December 11, 2006 Ko Lanta, Thailand

December 11, 2006
Ko Lanta, Thailand

Jackie and I got up this morning at 8:00 and immediately got our stuff ready for the day. As we were changing into our swimming suits we were startled by a knock on the window from Jip. He came down to our bungalow to make sure that we were up and getting ready for the day.

We hurriedly climbed the stairs and ordered breakfast. Just as we finished eating a cab arrived to pick us up and take us down to the beach. Surprisingly, it was the beach right below our resort (the one we have been walking to). We jumped out of the taxi and ran to our snorkeling boat for the day.

We loaded into the boat and then cruised to several other beaches to pick up other tourists. Once our boat was full (us 4 plus 6 others) we headed out to our first island of the day. Thirty-minutes into our journey our boat broke down. The guides spent the next 10-minutes fiddling with the motor and eventually got us going again.

A little after 10:00 we arrived at a small island and put on our snorkeling gear. We spent the next hour snorkeling. Though the reef was not quite as vibrant as I expected, there were still a lot of fish. Jackie (enjoying her first snorkeling experience) was quite excited by the amazing colors. After thoroughly examining the sea life we got back into our boat and headed for the next sight. NOTE: there was some drama as one of the couples was almost left behind. After notifying the guides we turned around and picked them up.

Half an hour later we arrived at another island and went snorkeling again. Once again we saw a bunch of cool fish and spent a long time exploring the reef. At some points during our venture the water was so shallow that we had to crawl along the sands. As always, the water was super warm.

A few minutes after 11:00 we got back in the boats and headed to another island. Instead of snorkeling we put on life vests and headed into a dark cave. After swimming in the dark (following the light of our guide) for about 10-minutes the cave opened up onto an enclosed beach at the center of the island. It was one of the coolest places that I have ever seen. I only wish that there had not been so many other tourists there.

We spent a long time enjoying the beauty of the beach before swimming back through the cave and returning to the boat. When we got there the staff had prepared fried rice for everyone on our tour (in addition to watermelon and pineapple).

After everyone had finished eating we continued on to a beautiful white sand beach. The four of us decided to swim out to a dock in the distance. After swimming for about 10-minutes we got tired and then realized that we could standup. We walked for a while and then swam the rest of the way. Eventually we reached the dock and played around on the wood planks for a while.

A few minutes later we jumped back in the water and swam back to the beach. By the time we got back to shore it was time to get back on the boat and end the island tour. After an hour-long boat ride we arrived back at the beach by the Top View Resort.

Everyone was tired from a long day of fun in the sun. Jackie and I retired to our room and sorted through some pictures. I then caught up on some of my blogs while Jackie took a quick nap. A little while later we met up with Lisa and Alicia for dinner. In a funny twist of events, Jackie and I got our food right away and the other girls never received their dinner.

While Lisa and Alicia waited to get their food, Jackie and I headed down to use the internet for a few minutes. I posted a bunch of blogs and then we visited the girls in their bungalow and discussed our plans for the next few days.

Later in the evening Lisa and Alicia decided that they needed to stay the night in our bungalow because the night before they had a monkey break in and go through their bags. Since we had an extra bed in our room we were more than happy to let them into our secure, mosquito-free room.

We spent the rest of the evening chilling out in the room and not doing much. Jackie and I packed our bags while talking with the other girls. By around 23:00 everyone was ready to head to bed.