Journey to Peace Village

I'm just getting around to it now, because I have a day off for International Worker's Day. In February, I had the most fantastic vacation ever. I visited Eastern Thailand with my friend Tracy from TEFL school. Specifically we went to Koh Chang, which is about six hours by bus from Bangkok.

The main island is Koh Chang, which is about 45 minutes by ferry from the mainland. Tracy and I stayed in a bungalow at a place called "Boutique Spa." The rooms were bungalows about five minutes from the beach. They were very quiet and included a porch. The spa offered a restaurant and massage therapy. Hiking on the island was actually more interesting than the beaches. The interior is almost untouched and we hiked through a natinal park to a small waterfall. The trails were in classic rainforest. The actual island of Koh Chang was kind of touristy, so we moved on to Koh Wai.

This was truly paradise. It's a very small island with only two or three resorts. The waters were clear, blue and sparkling with tropical fish and coral. I went snorkeling and Tracy taught me how to Kayak.

Nicky, one of the staff at the resort, actually visited Milwaukee! He had been to the US a few years before and very much wants to go back. WE talkedto him while munching on ice cream from the States. At night, we played a "stacking game" popular in Thailand. It's a game where you have blocks and take out one at a time while trying to keep the stack intact. The person that makes it collapse is the loser.

I really felt sad to leave the island and wished I had more time in this obscure paradise.