My Last 13 Days....

The last 13 days of my trip have been spent in Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Bangkok.

Koh Samui --- Christy, Steve, and I spent 4 days in Koh Samui (an island on the eastern shore of Thailand). Our first 2 nights were spent in Chaweng, a very popular and busy area with a lot of night life. We enjoyed our time here by taking long walks on Chaweng Beach and relaxing by the pool. Christy and Steve took a day trip to go for an elephant ride and to hang out with monkeys. Since I already went for the elephant ride with Keith in Chiang Mai, I decided to just hang out at the pool.

After our 2 nights in Chaweng, we made our way down to another region of Koh Samui and stayed at Lamai Beach. The beach in Lamai was definitely one of our favorites The water was a beautiful turquoise color and the beach was not very crowded so it made it more special. Our hotel was in a great location and we had a fantastic infinity pool that we enjoyed very much. The 3 of us are obsessed with infinity pools! The night life in Lamai was definitely not as beautiful as Lamai Beach. The night life was pretty seedy because there were so many old Westerners with these young Thai prostitues all over the place. All the bars and restaurants cater to these old Westerners by having these young Thai girls parade around the bar or dance on top of the bars. It's really a sad and unfortunate scene. It didn't ruin our fun but it made us realize that there are two different sides to Lamai....During the day time, it's absolutely picturesque. During the night time, not so much. After 2 nights in Lamai Beach, we jumped on a ferry to head north to another island.

Koh Phangan --- Koh Phangan is also on the eastern shore of Thailand and it is north of Koh Samui. Koh Phangan is famous for the Full Moon Party held each month. We were fortunate to arrive in Koh Phangan during the Full Moon time and enjoy the festivities. The Full Moon Party was on our last night in Koh Phangan so we spent the other 3 days just relaxing by the pool AGAIN! We rented a jeep to take around the island and that was definitely an interesting experience. Koh Phangan's roads are in horrible condition. It makes Chicago's pot holes look like a nice smooth basketball court compared to the roads on this island. Steve was our driver and Christy was the navigator. I just sat in the backseat. I was really impressed by Steve's driving skills and Christy's accurate navigating skills. Since everyone drives on the left side of the street in Thailand, their cars are designed to fit this driving model. Steve had to drive stick using his left hand, PLUS drive around the windy roads all over the island. I was just a passenger and it was exhausting and stressful to even go through this drive because there were so many high cliffs and the roads were so windy and bumpy. Steve was great under these circumstances and thanks to Christy, she got us to all of our scenic destination points.

The Full Moon Party is held at the Haad Rin Beach of Koh Phangan. This party attracts thousands and thousands of people from all over the world each month. We estimated that there were 6000 people at the beach celebrating the Full Moon with us. The beach has 10 different dance areas with 10 different types of music. Steve, Christy, and I danced the night away at the house music dance area. Dancing with Steve and Christy brought back a lot of fun memories that we have shared together in Chicago. We had a great time and we were glad that our schedule matched up with the Full Moon in January.

After 4 days in Koh Phangan, we flew back to Bangkok. Christy and Steve went on a shopping spree and found a lot of great crafts for their home, pretty dresses and accessories for Christy, and a new spring wardrobe for Steve. I'll never forget the look on their faces when we met up at the hotel after they bought everything. They walked into our room with a HUGE duffel bag that they had to buy because they couldn't fit their new goods into their luggage. They looked so cute because they were so happy and so giddy about their newfound stuff! They only spent 24 hours in Bangkok but that's all they needed! Christy and Steve left Bangkok on Mon night. It was really great to see them and have them enjoy this experience with me. I was so happy when we would meet new people and these new people would share their traveling experiences with us. I wanted Christy and Steve to get a glimpse of what I've been experiencing. They were both amazed (just like I was) by how much the rest of the world travels so much and embraces these life experiences. During our many meals together, Christy, Steve, and I had so many enlightening conversations about our lives in the U.S., our priorties, and what makes us happy. It was great to hear their thoughts and share our ideas to lead a more balanced life.

After Christy and Steve left, I still had 3 more days in Bangkok. I spent these last 3 days with my new friend Chris. I met Chris about a month ago when I was in Bangkok with Keith. Chris and I went our separate ways after we met but we remained in touch through Facebook. We managed to coordinate our schedules to meet up again before I left for the U.S. Chris is from England and he is traveling for 14 months. He started in India and he has been making his way through Asia and he is going to Australia and New Zealand next, then heading to Canada and the U.S. Needless to say, I'm extremely jealous of his traveling plans! Spending time with Chris has been wonderful and it was a great way for me to end my 4 month journey. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future....

My flight leaves in less than 12 hours. I will write one more blog when I get back to the U.S. with my final thoughts. Right now the big decision that I have to make is, "What am I going to have as my first meal? Steak or Mexican?" BTW....I had to get a new cell phone number. I will explain in an email when I get back and I will give you the new number in the email. I look forward to catching up with everyone soon! Your text messager is BACK!!!!!!