Surin and Similan Islands, Phuket, Ko Lanta, Railay Beach, and a small portion of Bangkok

 January 15- February 2, 2010

"An empty day, though clear and bright,

Is just as dark as any night" 

 Taken from “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank

     Wow, I honestly don’t know where to begin. . . To those avid followers I deeply apologize for the delay in writing, but I have been so busy it has been difficult for me to escape the happenings of travel life and be able to retreat inside myself for even a brief moment, not to mention attempt to write something worthy of your attentive and devoted appreciation. That being said I promise I will not try to bore you with mundane daily accounts of things such as “ we did this, then we did that,” but instead  aim to entertain you as best as I can while providing you with as many details of the past few weeks as long as my jostled memory decides to cooperate. However, I will warn you, this journey has been a whirlwind of action, adventure, excitement, boozing, and a seemingly endless array of insane situations. . .

 I use the word journey because that is exactly what we are on.. . a journey via a meandering  road called life. This is not a vacation, although it may seem like that to others, nor is it merely a trip. This journey we are on is one of intellectual, spiritual and physical significance.  As we navigate this capacious world to explore ancient ruins, experience local cultures and fantasic new foods, study intriguing histories, and visit remote cities and exotic places, our senses are heightened and our knowledge expanded. It would be contrite of us to ignore the fact that we are learning so much about humanity, but more importantly about ourselves as we trek around the globe. We are constantly on the move and genuinely seek experiences that will enlighten our meager minds.

Travel does for the spirit what food does for the body. It nourishes your soul and gives you the energy to grow and further develop your inner being. This is why we travel. We are hungry, so to speak. Hungry to grow, learn, share, and live. To us, travel is the single most important piece of education one can ever experience; travel contains many of the worlds best kept secrets and allows ones' imagination, creativity, fears, and goals to be challenged, explored, and even materialized. It truly makes us appreciate the important things in life, such as: the realization that most humans are inherently good, the captivity of the twinkle in a child's eye, the genuine smiles from strangers, the hospitality from people that have next to nothing, the beauty in nature, and the realization of the importance of family, friends, and peace. Sorry about the rant. . . I promised I wouldn't bore you. . . now let's get you all caught up. . .

As I am sure you could guess, Brad and I have found that we are both passionate about SCUBA diving, thus we have taken every opportunity to take advantage of all of the incredible diving that has been available to us whilst on this trip. Yes, the Great Barrier reef was amazing, and I know that I raved on and on about it, but, well, all I'm going to say is that the three day liveaboard dive trip to the Surin and Similian Islands was the best diving we have ever experienced. Yes, even more spectacular that the GBR. . . if you can believe that. Just an example of what we saw on our first day of diving: 4 Manta Rays, pods of whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, barracudas, lionfish, scorpion fish, and countless other surreal sea creatures. . . and this was only day one. We also did our first proper night dive. It was so creepy that I will spare you the details, but. .  wow, awesome. In the beginning of this blog I spoke of us growing as people and learning new things. Well, I must admit that I had my first underwater current experience. Up until then diving was always so easy and uncomplicated. You jump in, descend down, look at all of the pretty fish, come up to the surface, grab a cold one, then blab about what you saw to everyone else. That was how I thought it would always be. I was soooo wrong. Let me explain. . .

Our divemaster asked if we had any experience diving with a current. We replied "not really", how difficult could it be? He claimed that there might, I stress the term

 might be some underwater current and we needed to be prepared if the current swept us away from the group. What?? What??What the heck did he mean"swept us away?" He said it was unlikely but possible that the current is so strong that the group get's out of control and the current will literally take us away so fast we won't know what was going on. He claimed   that in the event that this happens and you find yourself lost and out of control, you should 1.) surface 2.) inflate your emergency bag, and  3.) wait for the boat to find you. I am pretty sure at this point I threw up in my mouth. Holy shit, is that really possible?

Oh yes, my friends, it is more than possible. . . it became my living nightmare. . . actually my reliving, and reliving nightmare as I can't seem to get that hellish underwater experience out of my subconcious mind.

