Correction

Please note, for all of those that were confused:

"Ling" is not a small acrobatic Thai man, rather, "ling" is the Thai word for monkey.

We are sorry for the confusion.

Lovely Langkawai

We made it to Malaysia to the lovely island of Langkawi where we are staying at a lovely eco-friendly-hotel called Mutiara Burau Bay. This morning we woke up to "ling" the front porch of our bungalow. We went outside to watch them play - there were dozens - Ally and I got great footage of one little cutey doing somersaults! Langkawi is beautiful and we had fun today taking the scary trolley up the mountain - what a beautiful view. It's been raining though so we are back at the hotel again to relax!

The past 2 weeks have been fabulous. We had such a wonderful time sailing through Thailand. I'll do my best to recap and not bore you or make you too jealous :) (PS - Have included lots of cocktail and monkey pictures)...

2/18 - Our first day with the Seascape group. We met up at Ko Chiang in Phuket and boarded our new home, the Nyami Nami - a 55' catamaran with our other sailing cohorts: Diane & Ray (the skippers), Tim (Our very own Thai Chef), John & Mark (the Arkansas boys), both Steves (one CA and one NY version), both Maureens, Tony (the Aussie) and of course both of us. The other boat was the lovely sailboat, Stressbreaker, and included the rest of the group. The water was a bit lumpy and after our first lunch we all took turns napping. We motored off to Ko Phanak we we anchored and then took a kayak over to explore our first Thai "hong" (cave). This one was really cool - We had to take our "torches" (Brits refuse to call them flashlights because apparently they don't flash) because the hong become completely dark at one point - Ally and I fearlessly navigated our way through the hong and made it to through to an opening - a beautiful lagoon type area surrounded by cliffs. It was stunning and Ally was able to navigate the kayak in such a way that I was not decapitated! Yay! That night the Stressbreaker crew came aboard and we celebrated with Thai beer and cocktails.

2/19- Motored northeast a bit to a secluded little island that was like tropical paradise. We all swam ashore to a beautiful little beach that offered a more open hong. It was fantastically beautiful. We also went kayaking and explored about, swimming and enjoyed a few tasty cold Tigers (We heart Tiger beer). We next motored on to Krabi beach where we motored ashore and enjoyed a few local shops and then ate ashore that night.

2/20 - Motored ashore to Krabi and took a taxi van to "Tiger Cave" about 30 minutes away. Hiked up almost 1,300 very steep stairs to a spectacular view. Also had first Thai monkey siting - Could have sat and watched them for hours!! Next we headed back to the Nyami Nami and motored to Chicken Island (it looks like a chicken?!?). We went for a snorkel which was wondeful, saw many parrotfish, sgt. majors, tangs, and corals. Very beautiful! Spent the rest of the afternoon drinking Chang on the boat in awe of the surrounding beauty!

2/21 - Sailed to "Bamboo Island" where we dingyed ashore to snorkel - Snorkeling was fabulous - saw so many wonderful fish! Next sailed to Phi Phi Li which was made famous in the movie "The Beach". We didn't see Leo, but went for another long snorkel along where the movie was filmed. We took a little food scrap with us to "feed" the fish - Imagine the excitement when I heard Ally scream underwater?! She had been bitten by a parrotfish?! It was quite humerous and luckily the wound is already healed. We watched another beautiful sunset from the boat (see picture) and thought about how lucky we are! Life is good!!

2/22 - Happy Birthday Dad! WE got up early to watch the sunrise only to realize the mountains were blocking it. Duh. Anyways, we took a kayak shore to the famous "beach" and did some a.m. yoga. We hiked about the island a bit and saw some other famous spots from the movie. It was quite a pretty place! Next sailed over to Ko Lanta, another very beautiful spot with perfect white sand and a small little village. We dropped off some laundry and then got pedicures :) We then stopped at the "Why Not" bar right along the beach for a tropical cocktail before dinner. We grabbed dinner with the group - I can't remember the name - It was either the sun or the cocktails or both... But after dinner we headed back to the bar for a lively night complete with playing of the tambourine :)

