koh lanta, krabi/railay, ranong, and angkor wat

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wow, where to start? this is what i get for waiting so long inbetween posts!



well, lets see...after our scooter ride around koh lanta we found that nice resort on the beach and spent four nights there. we job searched, ate, played crib, swam, and ate some more...it was a lot of fun and very relaxing! we left koh lanta via van/ferry and then took a 3 hour bus ride north/northwest to krabi and the surrounding area railey, specifically a beach called ao nang. the one day we spent in ao nong we decided to take a relaxing day-long speed boat tour of the surrounding islands and beaches, seeing amazing limestone caves, snorkeling, and soaking up sun.



next, another bus ride, this time north up the coast to a town called ranong. totaling 6 hours. we spent a night hoping to catch a ferry the next day to an island called koh phayam that adam had researched as having good surfing, etc. unfortunately, on our way to the ferry dock with packs on and very uneven sidewalks, adam sprained his good ankle 😞 so we ended up staying 5 unexpected nights in ranong, trying to heal some before moving on. i got very accostomed to the area around the hotel and worked on the skill of finding good street food. eventually, we took that ferry to koh phayam and spent a nice 5 nights there with more relaxing, job searching, snorkeling, and, of course, eating.



more buses to bangkok and immediately on to cambodia...eventually leading to the incredible angkor complex of temples, just north of the siem reap region in northern cambodia. the area is amazingly beautiful with over 1000 temples ranging in size from small piles of rubble to the grand angkor wat temple that adorn most post cards from here. we spent today with a motorized tuk tuk driver bouncing down streets and pathways seeing a total of 4 different temples (many people stay for at least 3 days, touring smaller temples and building up to the grand finale...we want to keep it short and get on to chiang mai). i'm really glad we came here, thanks to pete and linda for the suggestion!



we leave early tomorrow, over the confusing border again and back into bangkok, with luck catching the overnight train to chiang mai. we miss everyone dearly and can't wait to be home in about 10 days...my how time flies! much love to all xoxo

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Photos

koh lanta
from the beach of the resort on koh lanta, looking north (you can barely see koh phi phi in the distance). there was rarely another person at this place while we were there, so incredible. the best sunset we've seen yet.

koh lanta bungalow
this is from the beach looking back at our place, we stayed in the one in the middle. so beautiful!

koh lanta beach
picture taken on the beach looking south

koh lanta dinner
on of the best dishes i've had thus far on the trip...delicious spicy red curry with shrimp (on top), couldn't tell you what adam had

van ride
adam trying to enjoy the van and ferry ride north to krabi/railay

railay cove
looking out from the beach

phra nang (princess) cave
a phallus shrine on the east side of railay bay...since ancient times fisherman made offerings to the symbolic Shiva (associated with fertility and verility), to ensure a safe and prosperous journey at sea (it took adam and i a good 4-5 minutes to realize exactly what we were looking at)

railay beach
thank you lopsided tourist

railay coast
from the speed boat

koh phayam lodge
our cute little bungalow, about 100 feet from the ocean, from which we could hear, and see, the soothing waves

koh phayam restaurant
every breakfast and dinner, great (and sometimes quizzical) food!

koh phayam restaurant
they had the chicken satay DOWN

koh phayam sunset
from the beach at our lodge looking west toward burma

so many games
thanks for the board mom and dad...adam is currently ahead of me by amount 5 games!

cambodia border crossing
see the nice building in the background? that's a casino in the "grey area" between thailand and cambodia. casino's are not legal in either country and therefore sit between the two

angkor wat
me and vishnu, the original hindu reason the temple was built

angkor wat from library
the view from a stone library built beside the main walkway to the temple

monkeys at angkor wat
very timid creatures, this cute little guy thought adam had a banana for him and therefore got pretty close. hope you enjoy this one sean :)))

angkor thom
infamous for the countless faces on it's towers, it's not as restored as angkor wat and it's less crowded but just as cool

angkor thom profile
just a couple of the four-sided towers

ta prohm temple
me receiving a woven bracelet and prayer inside the temple (tomb raider was filmed here)

ta prohm tree
one of several incredibly large trees that literally grown through this temple, they're massive

ta prohm
our feet hurt!