Day Trip to Koh Phi Phi & snorkeling

I was up early & went for a walk to the quieter beach. I saw lots of monkeys on the way & had a swim across to one of the small islands & back. I had noticed a shrine in a cavern off to the side, so I wandered over to check it out. As I did, a local man came up & motioned for me to kneel to pray, so I obliged. As I looked up at the shrine, for a second I thought it looked strange, then burst out laughing when I realized it was a bunch of penises!  They were all sizes & painted all different colors. The man pointed out a placard for me to read, which explained that it was a fertility shrine. So I prayed for my sister, Jandi; I expect to get word any day now that she & Kevin will be having their first as I'm confident praying to the penises must work.  Unfortunately I hadn't brought my camera to get a photo. What an interesting start to my day.
 
The entire group went on the optional tour by boat to Koh Phi Phi, the island where the movie "The Beach" was filmed with Leonardo Di Caprio. It was a gorgeous day with 4 snorkeling stops. I saw giant clams & dove down to them. As I approached them they would close up. Carly had never snorkeled before, & she really seemed to enjoy it. We saw many colorful fish as well as blue coral, fluorescent yellow coral, clownfish, & many other colorful coral & fish throughout the day. 
Back at Railey, some of us swam for a bit, than went to get pancake roti - like crepes filled with our choice of yummy sauces or fruit. I was glad to see they had peanut butter & ordered one with it & banana. After getting cleaned up, we had a group meeting, then dinner on the beach. Unfortunately, the restaurant advertising mango sticky rice had run out, so it wasn't one of the best dinners.

Day 20 Thailand

I woke up to the sounds of the jungle, & had a pineapple shake before we hopped into vans for the ride to Krabi on the West coast. We had to stop alongside the road for a few minutes, because one of the girls thought she forgot her camera & wanted to check for it; meanwhile I spotted another monkey - of a different type -in a nearby tree. Some of us went over to check him out & were able to get quite close for a photo.
We got to Krabi & piled all our gear into a long tail boat to Railey Beach. It was a short ride with gorgeous scenery. This is really how I had pictured Thailand, beautiful colored water & lots of green mountains jutting out. We arrived at the Yaya resort, right on the water, where we would stay 2 nights. This area is lovely & a bit cooler with ocean breezes from beach on both sides. We stowed our stuff in our cute rooms, although they still have the typical bathroom: a vanity with sink, toilet, & detachable shower head that is not in a any way separated, so the whole bathroom gets wet when you shower.
Some of us walked around the area & to the caves before hitting the beach. The caves were neat with some impressive formations. We found our way to the main beach- a huge, wide beach with soft sand. It looks like paradise, it's breathtaking with tall green mountains on each end & small islands out in the distance. I spent the afternoon swimming, then some of us got lunch at an open, beach-side restaurant. I had chicken satay & some of the best mango sticky rice I've had yet. We wandered the shops & I bought 2 dresses for 550 baht=$16.
By the time we walked back out to the beach, after less than an hour in the shops, the tide had gone out; it was amazing to see the rate at which the beach had receded. I had planned on snorkeling by some rocks at the far end of the beach, however this was no longer an option, so I walked the beach scouting for shells & watching crabs make beautiful patterns in the sand. As they dig their holes, they toss the sand out making interestingly artistic & symmetrical patterns.
Allison & I decided to walk to the other side of the island to see the other beach. On our way, we saw lots of small brown monkeys playing in the trees & crossing on the electrical wires right over our heads. We were able to get quite close to watch them. As we walked to the other side, we had to follow the coast, then hug the walls of the mountain & walk under rock walls. The beach on this side is also lovely, & it started raining as we got in the water. It was only a drizzle, & the first real rain we've had. We were content to swim in the warm water & enjoyed the rain.
We had dinner at the resort, then all went to the Last Bar for drinks. We sat on mats on the deck & ordered buckets of cocktails to share - they looked like sand pails. The flamethrowers put on a great show; although this was something that never would've happened in a bar in the US. Several guys took turns showing us tricks with fire lit balls, sticks, etc that they juggled. They were right in front of us & it seemed rather dangerous, as they dropped them a few times & nearly burnt people. At one point I got sprayed with kerosene coming off the sticks; this is when I decided it was time to move back. It was a very impressive show, & I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Everyone had been wanting to dance, so Janelle started it off by running out to the dance floor. Several of us quickly followed & had a blast dancing the night away. As the evening advanced, the dance floor got more crowded & we ended up sweaty & eager for a swim. Penny, Allison & I found our way to the main beach, where we were pleasantly surprised to find the water filled with bioluminescent plankton that lit up & sparkled when we stirred up the water. I've seen this only a couple other times, & it always amazes me. We had fun playing in the water before heading to bed.

