sorry for the delay!!!

i should pick up where i left off telling about barb and my travels in the south. i believe i left off at the description of the filthy ferry ride. . .
once we arrived on koh phangan we were immediately bombarded by people who had cardboard with maps taped on them asking us "where you go madam?", as is the thai way. i did my best to evade them by walking away. it doesn't really matter, though, once they've said something to you, you're "theirs" and they follow you repeating their questions until you either give in or walk all the way out of the location.

on the ferry, we had made a friend named stephan, who is from munich, germany, who suggested that we try a place with bungalows and a private beach called coral bay. he said he had stayed there a month prior and really liked the owners. we decided to take his advice and the three of us shared a pickup truck taxi (where we hold on for dear life in the back) to a nearby city where we were dropped at a 7 (7 eleven, remember?). the owner of coral bay then picked us up from there and we, again, held on for dear life on the very rocky, bumpy, steep ride up and down the mountainside until we reached the resort. it was a SPECTACULAR view from the top of the driveway into their property. stunning mini-islands off the shore, sea-blue and sea-green water moving calmly as far as the eye could see... green, lush mountains all around. it was a big, deep sigh of relief to enter such a beautiful place.

upon arrival we were escorted to our cheap (300 baht!!) a night bungalow just ten steps from the beach. we were lucky enough to be given the bungalow closest to the beach, just what we had hoped for!! the bungalow was much more rustic (as can be expected for such a price!) than our prior stays. it was all wood, had a double bed raised from the floor. from the middle of the ceiling a mosquito net hung down over the bed. we were fortunate to have our own bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower but we noticed right away that the electricity didn't work. we later found out that it was only turned on between 6 pm and midnight.

since we were feeling a little scummy from the ferry ride we decided to take showers, barb went first and i unpacked my things a little. when she was done i opened the door and was very startled to see a large lizard had placed himself on our screen... luckily on the outdoor part. after calming myself down i just went on my business. this lizard was our pal for that first day and left after dark. barb thinks he probably liked the moisture from our showers... and an escape from the heat!

after showering we went back to the lodge which is a wonderful place to hang out, eat, make friends, and relax. we had some food and then beached it for a while. after showering, again, we decided to walk to the nearby town and check things out.
we surveyed the routes, we had two options. one, follow the shoreline (a little rocky!) or take the road. after walking to the bottom of the driveway and assessing the steep climb out and considering the heat, we decided to go along the shoreline. at least we could cool our feet that way... we could see the town the entire way, as well.

all went well along the shoreline (so beautiful!) until we reached a little river inlet that we could not cross without getting drenched, so we stopped in to a resort to ask how to go around. we ended up on the road, oh well! we spent more time on the shoreline and out of the beating sun... with sunburns ensuing, we made the right choice!

we finally made it to town, bought some soap, did email and tried to find a long boat to take us back. when we approached them i was prepared to haggle. we ended up meeting two fellows, both of whom took the boat with us to check out where we were staying. john is from england and bruno is from switzerland. we all made it safe and sound, right to the very beach 10 feet from our bungalow! it was fun! i took some pictures... you'll see them soon.

we were tired from the heat and walking, and lack of sleep on the ferry, so we ate some food and returned to the bungalow to "take a nap". unfortunately, we slept through to the next morning. our first night under the bug net went gloriously!!

the next morning we woke up early (again!!) and made it to the common area before they were even open for breakfast! we spent our time examining the menu. we ate some breakfast and were joined by our friend from the ferry and later the swiss fellow who had gotten himself a bungalow!

more to come....