Friday, January 15, 2010

Koh Tao to Bangkok and on to Ban Phe


Well, I made it out of Koh Tao where I went to go for two days and stayed for 8.  The slow pace of the small island was just what the doctor ordered for the first leg of this journey.   A place where I could relax, gather my thoughts and get lost in some amazing scenery, food and people.


The kindness of the people, especially May and her family who operate the small thai restaurant where I ate at least once every day was typical of the people on Koh Tao in general.  Friendly, kind, and helpful and always smiling.  They say Thailand is the "Land of Smiles" and this was no truer than on Koh Tao.


The island is covered with beautiful and secluded beaches.  The snorkeling was amazing.  I snorkeled with sharks, saw numerous large schools of colorful fish.  I need to learn more about the fish I see while diving and snorkeling and I think I have time for that here.  :-)


Sairee Beach is just north Mae Hat beach and a little more commercialized but beautiful nonetheless.  The beach is bordered by a small walkway lined with shops and restaurants that look over the ocean.  Internet shops, dive shops, restaurants, bars and lodging at 400 baht/night ($13 USD) are all over the place.


The scenery on the way back from Koh Tao was beautiful, but I could have done without the 2 hour ferry ride back to Ko Samui.  The seas were horrible.  I normally have no issues with motion sickness as my sailing friends from the San Francisco Bay will tell you, but these were baddddddd.



Now, I am back in Bangkok and getting ready to go to the small beach town of Ban Phe where I have a meeting set up at a school to tour their facilities and meet with their Director to determine if this is where I want to do my TEFL certification course.  Ban Phe is a 2 hour bus ride from Bangkok.  From there, I will decide whether to go north to Chiang Mai or south to the island of Ko Chang.  Decisions, decisions....

Be well, my friends.  Thanks for taking the time to check this out.

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