Ko Samui, Thailand

8am. Wake up and ponder the state of the universe in bed. 9am. Go for a dip in the ocean. 10am. Get an oil massage. 11am. Repeat dip in ocean. 12pm. Shower and eat tasty Thai food. 1:30pm. Listen to a Quantic rare groove mix while counting the shades of blue between the water and the sky. 2pm. Make sure there is a coversheet on my TPS report. 2:30pm. Write blog entry. Where does the day go?

I decided on Tuesday that I really needed to get out of Bangkok and head south where the beaches were calling my name. After a quick dinner with my hosts, it was a motorcycle taxi to the subway and then a quick hop to the train station. All sleepers were booked so I traveled 2nd class. A reclining chair on an 11 hour overnight train is the only way to travel if you got an upset stomach. Did someone say squatty potty? Oh yes. Got on a pick up and then headed for Maenam beach which my guidebook listed as 'backpacker'. Looking at the weight on my back it seemed appropriate.

I am staying at a place called Morning Glory. For about $US 10 I get my own bungalow, a meal and a few 6.4% Chang beers. Not bad when you consider that I am 20 meters from the water and there is an amazing view of Ko Pha Ngan which is only 20 km away. The place is frequented right now by German tourists, which is fine with me. Just as I did in Taiwan, I just pretend to know what is going on as everyone else around me talks in their secret code. Except near the end of Taiwan, I could start to understand a little Mandarin. As a side note, I really miss eating with chopsticks. In Thailand food is eaten with fork (left) and spoon (right) and the fork never gets put into the mouth.

Went to Chaweng beach yesterday which is the epicenter of tourism on the island. Even though it is technically a better beach, I am glad I am here instead since there is room to breathe here. Honestly, I would prefer to have company here on the beach since it is better wasting time with someone else. But being alone right now is good for me. This trip is about me adapting and learning and changing from my constantly exploring moving frenzy to sitting on my kiester is a bit of an adjustment. But with most things, I guess it'll just take practice. Time to go do exactly that...