Koh Chang, Thailand – July 24-26, 2006

I took a bus to the island of Koh Change next. It was a bit of a journey, about 8 hours or so…and it only cost about 12 bucks! I knew which beach area to head to and I met some guys on the ride to Lonely Beach with whom I ended up hanging out with (Yoep and Yellmar from Amsterdam and Thomas from Sweden). We also meet two Dutch sisters, Alex and Fai, who we also hung out with.

The first night was absolutely amazing. We stayed at the Treehouse, a place were the lounging area in set on sticks with the water flowing underneath it. The view, the cool breeze, the music, the atmosphere and the chill mood was incredible! I will never forget that relaxed feeling of utter peace and tranquility.

The next day I went Elephant trekking with Yoep. It was a cool experience. We went up a mountain and small stream on top of an elephant. The rest of the day was spent lounging back at the Treehouse. The following day we went to another beach, White Sand Beach. Went in the water for a bit, had some food and did a bit of shopping.

Bangkok, Thailand – July 22-23, 2006

This was an amazing trip! Every bit of it was enjoyable. I went to Thailand by myself so it was my first time vacationing solo. I was a bit apprehensive to do it, but everything worked out great so I shouldn’t have been worried.

I arrived in Bangkok 30 minutes past midnight, got a cab to Khoa San Road, which is a well known street where a lot of backpackers stay. I found a cheap place to stay, went out for a bit to check out the street then it was back to bed. The street was full of night owls either coming back or going out. There were a ton of ladyboys everywhere so I knew I had arrived.

The next day I hopped into a tuk-tuk, which is a three wheeled vehicle with no doors. My driver took me around and I got to see a few attractions like a giant golden Buddha. I got into a boat and went for a ride around the waterways of Bangkok. It amazed me that despite looking so torn apart that a lot of the homes that lined the water were still intact.

That evening I went to the Patpong area and did some night shopping as well as getting a Thai massage…..you know it had to be done.

Boryeong Mud Festival, July 13-16, 2006

We had a 3-day weekend so we decided to go to the Boryeong Mud Festival. This was the ninth year it was held. The premise is to get covered in mud, eat seafood, play on the beach, shoot fireworks at night and just have a grand ole time.

Mike, Amara, Missy and myself shared a mattressless room, which despite my objections was not so bad. The weekend was nice. We got covered in mud, lounged around and shot fireworks at night.

About next year…..bring on the mud!!