Trat, Thailand

Lucian and I spent two more days on the island of Koh Chang, thoroughly enjoying ourselves.  We moved from the Cliffside cottages in Bang Bao to Lonely Beach on the west side of the island.  Lonely Beach was far from lonely as there was a profuse amount of foreign backpackers clustered together.  We stayed at the Sunflower bungalows and headed straight for the beach.

Main Street, Lonely Beach

The ocean was incredibly warm so it was not the best method for cooling off, however, it was greatly relaxing and fun playing and swimming in the turquoise shaded waters of Thailand.  We ate and drank plenty at the numerous restaurants around town.  One in particular caught our eye and we frequented it for its soups and fried rice.

 White Sand Beach in Koh Chang

I will miss this terribly

Our third night was spent in an even less expensive bungalow just across the way from the Sunflower.  Adorned with another sytrofoam bed, I hoped we saved our money for the right reasons.  In fact, we did!  We rented another motorcycle and cruised around the island taking in the beachside towns, local orchards, ocean views, and elephants!  The elephant rides were slightly tempting from afar, but up close, they were expensive, not amusing, and who knows how the elephants were being treated...

I was able to take a quick picture as we sped by on the motorcycle

Holding kittens that decorated our bungalow's property on the third night

Our last night was spent watching movies at one of the outdoor screens in Lonely Beach.  I stood up, stretched out and doubled over in pain.  A sharp sensation spread through my lower back and butt as I tried to walk to our bungalow.  Lucian suggested that I take a quick shower, just to rinse off anything that might have gotten on me.  I unenthusiastically hosed off and still felt scorching pain including a new sting closer to my shoulder.  Lucian finally had a look and shook off the dress I had just put on.  He found a rather large centipede struggling to get out.  Holy hell...I felt like that blonde woman in Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom.  The disgusting creature bit and stung me in several places, leaving gorgeous, swollen dots of red around my body.  Sleep was not had on the rock hard bed that night, even with the mosquito net draped safely over me.

Returning to the mainland was easy as we jumped aboard a small ferry to Trat, Thailand.  We took a taxi into town and booked into a hostel.  Early the next morning we were awoken by biblical thunder and lightening crashing down and a mini-monsoon downpour just outside of our door.  I loved it and had no problem sleeping, even with the ear splitting noise.  Trat is definitely not a thriving metropolis, but we are trying to relax and prepare for the next day of travel.

Lucian enjoying an early morning yogurt drink in Trat

I am enjoying my own breakfast

I'm so excited to say that I rode my own motorcycle around the countryside of SE Thailand yesterday.  Albeit, it was a automatic...I had a great time and kept up with Lucian pretty well.  He taught me how to ride his manual bike and I gave it a go but felt wobbly and bumpy most of the time.

Tomorrow, we will cross the border into Cambodia and head for Phnom Penh.  I'm still having a great time, although I am dying in the humidity...Vietnam is coming soon!  Last night we watched Apocalypse Now to commemorate the upcoming trip.  Hopefully our travels go better than Martin Sheen's.  "The horror...the horror..."

Uhh, where do we go?