Vacation in Thailand - part 2

After 2 nights at Lonely Beach we decided we needed to see more people around, so we moved to the main beach on the island - White Sands. We found a hotel there that was right on the ocean and also had a pool. The rest of the week was great, very relaxing, it consisted of a lot of lying in the sun, swimming and sleeping. Here are a few more of the highlights:

- While still at Lonely Beach we wanted to take a taxi to White Sands, but none were driving by so we started walking in that direction. It wasn't great; mostly uphill in sweltering heat; but after about 2 km we happened to look up in the trees to see a group of monkeys in the trees. They were just climbing and swinging, it was pretty cool. Unfortunately none of the pics turned out, but it made the walk worthwhile!

- One morning we woke up early-ish and booked a scooter so we could ride to the National Park and see the waterfalls. I was a little hesitant because I'd never driven a scooter before and 'they' say that helmets aren't necessary on the island. It turned out to be a lot of fun even though it started to pour on the walk up to the falls. But the waterfalls were beautiful and riding the scooter was great, even in the pouring rain. However, a few days later we were told that during the high season on the island about 2 -3 tourists die every week from scooter accidents. So next time I'd wear a helmet.

- On Thursday afternoon we went on an elephant trek. Chang means elephant in English so it seemed fitting that we went to see them on Elephant Island. First we went down to the river with the elephants so that we could bathe them, then we went on a ride for over an hour, and at the end we got to feed them. The elephants were amazing, their size is phenomenal but they are also very gentle. It was a great experience.

- On Friday afternoon we were walking down the main street when we looked up to see more monkeys! This time 3 younger monkeys were eating bananas that someone had placed on the top of a phone booth. The would swing on the power lines to reach the booth, grab the bananas and then race away so they could eat them. There were also 3 or 4 older monkeys a bit further back sitting in the trees. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, so there aren't any pictures of this sighting either :(

- All of the restaurants along the ocean set up tables on the beach at night. You could go up and see all the fresh seafood they had, order what you wanted and then they grilled it for you, it was great!

- On our last day in Thailand we flew back to Bangkok in the morning so we could spend the day there and finally see the Grand Palace. We made sure it was our first stop so that we would have time to see it. It was worth it, the palace was amazing and very beautiful. After the sightseeing we did a little more shopping at the markets and then went to the airport to catch our flight back to Korea. It was supposed to leave at 11:30 pm but was delayed an hour. This meant we didn't get into Seoul until 8:30 the next morning, so needless to say work was not fun that day! But all in all it was a great vacation and I'd love to go back sometime!

Next weekend I'm off to Beijing for 5 days so I'll write about that soon after. Hope you're all doing well :-)