If you had to choose 5 people to be on a deserted island with...

---

***Taylor says***So, remember Ashley's email about the absolutely gorgeous beaches of Ko Samui? Well, we unbelievably just spent 2 days somewhere even more stunning and incredible. This is not to take away from Ko Samui, or anything Ash said about it, but I believe all 6 of us are in agreement that Haad Khuat/Bottle Beach on the island of Ko Phangan is likely the most gorgeous place we have ever laid eyes on. We arrived on the southern end of Ko Phangan and took a taxi up to the north end in our effort to reach Hat Khuat. When we arrived at the "boat taxi" station we were faced with some news that had us all second guessing our decision of beaches to visit. Our guide books did tell us that we would have to take a boat taxi around the top point of the island to reach the small coved beach of Had Khuat. However, we weren't prepared to hear that many travelers get stranded there as the water tends to get too rough for the small longboat taxis to travel on.

Our boat taxi driver, Mr. Mee, told us we would need to wait an hour or so to head to Hat Khuat because the water was a bit rough. He said his friend from the beach would call when it was safe. We all sat around rather nervously, wondering if we'd made the wrong choice. However, about 20 minutes later, after many efforts to get us to buy food at his restaurant, Mr. Mee told us we could go. Our experiences in this country led us to believe that, perhaps, when Mr. Mee realized we weren't going to buy food from him, he decided it was then "safe" to take us. Now, let me not speak too poorly of our Mr. Mee. He quickly endeared himself to us, and as Amy observantly pointed out, was the Thai version of Gilligan. This man makes his living on taking tourists to and from Bottle Beach, and knows everyone who works on the beach. We piled into his longboat and headed out to sea, heavy packs and all. We made it to the beach in about 25 minutes, including a short (very wavy and tipsy) break for Mr. Mee to answer his cell phone. We meant to inquire about what service providers they use, considering he had perfect service in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand! As we pulled up to Bottle Beach, it seemed that we collectively realized what a perfect decision we had made! The beach is set back into a cove, with the clearest, greenest water I have ever seen, rivaling the Hawaiian and Caribbean waters. There are four guesthouses on the beach all right next to each other, and that pretty much takes up the whole beach. We were able to book a little bungalow with two stories that "fit" all 6 of us. Three girls on the bigger bed, two on the smaller, and one on a mattress on the floor.

Too avoid getting too long-winded and spending too many Thai baht on this blog, I wil now just give a couple highlights. We spent the next two days relaxing, swimming, walking on the beach, eating, drinking, and getting to know other tourists, as well as the Thai residents of the beach (mostly those who work at the guesthouses). Let me say, this beach is so small and wonderful that we didn't wear shoes for 48 hours!!! I'd say my favorite part of our time there was the surprise pre/joint bachelorette party that Amy, Ash, Fee, and Rebekah threw for Sabrina and me. ***Sabrina is now helping to write***They sent us off to get massages and said they needed a bit of time to prepare a surprise for us. We knew they were up to something bride-related, but had no idea what they could possibly come up with on this secluded beach. They found us, blindfolded us with sleep masks, and led us on a trust walk back to what we assumed was our bungalow. They put something in our hands and sat us down in chairs, where they removed the blindfolds. We were greeted by a beautiful island bouquets in our hands, signs on our chairs that said "Mrs. Davis" and "Mrs. Norrie", respectively, and toilet paper/balloon decorations all over the room. In each balloon were little pieces of paper with fun bride to be activities that we needed to do. We had to do our best walk down the aisle, hum our wedding songs and dance with each other, act out the most romantic gift we've been give by our fiances, etc. They also fashioned us with lovely toilet paper veils. We also each received an island drink in a cute pail. Then, it was off to the bar in our veils where we got to share our engagement with the island. The Thai locals had no idea what to make of us. Every time Amy told them we were getting married, we quickly had to add that it was not to each other! We love our friends so much, and feel so lucky to have had them plan this beautiful surprise for us. Who would have thought that we would have a bachlorette party on the most beautiful beach in Thailand!

I'll wrap it up now, as we are preparing for a long 2 days of traveling. We take a ferry back to the mainland, a bus to the train station. Next we take an overnight train to Bangkok, where we have to connect to the airport for our flight to Hanoi. More to come from Vietnam...

---