Life's a beach! :)

hey guys! I hope this message finds you well. I heard that it's stinkin' cold out in Ottawa right now...or at least it was really cold a few days ago! it's a beautiful cloud-less 30 C every day here in Ko Lanta. Ko Phi Phi was fun and I am glad to have done it again but I doubt I would go back for a third time. I don't remember the island being as congested and dirty three years ago as it was this time. We also stayed at the busier end of the island though. It's a bit of a tough call because I don't think the tourists are going out of their way to keep the island clean but the locals aren't giving the tourists a reason to keep it clean either when you come back to the beach the next morning and find it in almost the same state as it was when you left it the previous evening.

I think that Yosha and I are great at making responsible choices, often in the name of saving a few dollars, but sometimes we get burned too. In the words of a wise colleague of mine, "the cheap often pay twice". We thought we would move to a cheaper room on our second and third night in Ko Phi Phi. Air con was a priority but we were willing to let the tv go because hey, we have the beach! who needs tv? Unfortunately we only noticed till after that the place we booked didn't have hot water, or a sink (note: some things on this trip have become automatic. like bringing tissues to use the toilet. but not having a sink at all? though I suppose if you use the hose to clean yourself off after going to the toilet you don't technically need a sink, but it's helpful for other things, like washing your face, brushing your teeth, etc); and you could hear everything outside. I don't know what kept us up more: the bullfrogs, roosters, drunk people coming back at all hours from the beach parties or the super hard beds. oh well! it's an adventure. and I know that I have gotten no sympathy anyways from you wonderful people back home because you'll be like, oh boo hoo. at least you aren't shoveling snow!

The highlight of Ko Phi Phi, other than the six fruit shakes a day, was the half-day sunset trip to Ma Ya May where the movie "the beach" was filmed so long ago (they are still milking that cash cow. it's a gorgeous place though!). We went swimming, snorkelling in the bay and watched the sun set. The bay is absolutely amazing with sand that feels like flour under your feet. It was really busy though but we managed to soak in the sun before heading out.

Yesterday morning we got up to the Ko Phi Phi viewpoint, which was a decent hike! The view from the top was amazing! We were all alone up there except for a guy who, turns out, is from Ottawa, lives now in Montreal, and is a beatboxer. He beatboxed some Wu Tang Clan on the way down from the viewpoint which was pretty funny and made the walk down more interesting!

We left yesterday morning for Ko Lanta, which seems to be our own little piece of paradise! The beach is a lot rockier than in Ko Phi Phi but you can see uninterrupted ocean for miles and miles. The sun sets right outside our door too (we paid extra for a bungalow with a view to the ocean for a couple nights. No air con though...so we are moving tomorrow night for something with air con but not on the beach. it's a compromise!) I think I am going to start running on the beach for the time that I have left just so that I feel like I am doing something other than lounging around all day!

Tomorrow we are going on an all-day snorkelling trek to somewhere that is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous. We are looking into elephant trekking at somewhere that apparently takes good care of the animals (animal welfare is a priority for us. We didn't want to see any baby elephant shows or any of that nonsense) and likely we will do a cooking class too while we are here. so at least some kind of structure!

anyways, I hope that you are staying warm. I will be suffering a bunch to adjust to the cold when I get back!

Photos below: viewpoint from Ko Phi Phi; Ma Ya Bay; being goofy on the beach in my new ridiculous Sex and the City-meets-resort-yuppy hat :)