A fun-filled day of adventure on Ko Chang

A good friend once told me that my favorite days were the ones when I manage to completely exhaust myself with activity--today was one of those days. I got up early and after breakfast walked down to the beach to rent a kayak. Vicki and I paddled out to a neighboring island in search of a deserted beach. While the beach was quite deserted (there were two other people there), it was close enough. One of my favorite things to do on small islands is to see if I can make it all the way around the perimeter. I climbed, waded, and crawled about half way around the island before I was met with a 2 meter wide gap between 2 rock faces, between which were sharp, moss covered rocks and an incoming ocean tide. Not today, I decided. And so I made my way back, scampering up rocks, sliding down the otherside, often times slipping so fast that I'd plung into the water below. Up and over huge tree trunks, prevariously stepping through prickly vines, navigating my way around massive spiderwebs. I made it back to the white sandy beach where we'd left the kayak with only a few scrapes to show for my little mini-adventure. I spent the next few hours swimming in the warm, turquoise waters, and examining and admiring the shells washed up on shore. By the time we decided to head back to the main island, the ocean currents had picked up quite a bit, and Vicki and I struggled considerably to push the kayak back out to sea. Vicki got knocked over twice by the incoming waves and lost a flip flop in the process, I got my foot caught between two rocks, scraping the skin from a few of my toes. We eventually both managed to hop into the kayak and paddle hard enough to get out of the pull of the waves. Dark, ominous rain clouds spilled over the peaks of the surrounding islands, chasing away the sunshine. Rain looked immenent for sure. But the sun fought back, persistant and determined to shine through, and by the time we reached the main island, it was sunny and beautiful once again.

I got a phone call from Jen during my walk back to my bungalow which was a much welcomed surprise. Having a cell phone makes me feel so much closer to home. It's amazing what a brief chat with loved ones can do for you on those days when you're feeling down. Thanks Chhimi for insisting that I bring my cell phone with me!