Koh Phangan...underwater!

So, I am not a scuba diver.  I have found I am most happy with my mask and snorkel circling above while those willing test the depths below.  And, the snorkeling off of Koh Phangan was some of the best I have ever seen...an incredible amount of fish, soft coral gardens, and the most vibrant colors you have ever seen.  But, as I swam around above I could see the darker depths below, and wondered what could they possibly be seeing down there?  

Greg's divemaster, Elliott, was kind enough to share his fabulous underwater images with me. You've seen his shots of the whale shark as well as the video. And, here are a few more of the mysterious depths below.  This first one is my absolute favorite!  

Also, while we were on Koh Phangan, Greg dove and I snorkeled with Chaloklum Diving.  You can see many more pictures on their site too!  

I have to admit, I am starting to question my snorkel, and thinking about learning to dive!  

Thailand...missing you already!

Well, I must say, I am quite behind in blogging.  However, I am thrilled that I was able to blog a little bit along the way.  I debated to take my computer or not on the trip, and am happy I made the decision to.  Once we got to Koh Phangan we settled in to some incredible relaxing time, so I did put the blogging on hold for the remainder of the trip.  But, I am home and hope to be back to normal this week!  I have lots of pictures to sort through, and will get some more up here during the next few days.  My timing is entirely off right now, and I seem to be constantly exhausted.  I'm ready to snap out of that!  

We had an amazing journey in Thailand, and I had a really hard time leaving.  A friend asked me on Friday what I missed most while I was away, and I really couldn't think of anything other than my family and friends.  Thailand is such an easy place to travel around...the food is fantastic, the people so friendly, and the scenery is breathtaking.  We started off the trip in the bustling streets of Bangkok, headed up to the lush mountains in Chiang Mai and topped it all off with a full 7 days of R&R on Koh Phangan, one of my most favorite places on Earth!  

I start a 3 day seminar tomorrow, but I should get it together enough to get some more pictures up here over the next few days.  Thanks for your patience!!  Off to bed and it's still light out!  

Thailand...Island Pics

It has been a bit tricky so far to post too many pictures, because connections are so slow. But, I found an internet cafe that is a bit better. So, I thought I would share a few of the island we are currently on...Koh Phangan. This first one is a shot taken while we were on the ferry over from Ko Samui. We took an hour and a half flight from Chiang Mai to Samui, then a 30 min. ferry ride over. Koh Phangan is the island in the distance...

My husband wearing what was going to be the funny souvenior for my family's Christmas exchange this year...that is our topic this year. Last year they had to be homemade. However, it has now become a part of Greg's wardrobe...so, sorry Katie! We'll be sure to find something just as fabulous! We did get my brother Trey's gift here, and it is perfect!!

Our first night on the island, we made friends with an Australian girl named Jade. She was hesitant to rent a motorbike, which just so happens to be the main mode of transportation here. So, we met up with her yesterday, and Greg gave her some instructions, and she was off! The three of us toured the island on our bikes, and one of our stops was at a Chinese temple on the top of a hill...

I was so impressed with Jade's riding ability, that I decided to give it a go myself this morning. Greg is diving today, and usually I just ride along on the back of his bike. So, I was ready to stretch my independence a bit here as well. We did a practice session last night, and it went well. I don't want to boast too much because I still have to get around a bit today, and don't want to jynx myself. But, seriously, I think I'm ready for that Vespa back home!

My pink beauty...

I drove myself to yoga today, and this is the studio we were in. Totally open on all sides and it overlooks the jungle. I could have stayed there all day. They have pilates once a day as well, so I'll have to try that out and see how it differs from my practice in the states. They offer long retreats here as well, where you stay for weeks at a time. I'm completely intrigued by it, as well as a meditation retreat in India...but, that's for another trip.

And, dinner last night. We traveled to another beach and walked along looking at all the different bbq's being offered. This was the one we settled on. And, yes we ate the shark. It was actually quite good. Greg wants to go back again tonight.

And, not a proper image, but I like it still. This is Greg swinging on our porch hammock reading his book.

