Sunday, June 22:
9am: Our group went to Wat Arun, the temple of dawn. This was unlike any other temple I had seen in Bangkok. The colors were beuatiful and the steps upwards were ridiculously steep.
After climbing the stairs, we had a chance to partake in a safety blessing done by a Buddhist monk. It was really cool! It was meant to ward off danger and harm. Here's the video!
Afternoon: We had free time to finish final gift shopping. I got a sarong and a dress plus a few souvenirs.
4:30pm: Our group left our hotel in Bangkok to go to the train station. We had to take an overnight train from Bangkok to Suratthani in southern Thailand. The train ride was 13 hours. None of us were looking forward to the ride because there were rumors of small cockroaches in the beds. EW.
Tuesday, June 24:
6am: We arrived in Suratthani and all of us were really ready to get off the train. Bad news though; from the train we had to take a bus to a ferry and then a ferry to the 1st tropical island (Ko Phangan). The ferry ride was beautiful. Finally, I got a glimpse of the turquoise water and the string of islands. YAY!
Wednesday, June 25:
FREE DAY! The entire day was open to us to do as we pleased. I slept in, ate a late breakfast, and went for an amazing walk down our beautiful (but short) beach. The rest of the afternoon we spent lying in the sun, swimming in the Gulf of Thailand, and truly enjoying some R&R. I even went to bed early!
Thursday, June 26:
10am: Our group left our secluded beach to go back to the main pier. We had to take a 2-hour ferry ride to the 2nd island of the tour, Ko Tao. This island is touristy, but 70% of it is jungle and coconut trees. It has only just recently become a touristy hot-spot in the past 70 years. We stayed at a place called View Cliff Bungalows.
Friday, June 27:
BAD NEWS: Apparently the island has been known to have some burglars taking travelers things out of their rooms. During the nighttime around 2 am, some thieves tried to sneak into 2 of the group’s rooms while they were sleeping! While they didn’t take anything, they were caught ½ in the window of one girl’s room! SCARY. Needless to say, the hotel staff increased the security guards for the evening!
9:30am: Our group set out to go snorkeling all day. Like any other time I have snorkeled it is an amazing experience. No pictures could ever explain the beautiful coral, bright fish, and nasty tasting seawater. We snorkeled in 2 different places on the southern tip of the island before returning to the bungalows.
7pm: Only some of our group at dinner together but again, fantastic!! Afterwards we walked down the main street to an outdoor bar called Lotus. There they had fire dancers/twirlers. It is a pretty cool sight to see on the beach!
4:30pm: Our group left our hotel in Bangkok to go to the train station. We had to take an overnight train from Bangkok to Suratthani in southern Thailand. The train ride was 13 hours. None of us were looking forward to the ride because there were rumors of small cockroaches in the beds. EW.
Tuesday, June 24:
6am: We arrived in Suratthani and all of us were really ready to get off the train. Bad news though; from the train we had to take a bus to a ferry and then a ferry to the 1st tropical island (Ko Phangan). The ferry ride was beautiful. Finally, I got a glimpse of the turquoise water and the string of islands. YAY!
1pm: We reached the island but then had to take another danged sonthaew ride (these are getting really old!) to our bungalow. It was totally worth it when we arrived at Pen’s Bungalow though… the beach was right there! The rest of the afternoon clearly was spent on the beach. Not much else to report.
Wednesday, June 25:
FREE DAY! The entire day was open to us to do as we pleased. I slept in, ate a late breakfast, and went for an amazing walk down our beautiful (but short) beach. The rest of the afternoon we spent lying in the sun, swimming in the Gulf of Thailand, and truly enjoying some R&R. I even went to bed early!
Thursday, June 26:
10am: Our group left our secluded beach to go back to the main pier. We had to take a 2-hour ferry ride to the 2nd island of the tour, Ko Tao. This island is touristy, but 70% of it is jungle and coconut trees. It has only just recently become a touristy hot-spot in the past 70 years. We stayed at a place called View Cliff Bungalows.
BAD NEWS: Apparently the island has been known to have some burglars taking travelers things out of their rooms. During the nighttime around 2 am, some thieves tried to sneak into 2 of the group’s rooms while they were sleeping! While they didn’t take anything, they were caught ½ in the window of one girl’s room! SCARY. Needless to say, the hotel staff increased the security guards for the evening!
9:30am: Our group set out to go snorkeling all day. Like any other time I have snorkeled it is an amazing experience. No pictures could ever explain the beautiful coral, bright fish, and nasty tasting seawater. We snorkeled in 2 different places on the southern tip of the island before returning to the bungalows.
7pm: Only some of our group at dinner together but again, fantastic!! Afterwards we walked down the main street to an outdoor bar called Lotus. There they had fire dancers/twirlers. It is a pretty cool sight to see on the beach!
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