ko samui

Ahh the island life.  So easy and slow.  We got to Ko Samui, Thailand yesterday afternoon around 5:30pm and settled into a cheapie guesthouse right here on the ocean.  We're on the northeastern side of the island, on a stretch of beach called North Chaweng.  Cambodia was awe inspiring for the temples, and the islands are jaw dropping for their beauty.  It's also nice to look out onto some terrain along with the ocean- Siem Reap, Cambodia is pretty flat! 

So today we beach bummed.  I got a little too much sun, I clearly did not apply enough SPF.  Pete and I wandered the beach a little for some dinner and watched some Thai folk play some serious beach volleyball.  The beach feels a little quiet compared to what I think it would be like in the high season.  Right now it is the low season so the beaches and hotels aren't as crowded which is really nice.  Prices are reduced which is also a plus.  There are a lot more farangs here than in Cambodia- I've heard a lot of different languages while strolling in the shallow waters and laying up by our guesthouse.  Just some things I'm noticin'.

I got my first Thai massage today!  Quite a nice experience.  Not just the typical kneading of the hands into your back, but leg lifting, back cracking and stretching mixed in with standard massage stuff.  It felt great!  It also feels great to pay a tenth of what something like that costs in the United States.  Can't complain!

So, not a ton to report today since we mainly just relaxed and put good dents into the books we're reading.  I'm reading 'Little Bee' by Chris Cleave, and Pete is reading 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy.  We've both realized our books are pretty depressing but also really good.  I guess reading a sad book while on an island in Thailand is better than reading it on a gloomy winter day in the Midwest.  No hard feelings everyone!  You know I love the Midwest.

More on island happenings to come.  Tomorrow we venture to Ko Pha Ngan, the middle island in the chain here in the Gulf Of Thailand.