Wanderlust of the Asian Variety: Koh Samui

We enjoyed the craziness of Bangkok, adventured in Chiang Mai, and then it was time to relax and sit on our butts for as long as physically possible. Traveling by train or bus from Chiang Mai down to the southern islands would have taken 40+ hours, so we opted for the more expensive but much more efficient option of flying down in a quick 2 hour flight. We hopped on the plane (envelope 3 from Alex), and swiftly arrived in paradise. We stayed on Koh Samui, an island in the gulf of Thailand at a resort called Silver Beach in our own little bungalow just across from the beach.

Even the Samui Airport was pretty and relaxing

Getting into relax mode at the airport

View from our hotel restaurant

Our resort was in a little cove between the two major beaches in Koh Samui, and because our hotel had a restaurant we didn't find many reasons to leave our happy little haven. Every day we would rise super early and make it to the beach by about 7:30. At this time it was empty, and after eating breakfast facing the water we could enjoy the beach and water by ourselves. The water was half filled with coral reef which made the water super calm. Even when the water was up to our shoulders it was clear enough to see our toes on the bottom and the little fishies swimming between our legs. We could walk around the coral and check out the fish, crabs, and abundant sea cucumbers enjoying the sunshine with us. The water was so calm so it warmed quickly during the day, but in the morning is was still refreshing.

After lunch and a short break from the heat in our air conditioned bungalow, we would once again hit the beach and crack open a nice cold Chang beer while sitting in the shallow water. We then would spend all day drinking, swimming, reading, napping, and eating. There was a hut on the beach where you could get a massage while looking out into the waves. We generally were asleep by 11 and then woke up again to repeat the glory.

Chang Time!