2/23 - Woke up slightly under the weather (was it the sun?) - ha ha ha! We dingyed ashore to go to an elephant preserve! We rode (about 10 of us) in the back of a pickup (no seats) up some pretty big hills and then down again (did I mention the road was dirt with some pretty big ruts?).. But, we arrived safe and sound at the park where we fulfilled Ally's dream and rode some elephants through the jungle. I must admit I had pictured riding the great gentle beasts around in a circle like I did at the Toledo zoo many years ago with my Mom and Dad, but this was quite the contrary. We went through the jungle for a good 30 minutes - I was pretty scared as we were quite high up, but all was well. Oh! We also had an exciting "ling" siting - These were really cute ling that passed between the trees by their tails. After we got off the elephant we hiked back to a waterfall with the help of a Thai guide. It was a very pretty hike and we saw lots of butterflies and a dead snake (I refused to look - but apparently it was dead via a cobra - I tried not to think about this)...After the hike we were fed bananas like the ling and then re-boarded our elephants to return to the park entrance. We then re-boarded the pickup and headed back to the village where we picked up our laundry, grabbed some fried bananas from a street vendor and then reboarded the Nyami Nami. Next we sailed on to Ko Muk. Some people went ashore for massages and such (there were tiny stands along the beach), but I opted to relax on the boat and then took a quick bath in the Andaman Sea! We dingyed ashore for dinner and ate a great spot on the beach (no shoes required). What a great day!

2/24 - Got up early to go to the famous Marakot (Emerald) Cave - A beautiful hong that you swim through (in the dark) to arrive in the most beautiful opening secluded from the rest of the world. It was awesome! After some banana pancakes (thanks Tim!) we sailed to "Rock Noc" which was everyone's favorite spot on the trip! We first went for a swim and then Ally and I went for our first scuba dive! It was awesome! I saw so many cool fish and corals - Absolutely loved it! From there we enjoyed a cold brew on the Nyami Nami and then took the kayaks to a secluded beach where we played frisbee, relaxed and had fun with the rest of the crew. It was the perfect day! :D (to top it off, Tim made eggplant curry which I loved!!!)

2/25 - Sailed to the Butang Islands. specifically Lipe Island - It suddenly became stiffling hot with no air movement and very high humidity. Ally and I kayaked ashore (the water was so beautifully blue) We walked through the little village and stopped to get a great Thai massage. It was so nice! We had another dinner ashore and then grabbed drinks at the Reggae Bar on the beach where we listened to reggae on little mats on the beach and watched the stars.

2/26 - Woke up early in the morning to a giant storm - lightning, high winds -and lots of rain. The boat was rocking. Fell back asleep. Sailed to Adang Island, another in the Butang chain. This is a beautiful jungle paradise island. It was so beautiful, I can't do it justice in words. We relaxed on the boat, went swimming, snorkeling and Ally and I went scuba diving again. It was an awesome dive - Saw lots of cool fish and my first lionfish! Very cool! We watched the most beautiful sunset and then had a party with the other boat. The party evolved into a game of Cranium and then bridge during which time the mosquitoes decided they eat Off for breakfast. By the morning, Ally and I had hundreds of pesky bites. Grrr....

2/27 - More lumpy seas - motored on south to Langkawi, Malaysia. Stopped for a swim (another stiffling hot day) and then pulled into the marina around lunch time. Relaxed on the boat and then all went out for one last dinner together. What a wondeful trip together and met many wonderful people :D

Phew. I am tired of writing now and think I will go see if the rain has let up and go for a swim. Tomorrow we are off to Penang by ferry! Hope you are all well!!

Couples Massage...

Greetings from paradise! We are having such a wonderful time in Phuket. Ahh, life here is full of difficult choices - This morning we had to decide between various tropical fruits and pastries, breads, eggs, etc. for breakfast - Do we choose dragonfruit, or papaya, or have both? Or do we have eggs, or pancakes?

