October Vacation: Thailand

When I decided to move to Thailand one of my biggest fears was loosing touch with "home". The 13 hour time difference makes it hard to even check in with life back in the states. So when Lauren and I started planning her trip to come visit, it was my glimmer of hope and motivation to make it through the semester. Needless to say, the last 10 days has been nothing short of spectacular. 

Ao Nang

We met in Ao Nang which was a quick flight for Lauren and a short bus ride for me. Our first day was spent laying by the beach and and drinking cheap wine into the late hours of the night (8:30 PM). Our first days was spent by the beach relaxing in the sun and reading our books. The next day we did the four island tour and visited Koh Poda, Koh Gai, Koh Tub and Koh Mor. The water was beautifully tourquoise and we enjoyed jumping off the boat and snorkeling! The third day we rented a motor bike and hiked the Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail for some of the most spectacular views. You can take the girls out of Colorado, but we will never stop hiking! 

Koh Lanta
We took the short van/ferry journey from Ao Nang to Koh Lanta and the driver even agreed to take us all the way to our hotel at the tippy tippy bottom of the island for only a little more. Seemed like a great idea until he dropped us off AT THE BEACH and we had to trek through the sand (and water) before we stumbled up to our hotel. The rest of our time was spent reading, reading, and more reading since it rained for approximately 80% of our time there.

During one short break in the downpour, we dragged our booties to reception to convince them to let us take the motor bike despite the dirt road and still drizzling rain (sorry mom, dad, Lori, and Jeff). We SAFELY made our way to Lanta Animal Welfare and spent the next while learning about the organization and playing with some new furry friends.

Koh Phangan 
Getting from Koh Lanta to Koh Phangan was quite the journey. We were first picked up at 6:50 AM then took a car, van, ferry, van, van, bus, ferry, taxi before finally arriving at our new hotel 14 hours later. We grabbed a quick dinner and b-lined for bed. We spent the next few days soaking up the sun and eating some amazing food. Koh Phangan also happens to be where the notorious Full Moon Party takes place. If you know me, you know that the words Kelsey and party do not belong in the same sentence. Laur and I rallied 2 nights like champs and even happened to make a few friends along the way (cue bad joke about 2 American girls, 2 DanisH girls, and 3 Australian guys walk into a bar...). Thanks for the laughs, memory's, and stories that I will definitely not be sharing on this blog!

We are currently in Cambodia so stay tuned for more updates!