Big Easy Koh Mak

... frisbee on the beach, walking to the nearby island in low tide, chilling in the restaurant, playing cribbage, and running around the island. Pure rest and relaxation!

The Big Easy was probably the best value find of our whole trip! It pays to go to the islands during low season. While it may rain from time to time you get great discounts and feel like you have your own private island!

Then back to Bangkok!

... before the rain came. About five minutes before docking it started to torrential downpour! Luckily there were some places with coverage where we waited our the rain- about six minutes. I hopped in a songtaw back to the bus station to head back to Bangkok. The weekend was perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better or more relaxing. I got to hang out on the beach and do nothing one day and dive the other, exactly what I ...

... at this moment in my life it doesn't get any better than this. After a slow stroll back along the deserted beach to my bungalow it was time for Peter and Bonnie's BBQ. Cob of corn, salad, pork kebab, pork chop thing about eight inches long, tiger prawns and garlic bread. I ate all this that i ordered but only just, a gorgeous spreadage and i feasted!!!

Most of our days consisted of sitting on the beach or looking at it from our bungalow. But we did decide to wander around the island one day and see some of the other beaches. We also wanted to check out the resort we had originally booked and some of the others we had decided against. So we walked over to Koh Mak Resort and CocoScape ...

We wanted to do something really cool for Lindsey's 30th birthday, so we thought a week on an exotic Thai island might do the trick. We wanted to go somewhere that was relatively remote, isolated, and quiet, but close to Bangkok. So Lindsey did a ton of research and found a place that sounded perfect to her. We booked a decent place, but they canceled on us a few days before the trip. They were full. So we booked a room that was about twice as much as ...

... eaten some of the best No Name we've ever had. For the uninitiated, No Name is a mixture of vegetables (here with coriander and ginger), mixed in batter and deep fried. Here they were mostly vegeta bles and the batter was light (more like tempura) and not at all oily. The ginger was just the icing on the cake. Yummo. Of course, we're desperately missing the Swedish winter (-10 degrees at last check) and are longing to come home. Or not...

... and living a rather bohemian lifestyle. Dreadlocks rule here, but the nose rings have largely gone replaced by a sixties style fashion. The bars here all play loud party music until about 12 a.m., but each one has a rota once or twice per week to hold a party that goes till 2:00 a.m., and sometimes, dawn. The most famous is the Tree House, but it is getting a bit tired now and has been upstaged by others that attract the young with a variety of exotic drinks and better music ...

... Funky Hut, had just re-opened under new management, we had a look around and really liked the look of it. We are on a pretty tight budget and in the local guide they suggested prices started at 600 Baht, about 12 pounds for a room. So when we saw the rooms we were very excited about the possibility of staying.....then we realised the book was out of date and the old huts behind the lovely rooms was what the previous owner had hired out last ...

... Til gengaeld tog hun med os tilbage for at vise os hvordan man gjode det paa den sikreste maade, og saa kom vi endeligt ind til vandfaldet. Det var helt sikkert klatreturen vaerd. Samtidig var det lidt sjovt at hun tog sin tamme abe med paa turen for at den kunne faa sig et tiltraengt bad. Jeg har aldrig foer set en abe svoemme, men den her lod til at nyde det. Lige indtil vi kom taet paa vandfaldet, det kunne den bestemt ikke li'. Og den shampoo hun brugte til at vaske den var den ...

... to do last minute shopping and then off to Australia!!! We are super excited about that new chapter. Keir has the whole campervan design down to a T...we just need to find one and the reno's begin! So until then we will be lying on the beach, reading our 6th or 7th book, swimming in the bath temperature ocean, and eating our Paanang curries. It's a tough life. Miss you all!!) Sawadee kah (hello and good-bye in Thai) Keir and Kylie