koh lanta

my beachside house

when i arrived to koh lanta, i was dropped from the big night bus with the other passangers. we were dropped at a small travel agents shop to wait for mini buses, which would take each passenger to the island they are headed to. everyone was wearing colored stickers so that the thai men driving the mini buses could distinguish who was going to what island. as i looked around i quickly realized i was the only one with an orange sticker. all the other backpackers i was standing with slowly got picked up by mini buses heading to koh phi phi and phucket. phi phi and phucket have the image of party destinations, that receive a lot of young travelers seeking out cheap booze and full moon parties. i however was looking for something different. i wanted to drown in relaxation. i wanted to spend days on end rotating from sleep, eat, swim, read, repeat. i wasnt in the mood to party till i puke. so koh lanta, thankfully has turned out to be perfect for me. when my ride finally did arrive, it was not a minibus. a tiny red pickup, with a toothless old thai man, who spoke no english, drove me to my next stop. i had booked five nights at a beachfront "resort". since im here in low season everything is a little cheaper than it will be in a few weeks time. so i paid 1500baht for five nights, 1500baht is equal to 50canadian dollars. for that price i got a bungalow with a fan, i skimped on the aircon. it was definitely for the budget mindset, i wouldnt recommend it for mom and dad. but for ten dollars a night, i could make it work. the beach was just a few steps from my front door, and i spent those five days reading and eating...just like i had planned. i even befriended i local restaurant owner who is a muslim-thai named luke. he helped me arrange a day trip of snorkeling! so one day i went out to a tiny island called koh bida. i was thrilled when i boarded the boat that they handed out sea-sick pills. but i was prepared and i brought my own, which they found hilarious. i loaded up on my drugs and passed out for the two hour ride to the island. when i woke up, i found out that three of the other people on the trip were puking off the side of the boat...seeing as how that is usually me, i felt like a champ! when i jumped in the water i was instantly blown away by the mass amounts of electric colored fish surrounding me. i felt like i was on the set of finding nemo. but later that night i realized i forgot something important while i was out that afternoon snorkeling. i forgot that my butt was facing the sun all afternoon . needless to say, for the next couple of days i dealt with a burnt bottom. the following day i befriended a fellow backpacker from canada, and four blokes from england, who had just arrived from malaysia. we spent the following days basking in the sun, and sampling bucket drinks, and banana spring rolls! on tuesday we headed off in separate directions. this was the day i headed off to meet my next couchsurfing host, susanna.