 I will offer you a brief glimpse into our dive that beautiful sunny morning in the Surin Islands.
We descended to about 30 meters (100 feet). There was a slight current, but nothing too difficult (I am a strong swimmer, so I found it a fun challenge). We enter a few caves, swim out and over a large boulder and then. . . WHAM!!! I'm unsure of what is going on, but truly scared for my life. I have never felt so out of control before. The current was there. It was fast and hard.Is this really happening? All I could think about was that I was underwater and terrified to get lost from the group. I was swimming as hard as I could, but not moving, then I got swept into a rock. I looked to Brad for reassurance. He was holding on to a another boulder for dear life and pointed that I do the same. I was able to catch my breath for a moment when a member of our group flew by me so fast that when I blinked he was gone. Oh my God!!!!!! I was hyperventalating into my regulator and was sure that I would use all of my air. Our divemaster must have realized the panic on all of our faces and signed for an emergency surface. She took us up immediatly so we could find our missing diver. Thank goodness he was at the surface, but his look was priceless. Scared to death.
 Both Brad and I, incapable of speaking, just stared at eachother in complete amazement of the events that had just momentarily transpired. That was all we needed to do. He got it. I got it. Diving wasn't as easy as we thought. But worth it. . . I promise. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!!!

 The rest of the dive trip was superb. The food was exemplary, the staff was gracious, witty, and generous. The scenery was sensational and as we drifted along the Andaman Sea I could only think of how blessed and lucky we were to be able to experience this amazing world.  We mentioned that we were going sober right? We are so proud of ourselves. . . we made it 21 days without a sip of alcohol. Honestly. It was easier than we thought, but after our brush with death(he he he), we decided what better way to fall off the wagon then on a beautiful yaht in the middle of the sea?

 So, cheers to us. . . 21 days sober, and more than ready to make sure it doesn't become 22 days. LOL This was our first drink~!! I make it out to sound like we are a couple of alcholics. We aren't, we promise, it's just difficult when you are travelling to all of these lovely places. It's not like we have jobs or anything to worry about. . .

After our dive trip we decided to explore the special and memorable city of Ko Lak. Ko Lak was one of the many beach towns that were greatly affected by the Tsunami on Decemer 26, 2005. This police boat #813 was left here as a reminder to everyone of all of the ghastly tragedies that the Tsumani left in it's wake.This Police Boat #813 was stationed one nautical mile off the coast of Ko Lak when the Tsunami hit. It now sits two kilometers inland on a hill, exactly where the Tsunami deposited it. Crazy huh? It's so difficult to even wrap my mind around the idea of this. . .

 It was time to leave Ko Lak. . . We had someone special waiting for us back in Phuket.

 

Hello Munah!!!!! OK, brief history about Munah. . .

Brad and I worked with Munah at Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. She is awesome and mentioned to me a few times that she loves to travel too. So, when we got to Thailand we emailed her an invitaion to join us for a few weeks. . . guess what. . . she said yes!!!

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE.. .

Let the adventure begin. We were immediatly elated to have a friend join us, especially since she is half Malaysian and all of the locals kept asking her "You Thai people??" It was hilarious at first, but then we just tried to use it to our advantage. I would reply "Yes, she Thai people, you give us Thai people discount please!" It rarely worked, but our absolute favorite line came from a man who ran a guesthouse. He looked right at Munah and said" You Thai people. . .  or you customer?" Ha ha ha. We were roaring with laughter and immediately decided to name our travelling threesome "Team Customer". You won't even believe all of the hysterical signs we see. . . i.e."fried friends. . . ", but this menu caught our eyes and we seriously could not stop laughing to save our lives.

 Munah actually orded this dish. I swear. It was ridiculous. If the restaurant didn't smell so bad like sewer and rotting meat I would have ordered it to. She's a brave one, that Munah.Along with crazy menu concoctions you can always count on the insanity of Thai tuk tuk drivers. They are obscene, dangerous and utterly deranged. . . to say the least. These guys were seriously praying for their lives. We're just stoked that we were able to get a photo of them!

 We rented moter bikes and tooled around the island of Ko Lanta. It was an experience in itself, but definitely deserved a few moments of relaxation.

 Crickety bridge, don't fail me now!!!

 How awesome is this sea hammock? Bananna shake anyone?

 I tried to explain to Munah that just because she "look like Thai people" doesn't mean she knows how to fight Muay Thai style. The battle went 8 rounds and the winner will forever be kept a secret. . . unless you want to try the hooker*                                     *A Thai bar game where you try to throw a ring around a hook. Try the hooker eh? Clever.

 This guy was the best at the try the hooker game. He must have cheated, or. . . he has tried many hookers in his day. I Kid. I Kid. We were having fun times on the beach (don't worry, no mushroom shakes here. . .), but decided to change our atmosphere a bit. Ko Lanta was slightly tame for our liking. Off to Railay beach!

Precious Thai child waits for her father to get home from work.

