The Sun and the Sand

We are on the beautiful island of Ko Chang, meaning Elephant Island in Thai. It is a huge, mountainous island with a variety of beautiful beaches, monkey's and tropical birds singing in the palm trees. Charlie and I have been 'traveling' with my sister, Wren, and my 8-year-old nephew, Jamas, for about a week now. By 'traveling' I mean that we traveled to one island- Ko Samet- relaxed and played on the white sand beaches for a week and then 'traveled' to the island next door, Ko Chang, where we presently reside. Ko Samet was picture perfect, but small, and having had walked in every direction to the sea, and relaxed on the beach for five or six days we decided to see some new terrain. Here on Ko Chang we are staying in simple, but beautifully crafted bamboo huts with nice sheets, and comfortable pillows- something both Charlie and I have come to realize is quite the luxury. This island has less of a resort feeling about it and more of the reggae-rasta vibe we are so comfortable with. Here people are just living thier lives comfortably, island style. And we fit right in. We have purchased a hammock each, and it has proven to be the best money spent yet. These durable, comfortable contraptions can be taken with you anywhere to create the best scene possible. Charlie, especially, has taken to his. He carts it with him on walks on the beach, just in case there is a perfect spot.

Today we rented Sea Kayak's, for about six U.S dollars, and paddled out and around a few small islands that lay off the shores of Ko Change. We saw some picturesque Asian jungle scenes from our boat- complete with many kinds of blooming, delicate trees sprawled up steep cliffs. The palms, the teak and many other massive, equally stunning and impressive, trees and foliage. Having my sister and nephew with us has inspired us to do more guided activities, as it is 'fun for the whole family.' We might go on an elephant ride- something Jamas did and is itching to do again, or some sort of jugle safari into the interior of the island- which is 75 percent untouched, pristine jungle. We woke up to monkey's playing on the deck of the hut next door and were so awe-struck that we realized not one of us had ever seen a wild monkey- let alone playing outside our door. This made us want to get in to the jungle and observe some more exotic (to us) wildlife.

We only have a few more days left in Thailand, and we are sad to leave, but our days will continue to be full of exotic adventure and relaxation.