Wattana Hotel Trang

... coastal waters, visiting notable sights such as the enchanting Emerald Cave, which is accessible only by water, will prove to be remarkable experience. Additional attractions include the Mu Ko Petra National Park with beaches and islands lapped by the warm waters of the Andaman Sea. Some of the dive sites in the National Park are world-class. There are also wildlife ...

... balances sheerly out of good luck, you and your company are hunched over on two narrow wooden benches that face each other running length-wise down the sides. While they zip through traffic and tiny spaces quite expertly, you know that your fate is hanging loosely in the balance because if a cat, or more likely a rat, ran out in front of the tires, it would be game over. I am, like most ...

... well. He says they are girls from the cities - doesn't think they are prostitutes, understood why we thought it so distasteful, especially for children to see and participate in, yet just laughed and said that is how things are. Entertainment is entertainment. So degrading to everyone involved, and so bizarre to see in a sleepy Muslim village on an island that only has electricity from 5 pm to 6 am. The circus came to town and we got to go. Sort of wished we hadn't.

Hot and Rainy and Steamy in Trang Sunday - In Trang, the interior city in Southern Thailand where Janis used to teach a few years ago. It is hot when the sun shines and very wet when it doesn't. We were lucky yesterday - arrived just before the rain started and rain it did and is again this afternoon. The thunder is shaking the buildings and the lightening is lighting the sky. They are full monsoon rains - unseen in Canada. The sky ...

... lovely little paradise. That was long enough to make good friends with a Canadian couple travelling for the next 6 months with their 2 lovely children of 11 and 8 years old. Most evenings we would meet up with them and a couple from Sweden and go for the best and most delicious Thai curries (of all the island and we tried a few!) at Coco's Restaurant just along the beach from the piece of paradise we all called home. So now, after 9 days on ...

... above ground, but below the surface of its turquoise waters. Ko Kradan did not disappoint. Our lodging here during our six days of exploration was spent at the small but charming, Paradise Lost Resort, run by an interesting ex-pat from Hawaii named "Wally" who finally landed at this little jewel of an island after fifteen ...

... To make up for not getting into the Emerald Cave, the tour guide took us to another spot off our island for one final spot to snorkel. We arrived back at the resort just after lunch and were ready for another great meal & a Chang or two. It was great getting out for the tour but still having much of the day to do other things. The day we arrived we walked down the beach to check out the other resorts. There were a handful of other resorts ...

... the Andaman Sea. We were greeted on the shore by the resort staff who collected our bags and took us to a covered pavilion for some fresh passion fruit juice and a short introduction to the island & resort. Withing a few minutes we were walked to our cottage which looked out at the sparkling sea. The view from the porch was incredible. Islands off in the distance, white sand beach spreading down both ends of the shore, and the brightest aqua/teal water I have ever ...

... friend from all the way back to the E.S. Laird days came to Thailand to hang out with us for a while. Troy had an interesting start to his time in Thailand; he got to Bangkok, saw the obligatory elephant on the streets, but otherwise had an easy go of it in Bangkok. Next, he flew to Surat Thani, supposedly the wastehole of Thailand, where, after getting off his flight, he hopped into a bus which took him the exact opposite way he needed to go ...

... sail to Koh Kradan. We sailed down the east side of the island and looked at the small resort as we went past. As we turned the corner at the southern end, we came across dozens of fishing boats moored for the day (since they had been out fishing all night). We stopped at the recommended anchorage half-way up the west coast, anchoring near some other yachts that were obviously long-distance cruisers. We spent some time on the lovely sandy beach, then walked ...