 At last, we made it to the famous Railay Beach!!!! The rock climbing capital of the world! This is our second time to this magical island, but we promised ourselves that we wouldn't leave this time without facing our fears and trying to rock climb. Munah is terrified of heights but we somehow convinced her that if she didn't at least attempt to climb she would regret it forever (also we would rub it in her face for weeks, perhaps years to come). It was one of the most spectacular and challenging things I have ever accomplished and the feeling of success combined with pure adrenaline is overwhelming. Sensory overload! We all conquered our fears, tried something new, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. . . .even though our arms and legs were putty for days after!  This photo is of Brad climbing his way up Diamond Cave Rock, Railay Beach

Go Brad!!!!!

 I sure got a workout, but I think we both found a new hobby. We absolutely loved it and intend on climbing in Vegas as soon as we get home! Red Rock Canyon is world renown for climbing and just footsteps from our back door. . . Who knew we would be so lucky!

 

Even Ducky took his chance at climbing!!!

Ducky loved it and fell in love with his Thai Ducky instructor. . . of course he did.
Simply said, we are having a killer time and we are more than delighted to be able to share these experiences with Munah. She has brought a fresh new energy and spirit with her and we are all getting along famously. . . so far. he he he! We love the fact that she will eat anything, and I mean anything ( i.e., hearts on a stick, bugs, to include but not limited to: grasshoppers, ants, worms, spiders. . . , fermented pork, soup with eyeballs and such, and all other kinds of horrifying animal and fish parts!) She will order the craziest thing on the menu, even if she has no idea what it is. It's so much fun and we are loving every minute of it, as I am still a boring vegetarian who practically eats the same Pat Thai day in and day out. . . Go Team Customer!!!

Here are a few photos that seem to have made the cut. The next blog will be very soon! Enjoy!
I'll take this boat. Oh, wait, you mean you want me to do what? Walk out into knee deep water with all of my bags, then try to get into the flimsy longtail boat. OK, sure thing!

 Interesting concept, yet at the same time quite disgusting. Let me see if I got this right. . . you want me to put my feet into that disgusting water that 100's of other people have put their filthy feet into, only to have starving fish eat my dead skin. And you want me to pay for this? We opted to pass on this one!

 Ko San Road, Bangkok. This street is this busy 24 hours a day. When we arrived at 6 am the place was packed with partiers, lady boys, hookers, and street vendors. . . sounds like a party to me!

 Please don't touch the booby. . . unless of course you want to pay 200 Baht.

 If she's eating it. . . it must be good! Worms for everyone!

 Red Bull gives you wiinnngggss!!!

Kentucky who? I think the Colonel is being given a run for his money!

  

Nothing but us, the pristine sand, crystal clear water, sexy sunset. . . and oh, well the jellies. They were more than happy to join the party. Ouch! Stop stinging me you little bas*@rds!!

  

Ssshhhh. Let's be sneaky. They don't need to know that we have our own concept of "bottle service"

 Or "bucket service". . .

 Or "flask service". . .  

  

Team customer! That is all of us with our guide IF. He has a secret crush on Munah. No one had the heart to tell him "she not Thai People".

  

A three man kayak. . . no problem for Team Customer!

  

What a lovely shrine. . . look a little closer. . .

  

Thai Iced Tea, my amazing husband, and Thailand. . . Wow. . . awesome.

  

These ladies giggled like Geisha's at everything we said. Maybe they just thought I was another silly looking, over-fed American, or maybe they just liked us?

  

Elephant baby. . . Can I take you home with me?

  

Bamboo Party!

 I realize that this guy looks creepy. . . let me explain. His name is Lipper and we met him last time we were in Thailand. He is a very enlightened man and even though he still has a swollen lip from three years ago, he is not bitter.( Brad hit him in the face with a stick. . . on accident of course. Plus, like I said. . . it was three years ago!) It is, however, odd that he hasn't moved from this spot in three years. Oh, Lipper. . . where's Marcus and Schinood when you need them?

Alas, I bid you farewell for a brief moment in time. Bangkok was so intense that we feel it is necessary to allow some private space for the Bangkok blog. We wouldn't want it thinking we were stealing it's thunder. . . how could we when Ping Pong shows are involved? I guess you will just have to stay tuned to find out all about it!

Love and Chok Dee from the land of hearts on sticks, Team Customer!

Thailand. . . at last.
Phuket and  Ko Phi Phi       January 6-16

    

     Sa-wat-dee!!!

We can't even begin to explain how elated we are to be back in our favorite country ( ok, second best, next to home of course. . . ). Thailand is full of rich culture, exotic foods, friendly locals, outstanding beaches, ancient ruins, cheeky monkeys, ping pong shows (ewww), lady boys, connect four and so much more, but we should save some things for later. . . as we will be her for another month or so, what ever tickles our fancy.