Thailand...starting to forget which day

Ok, so let’s see where I left off. We were headed out on our 3 day/2night safari trek. To backtrack, it is really hard to decide on which trek to book. I would say the majority of people show up to Chiang Mai, check out their options and then book their trek. There is a large population of people traveling for months at a time, and they have the luxury of being more flexible with times, etc. Jealous! So, this is what I was most worried about when planning the trip. We had such a short time there we wanted to make sure we were headed out on the right one. I had been joking with many that we would not return because we had booked the “budget” trek. $50 for both of us for 3 days! It’s crazy!

Well, to make a long story short, we booked the right one. We could not have been with a better group! The tour company picked us up at our hotel, we picked another couple up at their hotel, and then we set off to meet up with the rest of our group at a local market to get our supplies for dinner, breakfast, etc. And, then we were off! All in all, there were 12 people on the trek and 3 guides…2 Brits, 2 French, 2 Germans, 2 Austrians, 1 Finnish, 1 Japanese, and us. We were a great mix and had so much fun exchanging stories. I’m not going to lie, the trek started off incredibly rough…just imagine walking on a stairstepper (if those still exist), at the highest level, for 5 hours. Yes, this is how I was feeling. We headed up a waterfall first, and went for a bit of a swim. That was one of our highlights for sure. The power of the falls was crazy, and I could barely hold on. After that we set off on the stairstepper again…we were the sweatiest, most dirty people I had ever seen.

And, oh, I forgot! Before we made it to the beginning of our walk, we stopped along the way to take a brief ride on an elephant through the jungle and down through a river. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this, because I have a strong belief that elephants belong in the wild. But, the outfit we used seemed to be very nice to the elephants, and gave them lots of space. So, I decided to be ok with it for the time being. It was more fun than I was expecting. As we walked with him, there were stops along the way where we could purchase bananas to feed him. Don’t even think about giving your elephant just one banana…he would eat 4-6 at a time. I guess in a day they eat about 200 kilos worth of food. We had fun walking with him, and Greg even sat on his head for a bit.

Ok, so to get back to trekking. It was so hard! We were so sweaty, and I wasn’t even carrying our pack! Greg was my hero! We only had one small backpack so we packed our things in it, and he carried it the whole time. I would say day 1 was 80% uphill. We were relieved when we finally made it to the village we were to stay in that night. The accommodations were basic, and a sight to be seen. But, it didn’t matter, there was a cold shower and no more hills to be walked over for a bit. That night was one of my favorites. We had a great meal, sat around telling stories, and one of the guides played the guitar. To top it all off, he even played “Country Roads” without me requesting it! Somewhere during the evening, I ate a cricket. Greg ate handfuls of crickets…I ate only one. Eating bugs here is a normal occurance. They season them and fry them up! When in Rome, I guess.

Sleeping that night was not so good…there was a thunderstorm, pigs squeeling, locusts buzzing, and the village rooster crows at 3am. So, day 2 was a little tough, but luckily mostly downhill. We made it through hiking, and ended the day with a bamboo rafting trip down a river. At this point, Greg and I were the only 2 to continue on for one more day. Everyone else had signed up for the 2 day/1 night trip. So, in the end, Greg and I decided to cut our trek short one day. We had honestly had so much fun with the group, plus we and all of our belongings were soaked from the thunderstorm, so we decided our trek was over as well.

We returned to Chiang Mai, moved our flights to the islands up, and are currently residing in our bungalow on the beach! More to come…

Thailand!

Life somehow got in the way before we left, and I didn't have time to post.  So, we are now officially in Thailand!  I came here many years ago with one of my best friends, and we traveled to the island of Ko Phangan with many plans of traveling all over the beautiful country, yet somehow we never left the island.  I have wanted to come back for many years, and it finally worked out to be the best time for Greg and I to make the trek.  So, we have arrived in Bangkok and are at the end of day 1.  I'll write more later as Greg is urging me to get ready so we won't be late to a Thai boxing match tonight.  We are exactly 12 hours different from Indy.  So, as we are getting ready to head out, most of you are probably just getting up.  Talk soon!!!