Lazy Days

Warning if you are the type of person to easily get jealous do not read the following blog. Also my keyboard that I am using really sucks and some of keys are broken.

We have been spending the last........I dont know really how many days we have been here. Time has taken on no meaning at all really. Anyway a bunch of days ago we left Bangkok and took an overnight sleeper train to the southern part of Thailand. We then took a ferry to the island of Ko Phangan. Once in Ko Phangan we took a taxi to the north of Ko Phangan and took small fishing boat to an isolated beach known as bottle beach. Only way to get there is by boat.

We stayed at bottle beach for maybe 5 days. The accommodation was very rugged but the setting was amazing. Simple bamboo bungalow right on the beach under palm trees. Each bungalow had a small front porch where you could hang your hammocks in the shade. Electricity was sporadic since it was provided by a generator. Our first night was less then pleasant since our bungalow had rats. At night they were scurrying around on the headboard and ate some of our soap. We didnt sleep so well. The next night we changed to a different bungalow and had no problems with rats after that.

One evening the staff decided to have a barbecue. It was great. Fresh seafood. Red snapper white snapper octopus prawns etc. etc. They also brought out some crazy fireworks to shoot off over the water. They started with mortar launched rockets. For anyone that was out our going away party in Sunnyvale and were witness to the great rocket display by Jason you know the type of fireworks we are talking about. But then things got strange. They brought out this 10' length of 3" PVC pipe. No joke TEN FOOT TALL MORTAR TUBE. It took 2 guys to hold it steady while another person carried out a 3' long projectile. It looked like it had a warhead on the top with a long thin tail with fins on it like a bazooka round. He lit it and dropped it into the PVC mortar and ran like hell while the 2 guys holding the tube just ducked their heads and probably prayed that the thing didnt blow up inside the pipe. Then it launched. It launched way into the sky and exploded like a surface to air missile. It was huge really really huge. They must have bought the thing at one of the markets in Cambodia. I can picture it now... on isle 3 next to the landmines and RPG's

Our days at bottle beach were very very relaxing. No Internet no markets not many tourist. Just lazy days on the beach. We eventually had to leave bottle beach. We went to Haad Yao on Ko Phangan and spend another couple days on that beach. Nothing to remarkable there just more lounging in the sun and water with more civilization.

Two days ago we took a high speed catamaran to Ko Tao. We have spent the last 2 days here once again lounging on the beach swimming eating sleeping playing cards chess reading books. Doing just about nothing really. I think our favorite thing of all is people watching on the beach.

Once again we seem to be the only American anywhere in sight. There seem to be many many Germans and British. I guess the Euro and Pound are so strong its really cheap for them to travel right now. While in bottle beach we became friendly with a German Couple and 2 girls from Switzerland. After a few days and feeling like we were comfortable enough I asked them did they like David Hasselhoff. The answer "oh yes he's great". "we love night rider and bay watch". So very very strange.

Anyway I have to go. There is going to be another picture perfect sunset in an hour or so and Heather and I need to grab a couple beers and sit on the beach and watch it go down. Just another day in paradise.