Day 18 Thailand

Got up early to go on all day boat tour to Ang Thong National Marine Park with Penny, Jenine, & Tahn. We had a lovely day, hot & sunny & the scenery was exhilarating. We were on a big speedboat packed with people, this was the major downer of the day: we were crammed in & there wasn't enough room for everyone to sit. Otherwise it was an awesome day. We rode around many green, rocky islands jutting out from the spectacular blue-green water. Our first stop was for snorkeling over a colorful reef with a multitude of fish. The coolest thing I found was a brown baby sting ray with sparkling blue spots, hiding under the ledge of a rock. 
Next we stopped at an island where we climbed to see the emerald lake in the middle. It was actually a sinkhole, the water was a brilliant green, calm & glassy. There were some great views from the top of this island as well.  We had a quick swim & headed to another island with a gorgeous beach for a buffet lunch, which I refrained from due to stomach issues which have hit.  I admired the views & sat at the edge of the water staring at this paradise.    
We sped on to another island where we had some time to swim in the warm water, at least it's a bit cooler than the beach at out bungalows.  We got to go on a kayak tour as well, Penny & I shared & I did most of the paddling, wanting the exercise & thoroughly enjoying it.  We paddled out around one island, then out to another. We maneuvered the kayak through caves & crevices along the edge, barely fitting at times. It was great fun & really beautiful. The guide had fun splashing us, as they all seem to do on any boat tours here; wet the white women!
Another bit relaxing in the ocean & we headed back to Koh Samui & our beach bungalows. I would love to return & see more of this island; those of us who did the boat tour were really glad we did, but we didn't get any time to explore this island or go to the famous Chaweng beach. We should've had another day here.  Jenine & I went to the fisherman's market for dinner. It was an area with lots of shops & nice seafood restaurants right on the water. We chose one that was reasonably priced & had a set menu for 2 people. It was delicious & I couldn't have wanted a better menu: they served us spring rolls & chicken satay for appetizers, then 2 main dishes with rice: tom ka gai soup & a sweet shrimp curry with vegetables, & for dessert: my favorite- mango with sweet sticky rice. They also served us both Mai Tais included in the price, which ended up being about $15 each.  It was excellent service, artistic presentation, & a lovely setting along the beach at sunset. Best dinner so far. Funny enough the power went out as we were eating so they brought us candles, and we watched people on the beach lighting lanterns they set adrift for luck, we could see them float high into the sky.   

Calypso Cabaret

Can you tell they are men? These ladyboys were quite the performers!

Erawan Falls

Chang RAi-Laos-Kanchanaburi

Carly & Penny & I in Chang Rai, Golden Triangle, Laos, Bridge over River Kwae, Steph & Paul at dinner, Me & Penny at dinner

Elephant Conservation Center

Day 19 Thailand

Got up early to take a van to the ferry, then a songthaew for 3 hours with a break for lunch. We arrived in the jungle at our bungalows in the Kao Sok National Park by early afternoon. We went directly to the river where we got into canoes for a tranquil ride through the immense green canyons. The scenery was spectacular, with stark mountains of limestone.  The guides pointed out a couple kinds of snakes & a large frog, while I spotted an eagle & red dragonflies. We stopped at a swimming hole, & after a demonstration from one of the guides, several of us climbed a tree to take the rope swing & jump in. It reminded me of the snake pit back home.
Back at the camp we had some free time & free access to the park, so Jenine & I hiked into the park to look for wildlife. Even though we had been told we probably wouldn't see much on our own, almost immediately I spotted a monkey above us. It turns out there was a whole troop of about 7 with him, & we got to see them passing right over our heads & they stopped in some trees nearby to check us out. It made my day!  They were black, medium sized & so cute!  One of my favorite things is spotting wildlife, & I could spend hours in the rainforest searching for animals. I also spotted some type of ground squirrels, lots of frogs & lizards, & as it became dusk, lots of bats started coming out. It started to get dark & Jenine was a bit frightened, so we headed back to camp. Being from South Africa, Jenine knows a lot about animals & has a healthy fear of what they can do, especially snakes coming out at night.  I would've loved to go on a guided night hike into the jungle, which was an optional tour, but no one else was interested & we were told we likely wouldn't see much. I was content with what I had seen on my own, although I'm sure a local guide could've shown us quite a bit.  Guess I'll have to wait for South America for that, I was certainly reminded of how much I enjoy the jungle & wildlife.