Bangkok to Bali

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So today I arrived into Bali. Cat and I left Koh Tao (where we were only supposed to stay for a few nights) after almost two weeks! We got sucked in to the beauty and environment that Koh Tao offered.

We took a 1.5 hour ferry to get back to Koh Samui from Koh Tao. The ferry ride was one that I will never forget. It was raining in gusts and the wind was howling when we left Koh Tao. The large ferry was rocking from side to side as it moved across the Gulf of Thailand's 6 foot swells. The rocking was so intense, that you could not stand up on the boat or you would fall over. Over 50% of the people on board were holding plastic bags and looked white in the face. I now can say with confidence that I don't get sea sick.

In Koh Samui, we took a taxi right to the airport and walked up to the ticket counter to purchase a ticket on the next flight to Bangkok. We arrived into Bangkok completely exhausted and without accomodation around 10:30pm. Fortunately, we ran into another backpacker that was waiting for a taxi and he told us of the guest house that he was staying in for the night. Cat and I decided to split a taxi with him and go to the same place.

We arrived in an area of Bangkok, called Khao San Road. This area is where all of the backpackers go for cheap accomodation. The main street is filled with street vendors selling pad thai for 25 TB or less than $1. There are tons of shops and bars. The street is closed off to car traffic, and is filled with people from all over the world. Cat and I dropped off our bags and went out to explore the area when the sky opened up and the rain poured down. We shopped around a bit, but decided that we would turn in for the night due to the rain.

That was our last night in Thailand. I am now in Bali, staying in a little cottage on an ocean cliff overlooking a gnarly surf break. The place that I am staying at currently is only $3.50 per night! The cheapest yet. The accomodations are bare bones. No TP in the bathroom. No hot water. No shower....you just take a bucket full of cold water and a cup... and pour water over yourself when you want to rinse. Quite interesting, but no worse than camping. Apparently there are monkeys all over the place around dusk and dawn.

The computer lab is about to close...so I will get going for the night. Tomorrow I am going to check out the surf and perhaps look into some diving as well.

Only a few days left....

Oh yea- I took my camera into the water with me while I was cliff diving, and the impact on the water was too much for my Olympus waterproof camera...so it is now broken. Darn.

Nikki

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