More Thailand

It really felt like were were in Thailand longer than a week (in the best of ways). We stayed at three different places, but it felt like we enjoyed and stayed at each just the right amount of time--if that makes sense. The first place was only a brief night, so we can't comment too much on the Ao Nang area.

The pics below are in no particular order--just the order I uploaded them to blogger :)

Resort we stayed at on Ko Lanta

pool of water to wash the sand from your feet after walking on the beach

Our trip actually had a rough start for me. I ate something my stomach didn't like on the flight over from Tokyo and found myself really sick up until we landed in Krabi.

Bangkok Airport

Chris and I both got massages at sundown right on the beach.
Both 1 hour massages for only $9 USD each!

Ko Lanta resort "Ocean Pool"
--a dock that extends out to a area of water that is partitioned off to swim in

Ko Lanta resort
Best calamari ever! I have this thing about ordering calamari at most of the
restaurants we go to, and after having ordered calamari at many a place, this tops the list.

It's very hard to find summer things in Japan this time of year,
so Chris bought himself Japanese style sandals at the Ko Lanta resort.
Really comfortable for him too.

This is a standard way of getting around (like a taxi).
We took this taxi from our first hotel in Ao Nang to the boat dock.

Chris's b-day! :)
The Ko Lanta staff actually brought a cake to our room
on the night of Chris's b-day (great surprise).

Ko Lanta
After riding the elephant to a certain point a guide took us on a hike
that lead to a waterfall.

Ko Lanta
Our elephant ride! :)
Really cool, but when the elephant starts making loud noises
the way elephants do, a little scary too wondering if it's angry
and you are about to get thrown off ;)
Would definitely do it again.

Ko Lanta
Great views from our room and really beautiful resort--very highly recommended

Ko Phi Phi - Monkey Beach
Yes, the water was this blue, it's not a camera trick
The water was absolutely amazing here,
the sand is like sand I have never felt before--so fine and white.

The fruit drinks!!
We tried so many of these during our trip--cheap and so good.
Mango, watermelon, lemon, lime, guava, coconut, I'm probably missing some

Ko Phi Phi
My black and white kitty--bound to see one of these on our trip
(saw a similar cat in Tuscany, Rome, Kyoto, and now Ko Phi Phi--
pictures of the cats are in the blog if you look around)

The famous Maya Bay! This is the official beach in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach." And it was very very beautiful. Water, sand, everything. You can see video and more pictures of it in the youtube video I uploaded.

There are two islands that make up Ko Phi Phi--Ko Phi Phi Le and Ko Phi Phi Don. Ko Phi Phi Le is where Maya Bay is, Ko Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two and is where tourists and locals stay.

Maya Bay -- on land
Most of Ko Phi Phi is very rugged looking--
cliffs, dense trees, and beautiful water at the base.
The tourist areas are such a small part they
don't take away from the real beauty of the island.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay

We took a private long boat 2 days while we were on Ko Phi Phi.
It was wonderful having the boat to ourselves (+ our driver)
for snorkeling and seeing different parts of the islands.

Our boat driver during our Phi Phi stay was "Bo" (pronounced "Bow")--
really nice guy, we came to feel attached to him as our guide.
He kept us away from the jellyfish infested water-areas ;)
(yes, some areas had swarms of jellyfish! wasn't able to get a photo though)

Surprising as it may be to some, Thailand is a cheap place to vacation if you live within a reasonable flying distance. The food is cheaper, the drinks are cheap, massages are cheap, accommodations can be a little pricier or very cheap depending on your style. The water and snorkeling are great.