It's funny how a little thing like crossing world time zones can completely screw up your day. We were  thoroughly relaxed as we headed for the airport in Brisbane, Austrailia because we thought our flight to Thailand was only 6 hours, not so bad. Stage left, enter time change factor. That cozy 6 hour flight suddenly turned into 9 hours, plus a 3 hour layover in Singapore, and then at last another 3 hour flight to Phuket. How did we not see this one coming???? He he he. No worries though, once we arrived in Phuket. . . . Sabai Sabai.
 

We decided that since our first trip to Phuket was, well, let's say undesireable at best ( ie, Stevo getting robbed by a motorcycle bandit, Brad and I searching for him for 8 hours on mopeds, and us finally filling out a missing persons report to the Thai Police. . . don't worry, we got him back.  But then Phuket seemed to lose some of  it's luster for us. . However, it was kind of ironic that we were staying at resort called Goldigger's, don't you think?) We figured, what better way to get over that tragic day then to return to the scene of the crime and start fresh. We even stayed at Golddigger's Resort again!!! How silly are we? Goldigger's is located at Nai Yang beach, which is our favorite beach in Phuket. This charming beach town is overflowing with character and an abundance of massage parlors, quaint little restaurants on the beach, and sweet and genuine local Thai's. No wonder why we came back; we missed that special sparkle of Nai Yang.

Travelling takes a lot out of you. We candy-coat the blog at times, but planning everyday and constantly being on the move is exhausting. Be certain that we are not complaining, for it's that constant stimulation that we are both so entirely addicted to, but we needed a break. When we finally got to Thailand we posted up shop for week at our favorite little spot and just chilled. Eat, massage, swim, read, massage, eat, sleep, wake up and do it all again. Notice how drink wasn't included in that last part??? We decided that we had enough drinking for awhile. We haven't had a sip of booze since New Years Eve. . . a resolution of sorts. How long will it last you say? We'll see my friends, we'll see. After a week of relaxation it was time to set sail to the islands of Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Leh.

Ko Phi Phi is what dreams are made of, especially if your dreams include Leodando DiCaprio. I'm a married woman, so of course mine do not. . . he he he ha ha ha. The infamous movie "The Beach" starring Leo was filmed on Phi Phi Leh, and has become a type of  mecca for travellers ever since. We found Phi Phi disgustingly overcrowded but it is obvious why. Everyone wants to take in the beauty of the jaw dropping limestone cliffs, turqouise water and prisitne beaches, we sure know we did!! The snorkelling here was top notch, actually some of the best and most diverse that we have ever experienced, seriously. We took a day trip aboard longtail boat (no Shannon, not a Schooner, he he) around all of the surrounding islands.  They served us breafast and lunch, took us to 7 unique snorkel spots and beaches, and finished the trip at shark point for sunset where we snorkelled with about 10-15 black tip reef sharks. It was invigorating and slightly frightening at the same time (I was constantly thinking about that part in the damn movie "The Beach" where the guy that got his leg bitten off by a shark!)

The Thai people have an amazing sense of humor. They are silly and fun and we love hanging out with them!

Just my attempt at trick photography, Brad is the true photographer.

See what I mean? Long Beach at Ko Phi Phi.

Just to give you and idea. . . 200 baht = 6 US dollars. And yes, that is for 1 hour. And yes, they are the best massages on earth. And yes, they are highly addictive.

This is our little friend Fee Fee. He likes you.

Patong beach. Care for any dried squid or anchovies? Yeah, us either.

Maya Beach, Phi Phi Leh

Phi Phi Don at sunset. Look at those. . . um cliffs.

Longtail boats quitely resting ashore before the next wave of tourists clammer in.

Serenity on the Andaman Sea.

We give this guy serious props! It was at least 95 degrees and that must be at least 2,000 pounds of concrete. Can someone please get this guy a cold Singha, Leo, Tiger, or Chang??

Who are those weird people trying to get into our photo. Creepy tourists.

Happiness surrounds me.

Even Ducky was just maxin' and relaxin' in Thailand. . . he's on the wagon too.

Love from the sexiest little beaches ever, The Savvy Nomad Family

P.S. Where are truly curious as to how many people are reading our blog. The only way for us to know who reads it is for you lovely people to leave us comments, so we are asking you guys a huge favor. . . If everyone who reads this would please leave us a comment on this blog post we would soooo appreciate it!! We don't expect you to write anymore comments, just this one please, so we can get an idea who is reading our blog. It's super easy. Just click on the comment button below, and leave us a comment with your name included. Thank you sooo much! We love all of you dearly and will be back in the States sometime in mid March.