headed to Chitwan National Park to see the "wildlife".  However, we spent more time just socializing with the very friendly people in our group rather than seeing any jungle animals.  We did spend an afternoon tracking and chasing a rhino (I think I saw a glimpse of his shadow, but it could have been my imagination - Eddie actually saw his head).  The elusive tiger never made an appearance.  We had a great guide and bathed with the elephants (more like they bathed us), which was definitely the highlight of the jungle experience.  It could, however, have been the culprit of the following 4 days of diarrhea and excruciating belly cramping I endured in Pokhara (at least it was a comfortable room with a fan and a loyal boyfriend catering to my every whim). 
 
The other bonus of the jungle trip, which, most of you know, is one of my least favorite climates, was seeing a local village, where I made a new little friend, Sasathi, an 8 year old boy, who walked with me, consistently gazing up with curious brown eyes, for about 2 hours.  He even walked us to the boat to say goodbye and kept waving until we could no longer see him.  It was really touching.  I asked if he wanted to come, but he had other responsibilities.
 
Anyway, back in Pokhara, we visited a beautiful Tibetan Monastery with Chandra, where we sat with the monks chanting for a special, once a year, fire ceremony.  They had beautiful colored flour mandalas, yak butter altar statues and soothing sounds with chanting, bells and drums.  It was truly a magical experience and definitely a different spiritual feel than in Beding, where we carried the drunk lamas home. 
 
We then headed to Bandipur, an historical town which was once the center of the trade route from Tibet, perched on top of a hill, again with incredible views of the mountains which eluded us again.  However, we had a really nice couple of days, the highlight of which (for me, at least), was chatting with two young doctors fulfilling their responsibility to treating patients in a rural area after med school.  One of them was very passionate about promoting change and opportunity in Nepal.  It was nice to see that there are people who don't have the same apathy we've seen in some other locations.  It was a bit sad and surprising to find out that most doctors in Nepal make only $150 -500/month, despite paying $30,000 for med school.  Most of them then leave the country for post doc work in a foreign land, never to return.  Hence, the country is losing intellectuals and motivated young people by the day.  It almost seems a hopeless situation, but the young doctor expressed optimism.
 
Back in KTM, we took a mountain flight to see the Himalaya since we are probably some of the only tourists in the world who went to Nepal and didn't trek to the majestic giants.  I must admit I felt a little soft seeing the peaks from a plane, but it was pretty incredible.  There was a high cloud cover, so they rose right from the clouds like from the ocean.  Flying at 25000 feet and seeing Everest towering above was breathtaking.  Next time we might need to get in shape and manage to see them in person.  We did get to see Gauri Shankar, the mountain which towers above Beding, from above.
 
Then we headed to Pashipatinath, a famous temple of Shiva, where Hindus from all over travel to be blessed before dying and to cremate their family members.  It was quite a spiritual experience watching the rituals and seeing the burning of bodies on the banks of the holy river.  We also visited a bit with a Sadhu (holy men dedicated to living esthetically, who are dressed in brightly colored robes and artistically painted faces), who instructed me in sitting on the stone penis of Shiva for fertility.  Apparently, women from all over come to the temple to touch the penis.  No, no plans, but just in case.
 
For the last tourist attraction of the day, we headed to Bodhnath Stupa, the largest in Nepal.  It is a huge, white stupa with prayer flags, prayer wheels and monasteries on every side.  The brightly painted monasteries filled with golden buddhas leaves one with a very peaceful and hopeful view of life.  Inside Bodhnath seems like a tranquil getaway from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu.
 
So, now we're in Bangkok and have slept well, eaten amazing pad thai on the street for thirty cents, and are heading to the beach tomorrow night on the overnight train.  After a day of shopping and eating in Bangkok, we are sure it will be nice to relax in the pristine waters of the Andaman Sea. 
 
So, for now, we wish you all a happy day.  We're going to attempt to add photos now, but don't hold your breath.
 
Peace, Laurie and Eddie