I can't belive our trip is almost over. Though there were ups and downs, it couldn't possibly have been better. Thinking back, I am amazed at how much we did and how many places we saw. It was perfect.
We have been in the islands for a little while now, and I have to admit that my feelings are mixed. With everybody raving about the islands, we really had our hopes up. In truth, the islands are extremely touristy and Thai culture is almost completely lost at times. There were moments when I could have been on an island anywhere on the world. I was a little disappointed. We arrived in Koh Samui to discover that it is basically a golfing destination packed with middle aged white people and overpriced restaurants. The beaches are nice, but littered with Thai people trying to sell you shark tooth necklaces and other such crap. The food is mediocre, like the town itself. We couldn't wait to get out of there. All the Israelis raved about Koh Phangan, so the next day we took a boat there. Surprise surprise the boat was loaded with Israelis. We met some nice Israelis on the boat and ended up staying with them for the two days we were on the crumby little Island. Again, the beaches are really beautiful, but I am convinced that Koh Phangan exists only to cater to Israelis. I started calling it Schnitzel Island because every single restaurant is a schnitzel place. The hotels all have signs in Hebrew. And I have to say that every single meal I had on Schnitzel Island was atrocious. It was very upsetting. Since all there is to do aside from lie on the beach (apparently a lot of people can just do that forever) is party. We went to a pool party with our Israeli friends. I admit we had a good time. We ended up eating ramen noodles on the floor of the 7-Eleven. Definitely the best meal I had in Koh Phangan. Wait a second. I never mentioned that there are at least two 7-Elevens on every block in Thailand. It's amazing. All tourists know that if you are hot and sweaty, the best air-con in Thailand is in the 7-Eleven. Anyway, we were bored as hell and quite worried that we had made a mistake coming to the islands. Leeor really wanted to do an open water scuba certification course in Koh Tao, so we somehow managed to stick it out long enough to get on boat to Koh Tao. Thank god we did. Koh Tao is not only absolutely beautiful, with coral reefs galore and crystal clear waters, but it's a lovely place to stay. The food is excellent. It was such a relief to finally be in a town that we didn't want to leave. Ever.
Leeor and I joined a four day scuba course and had the time of our lives. I thought I would be scared of being so deep under water, but it was incredible. Our Thai instructor, Santi, was amazing. His incessant sexual jokes weirded me out at first, but in the end his crass sense of humor somehow caught on and made the course so much more fun. Also, since I am so much smaller than most people, he tried really hard to get me equipment that fit me properly. He even found me a small tank because with the big one I was barely able to stand. We were really lucky to have him. We ended up hanging out with Santi and an awesome Canadian couple that was in our group the whole time we were there. On the last night of our course, we went to a little bar across the street where they had some guitars hidden in their cooler. Santi and I played and we all sang every song we could think of for hours. I found out that I know a lot of songs, and we played so long my fingers were bleeding. We had a blast. When it came to diving, we were not yet satisfied, so we and the Canadian couple stayed for one more day. We did three dives the last day-- a deep dive (30 meters! Imagine how much fun Santi had with that one...), a navigation dive (haha yeah right), and a night dive with flashlights, which was scary and surreal. I felt like I was exploring another planet with a strange atmosphere. I somehow got lost from the group during the night dive. It was frightening. Leeor found me a few long minutes later, though, and everything was fine. Thanks to the extra day, we can now call ourselves adventure divers.
We were planning to leave that night on a night boat and bus ride to Phuket (12 hours), the cheapest option. After saying a sad goodbye to Koh Tao, also known as sticky island because people can't seem to leave, we went to the pier. We got on our night ferry and what we saw made the night dive seem as scary as an episode of Care Bears. The boat was lined with filthy mats placed one next to the other in an open-air deck. Nine hours on that boat out at sea? At night? With all those greasy Thai men? I don't think so. I tried to convince myself to sick it out. Thankfully, I regained my senses and got the hell out of that boat. I promise I am not being a princess. It was really that horrible. We decided not to be so cheap and buy a bloody plane ticket. We took off the next day from Koh Samui and I was so grateful that I did not stay on that ferry that was more like a transport for prisoners of war.
Patong, Phuket is basically a brothel nestled by the Andaman Sea. It is teeming with prostitutes, lady boys, go-go clubs, and, of course, balding white men. It is something to see. The beach is not as placid or warm as the Pacific, so we took advantage, rented a boogy board, and rode the waves for a while. It was really fun. We decided to go to Koh Phi Phi for a day. Koh Phi Phi is famous for its beaches, which are featured in The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. It's a gorgeous island with colorful coral reefs brimming with fish. The town itself is not so great, but we did manage to find an amazing restaurant. We has a whole fried fish with red curry sauce. Unbelievably delicious. We also ate the best crab I have ever had in a chilli and basil sauce. We went back today for another perfect fish, and this time we also ordered mussels baked in a garlic and butter sauce. Oh. My. God. Not only were they wonderful to look at, with a bluish breen tinge on the outer edges of the black shells, but they were perfectly soft and mild flavored. It was Leeor's first time eating mussels and he was in heaven. I wish we could have a restaurant like that at home, but I guess it's all in the freshness of the seafood. This morning, we took a short snorkling trip around Phi Phi Ley. We saw sea turtles and a black fin reef shark. It was a perfect end to our trip.
We are now back in Patong, waiting to go to the airport and begin the long voyage home. We have four flights ahead of us. We will get through it and somehow get back to reality. It has been truly amazing. Thank you for following us around Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Writing this blog has made the experience even more special because I could share it with all of you. I can't wait to see you and show you all my pictures. Thanks so much for reading!
Kob kun krab!!!
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