The Island Life

After a month in Hua Hin doing the TESOL certification, I had about two weeks before school started.  Luckily, two others (Morgan and Bronson) were in the same boat and we decided to spend a week on an island!  It was a very wise decision!

We chose Koh Chang as our destination at a resort called Mam Kai Bae.  It was definitely no Marriott in Hua Hin (yes, #PrincessBA spent a luxurious night there), but it suited our needs just fine!  It was directly on the beach, was clean and had beautiful sunsets.

We planned on arriving in Koh Chang on Sunday, May 1st.  However, due to some obstacles (i.e. a really fun night on Khao San Road the night before, not enough room on the 1:00 bus for all 3 of us and the ferry only running until 7 pm) we had to spend Sunday night in Trat before getting to Koh Chang on the 2nd.

In Trat we saw first hand how nice people really are.  We were feeling pretty defeated after a day in Bangkok and an unpleasant 5 hour van ride.  I'd booked a room at a guesthouse online.  We weren't really sure where the guesthouse was.  I was in the front passenger seat and as we got close to Trat the van driver was asking where we were going.  One of the ladies in the row behind me was trying to help since the van driver was fairly busy driving fast, riding the bumper of the vehicles in front of us and flashing his lights for them to get out of our way. I gave her my phone to show her the name.  There was some gesturing and words like 2 blocks.  She must have been able to see the confusion in my eyes!  The van pulled up to the hospital and the van driver got our luggage out and the lady and her friend also got out.  Since our luggage was out, we gathered this was where we were getting dropped off!  Through a game of charades I figured out she was going to get her car and drive us to the guesthouse.  At that moment, I saw her wings and halo!

On the 2nd we got up early, made it to the ferry and onto Koh Chang!  I got to introduce the Canadian and New Zealander to queso (well Thailand's version of queso...they have to get toTexas and get the real deal sometime), listened to a fun cover band, experienced the party scene on Lonely Beach (once was enough for us), kayaked to a small island near us (well they kayaked I just held on for dear life), watched the most beautiful sunsets I've ever experienced, got one of the worst sunburns in my adult life, and just relaxed because we knew that very soon it was all getting real!!

Definitely not Waterloo queso!!