Thailand

Change of plans. After Laos, we had planned on flying direct to Hanoi, where we would spend a couple weeks in Vietnam. But two things made us go a bit out of our way to the beaches of Thailand instead. First, I learned that a college friend of mine, Mike Cuoco, and his fiancée, Heather, would be in Thailand during this time---and he was coaxing us to head that way. Second, Amy and I were in desperate need of some R&R on the beach. In Laos, I got sick first (of the head cold variety) then Amy got sick (acid reflux problems) then I got sick again as we were leaving Laos (I ate something bad) immediately followed by Amy getting sick (she must have eaten the same thing). Yikes. Not good at all. We definitely needed somewhere to rest up and get well----and Thailand was the perfect fit.

What We Did: We spent five nights on the island of Koh Lanta and then three nights on Koh Phi Phi, both of which are accessible by ferry. Both islands are located in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Thailand, near Phuket. The water here is ridiculously clear and warm, with temperatures around 85 degrees. (Feels like a warm swimming pool.) You can check out all of our pictures right here within the "Koh Lanta" and "Koh Phi Phi" folders.

Activities on Koh Lanta: We spent most of our time on Koh Lanta doing little else but lounging on the beach, reading books, watching the monkeys near our balcony… and getting healthy. Our resort and the adjacent beach were incredibly quiet and peaceful, which we loved. We had planned on scuba diving here but decided not to due to our health and the expense. (Diving here is much more expensive than we had expected.)

Activities on Koh Phi Phi: On two occasions, we joined Mike and Heather to hire out a long boat to explore the island and hit various snorkeling spots. Huge, towering cliffs and turquoise waters make the island among the most scenic areas we’ve ever seen. The highlight is probably Maya Bay, which was made famous by Leo Dicaprio’s movie “The Beach.” Very cool.

Costs: Food was not cheap on either island, especially in Koh Phi Phi. After becoming accustomed to five dollar meals in Laos, it was a bit of a shock to routinely face $25-$30 bills (or more) for meals. This was not the Thailand that I remember from two years ago, as far as cost goes. (Although I’m sure it varies considerably within Thailand based upon the place and even which beach you pick.) However, our hotel on Lanta was extremely reasonable. We had a fantastic room, a great property, and a gorgeous, near-empty beach for only $65 per night (including breakfast and free internet). Koh Phi has some reasonably priced hotels and restaurant near the main town center, but we had been warned that this area is extremely crowded and over-developed. (And not particularly attractive.) So we decided to splurge a bit more and stay at a hotel on a much more secluded part of the island. (Definitely money well spent.)

Up Next: Although we did not include it on our initial itinerary, we’ve decided to stop for several days in Singapore before continuing on to Vietnam. We have some family friends who live there , so we’re looking forward to not staying in a hotel for a change and having home-cooked meals. More soon….