Hello, Thailand

As it so happens, my sister Laura has been teaching English in Thailand for the past 3-4 months and as you may know, it is loads cheaper to fly to Thailand from than it is to fly from the States. Go figure. So that was the plan; hop over to Thailand for 2 weeks to see what life has been like for the little sister (pull my arm, right?) And let me tell you, life in Thailand is an absolute dream.

It was a tiny bit of a hassle to actually get there; an early flight from from Singapore to Bangkok where I picked up some Thai Tea before waiting for my tiny airplane to take me to the tiny airport of Trat, Thailand. The customs line was stuffed with a bunch of partying teens waiting to wreck havoc on Bangkok and I was all too happy to be bused onto the tarmac to board this itty-bitty plane to a more remote place in Thailand. The flight was brief and gorgeous; glittering rice patties faded once you hit the ethereal cloud layer before landed besides the jewel tone ocean. Seriously, the Trat airport can't really even be called an airport; a stretch of road cut away from the jungle made the runway where a wooden platform and covered roof created the terminal. Oh, and topiary elephants adorned the entrance. So. Cute.  A bus took me to the ferry over to the island of Koh Chang where I met the lovely miss Clementine; French-raised and Spain-resdeint, Clem has literally been everywhere. The kind of traveler whose well worn passport flips open to show double stamped sections and visas from around the world. Okay, I'm only a teeny bit envious.

We actually were staying at the same hostel (the adorable Pajamas Hostel) which doesn't seem too much a coincidence because if you have the chance to stay at a hostel called "Pajamas" that boasts both a pool and a 2 minute walk to white sands, why wouldn't you stay there? After the ferry salty breeze properly got my curls all out of order we bused through the jungle to the hostel and settled in to paradise- I mean, our rooms. It was reminiscent of Mikanos, the white washed walls painted with deep blue shutters which is never a bad thing.

It didn't take long to wander off to find the beach and 2 minute advertised walk was an exaggeration. A paved suspended walkway opened to white sand and Instagram-worthy water, dotted with sailboats and fringed by dense foliage's mine in less than a minute. Beachside mango smoothies were then in order, of course, before the warm sun melted into a creamy orange before dipping into the sea. Next up, checking out the local restaurant scene for yellow curry and papaya salad while chatting about adventures. There is something about talking with someone who craves that same sense of adventure and excitement from being thrown in a completely new culture that you look for.  Despite the sparkling conversation, I'd been up since 4 AM and called it an early night, slipping into white sheets listening to the sharp squawking jabs of the local birds that peppered the evening's oceanic soundtrack. No surprise, I woke up feeling like I was still dreaming.