Ko Chang

Jana and I just returned from...you guessed it... yet another tropical island. This one is called Ko Chang (Chang means elephant in Thai, Ko means island.) This island is in the Gulf of Thailand, near the Thai/Cambodian border. Ko Chang is about 6 hours by bus and boat from BKK.
Ko Chang is yet another beautiful island. The island itself is imposing, coming across from the mainland it looks even larger since Ko Chang is extremely hilly, almost mountainous. This landscape makes for some breathtaking viewpoints and an exhilirating ride to and from our beach.
We arrived early a few days ago after an all-night trip via bus, sangthaew and boat. We were completely wiped out from this marathon and slept until about 1. The rest of the day we spent with a combination of lounging, exploring, and getting massages. Later we met Todd (a friend that works for the same school) for drinks at one of more popular places on the island.
The next day we checked out another beach, further south called 'Lonely Beach.' Lonely Beach is a cool beach, has a very hippie feeling and clientele (negative), but also feels untouched and isolated (positive).
We just got back from another boat/sangthaew/bus combination and are busy teaching, getting organized, and planning one more trip before we make our homecoming!

Samui Part II

Our second trip to Samui we were also lucky enough to be joined by some fun travelling companions. John and Patty both joined us on this trip back to one of Thailand's most popular islands. This time Jana and I wanted to try a different beach, so we went to a beach called Bo Phut towards the North of the island on the Eastern side.
We spent three days in Bo Phut, soaking up sun, sipping cocktails, and enjoying a few cocktails. If it sounds idyllic... that's because it was.
Jana and both decided--all things considered--this was our favorite beach in Thailand. Bo Phut is pretty developed but nowhere near its Eastern counterpart, Chaweng. The beach is a little rocky (and extremely hot, impossible to walk on during the day without sandals) but beautiful nonetheless. And you have a great view of an island to the Northeast of Samui, Ko Phangan.
We loved it so much that we're going to try to get back down there for a couple of nights before we head back to the US of A.
Thanks to Patty and John for coming all this way to join us; It's great for both of us to be able to share this experience with people were close to! See everyone very soon.
P.S. Sorry this is more impressionistic than descriptive; if you need more details, check out the pics!