Koh Samet

This past weekend was my last in Thailand. I will leave on Thursday for Kenya. So, two of my housemates joined me for a vacation on a beautiful Thai island - Koh Samet. Story for the fridge!... the island is considered a national park. So, like all national parks, Thai nationals get in way cheaper than foreigners, in this case 40 Bhat for Thais and 200 Bhat for foreigners. We are always joking with the girls at The Well that we're Thai and try to prove it by eating hot peppers and other such Thai things. So, when we reached the beach a uniformed fellow approached us to collect our fee. I chuckled as I repeated the well rehearsed line, "Bin con Thai" (I am Thai) and handed him a thousand Bhat note. He responded straight-faced, "Con Thai" (ok, you're Thai). HA! I was chuckling all the while until he asked for a smaller bill because he didn't have enough change for such a big note!!!! He charged us all 40 Bhat each! Amazing! I can't complain about everyone staring and calling me "farang" after I got a break like that from a man in uniform!

We rented a small bungalow on a rocky beach just a short walk from a sandy white beach. It was peaceful and afforded for a quiet and restful weekend. The scenery was incredible! The water was bright hues of blue and green and clear to the bottom. I walked in up to my shoulders and could still see my feet! The three of us went kayaking one afternoon, hiking another, and drank lots of delicious smoothies and ate amazing Thai food, as always. Mostly though, I just sat in a lounge chair and read, relaxed and reflected.