K-K-K-K-Koh Chang!

After a looong journey (5 modes of transportation) as well as listening to some crazy mutter all night long on the bus, we arrived to gorgeous Koh Chang to find that all the guesthouses were full. Rick and Chan had been here just last year and they said it was much less crowded and developed. We had to look around for a room for a couple of hours but finally found one at a place called Lemon Tree. It actually turned out to be great! I had my own little wooden octagonal hut with a huge bed and mosquito net. The bathroom was attached outside and it was made of pebbles and seashells. Very unique! It wasn't very close to the beach though so we had to keep walking back and forth.

We immediately went for a swim...i can't believe how clear the water is here! It's also a deep turquoise color. No joke..i always thought those ads for tropical islands were exaggerating the colors but no. I have discovered some fish that really enjoy messing with me for some reason. They are small and have zebra stripes. They constantly follow me around and nibble at my feet. One even came to the top of the water and was aiming for my arm. I screamed a bit and the people resting on the beach looked at me like i was a crazy person. Anyways, we had a nice dinner at this restaurant on the beach and they had a fire show. There were fire sticks and one guy used a fire hula-hoop. I aspire to be that cool. We didn't stay too late cause we were all tired. The bed in my hut was amazing and comfortable. I slept really well except for the fact that the door had no way to lock from the inside. Basically you have to shove a stick through the door handles but i can guarantee that someone could get in if they wanted. As I was falling asleep I could hear the pumping house music from all the late-night bars down the way. I was awoken in the middle of the night to the door handles being jiggled. I worried that someone was trying to get in and then i realized it was only the wind. Jeez, i'm so jumpy sometimes.

This morning I moved down to a guesthouse ON the beach! I literally can just walk out the door and be there. The morning was glorious...not too hot but warm enough to swim. After breakfast and a few rounds of frisbee, I hiked up to the nearest "town" though it's more like a strip of a few shops. On the agenda today: a bit of shopping, swimming, eating, and hopefully meeting some cool people. maybe tomorrow we will go snorkelling. this really is the life.