Then we had to choose between an aromatherapy swedish massage or a traditional thai massage at happy hour massage (we chose the swedish version with relaxing oils because we had the Thai version in Bangkok). It was a 2 for 1 Happy Hour special - It seems though, our good friends at the Sawasadee, thinking we were a couple staying in the honeymoon bungalow, gave us a couples massage. We laughed when we were taken into the same room with massage tables side by side - But, the massages were wonderful and we just ignored each other anyways until we were done and sipping tea. Yes, life is hard here indeed!

Then we had to decide pool or beach, so we did both. We first went to Kata beach and sunbathed and frolicked in the waves. We really can't believe we are here. The people are sooooo nice and accomodating. We then went swimming in this pool with fountains and jets everywhere surrounded by tropical plants and with a nice swim up bar and of course sipped exotic tropical drinks after such a rough day!

From there we went out for more Thai food on the beach and met up with the other Seascape people at the Ska bar here in Kata Beach. Everyone seems very nice so far, but of course the demons will be released after 2 weeks in such close quarters together...

Tomorrow we set sail and I have a feeling our internet use will decline for the next two weeks as we will be sailing to some pretty remote places. Please don't worry about us! We are (and will continue to be) very safe.

Ta Ta for now!

Cocktails and Monkeys

Sa Wat Dii from Paradise - We find ourselves tonight in perhaps one of the nicest places I have ever stayed... We are in Phuket at Kata Beach at the Sawasdee Village (aka paradise). We didn't see any monkeys - In fact the subject line comes from my mom who complained that my only pictures from Costa Rica were of cocktails and monkeys. I love both, especially monkeys, and hope to see my first Thai version soon.

We arrived from Bangkok this afternoon after a quick flight and long "van" ride, to cool, jasmine scented towels to refresh. After a very quick check-in cocktail, we headed to our room, which is more like a honeymoon bungalow - Too bad we're not lesbians, because this is one romantic spot! I won't get in to too many details, but will post more pictures of the place tomorrow. It is fabulous. We had another wonderful thai dinner here tonight and then headed to the "beach area" (which we never really found as we stopped for a beer at a cozy little bar called Mellow Bar). We then walked back to the hotel through a strip that reminds us of a Thai version of Rosarito... We then went for cocktails at our hotel which we sipped on the front porch of our honeymoon bungalow. How romantic! Mine was in a coconut and Ally's was in a pineapple.

Tomorrow after breakfast we are heading to happy hour massage (not shady like it sounds) and then to the beach and swim-up bar at the pool. Tomorrow night we meet the seascape folks (our sailing mates for the next 2 weeks) at a local bar.

Life is good. Off to some zzzzz's!

Food Heaven

I've died and gone to food heaven. I love this place!! Most of my friends will tell you, given any night if given the choice for dinner, 9 out of 10 times, I choose thai. AND I am not disappointed here - A good kick of spice is added to the authentic version. stomach is still holding quite well!!

I'm sitting here in this massage parlor next to our hotel/guest house where I just had a killer 1-hour long massage for $6. Pretty awesome.

On Thursday we left our wonderful hotel in vietnam for Bangkok, Thailand! After a brutal 2 hour wait to get through customs, we arrived in Asia's "City of Angels" :) We spent the rest of the afternoon and all of today exploring the city - from eating thai noodles, corn, chocolate banana crepes and who knows what else on the street, to buying bargaining with the street vendors in the market to being TOTALLY blown away by the Wats (temples). I didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't this! Again, we got a little carried away with the pictures.... but who wouldn't?!? After taking the ferry down the river, we saw the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace, the Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho, and about a hundred other Buddhas of all sizes! Fortunately there was a nice man outside the temple to transport us to the open market in his tut-tut (aka scooter with a little carriage in the back), where we bought tons of useless stuff :)

Sorry this is short, but we are hungry and waiting to go grab more thai food and tiger beer!! tomorrow we are off to Phuket!!

happy valentines day from Bangkok!!!

Got to bangkok safe and sound yesterday! Celebrated V-day (everyone's favorite) eating yummy thai food!!

Crossing the Street in Ha Noi

This is what it is like to cross the street in Ha Noi - It's like a game of Frogger.... It does get worse even! Ally took this video tonight by the Old Quarter! It's time for bed now!