Koh Chang Day 2


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Asia » Thailand
January 21st 2018
Published: January 21st 2018
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Saturday: January 20th

Saturday morning Libby and I woke up at 6:30 am to quickly throw on our suits and head down to the beach. The infinity pool was next to the Chill cafe that we had dinner at last night. Walking past the restaurant and down a few stairs took you right to the beach where lounging chairs were set up. The beach area itself was not very large but its beauty made up for it. We were in the gulf of Thailand where the water was a light crystal blue and transitioned to a seafoam green the further out you went. Libby and I started the day by lounging in the chairs on the beach and had a server come to us and take our coffee order. Ten minutes later he brought us cappuccinos on the beach. At 7:30 they were done setting up for breakfast. We were handed the menu which had western breakfast options as well as Thai options (Pad Thai, curry, etc.). Breakfast was buffet-style, meaning you could order something on the menu and then continue ordering until you were full. The first item I ordered was a breakfast sandwich which had mini hot dogs, lettuce, mayo, and tomato on it. I was a little unsure when I first saw it but it ended up being really good. I finished the sandwich in two minutes and knew I was going to order more. I then asked for a crepe with strawberries and chocolate sauce. Best decision of the day; it was SO good. What was cool about this restaurant was that the portions were small compared to ones in America. It helped us not to waste food which is a huge problem back home.

At 9 am a boat was coming to pick us up on the beach to take us snorkeling. A medium-sized speed boat approached the shore and we all hopped on. The first island we went to was large and was the prime spot for snorkeling. They anchored the boat and we jumped off with our snorkeling gear in hand. Most of us went out without life vests but we always had the option to have one. As far as I know, sharks are a rare occurrence in the gulf (helped to calm my fears). The water was the perfect temperature and fairly translucent. The last time I almost went snorkeling was at Key West in Disney World with my family when I was around 8 years old. The water at the time was 60 degrees so we made my dad do it since we prepaid for the event. Snorkeling in the gulf of Thailand was scary and exhilarating all at the same time (I don’t love deep ocean water). I saw lots of coral, schools of various fish, sea urchins, sea anemones, and even a sea cucumber. After treading water for almost an hour we swam back to the boat and headed to the next island. The second island was much smaller but we primarily went there because there was a small beach to lounge on. Our Thai friends (BCNC faculty) laid on their towels in the shade while we spent time feeding the school of sergeant major fish with leftover chips and bugels. They started going crazy and even nipped at some people. We purposely piled some food next to Libby so she would freak out.

While other members of our group get some model shots in the ocean, I spent time looking for shells. I found some cute baby shells, interesting looking coral, and a piece of sea glass. Right before we left, I noticed a smooth looking shell in the water and picked it up to discover a beautiful and completely intact, vacated hermit-crab shell. I was so pleased with my 20/20 vision.

The final island we went to was for snorkeling but many of us grabbed life-vests and floated in the water. I had to pee SO bad but knew that I often have difficulty peeing in the ocean. Everyone in our group knew my problem, so they observed as I tried to 'float-pee'. I tried for maybe 15 minutes before it happened. Let me tell you, you know that you are close to a group of people when they cheer you on as you pee.

Floating for 20 minutes, we all noticed that we were getting stung by something in the water. It was ever so subtle but painful enough for you to notice. Greg, the husband of my teacher, told us that there are little organisms/cells that can sting you in the water. I don't care how small they are, those little bites hurt! We all swam back to the boat because we were tired from all the activity in the morning.

Back at the resort, we had an hour to wash off (or jump in the pool, like many of us did) before we went out for lunch. We left the resort for lunch and went to a restaurant where we had soup, sticky rice, chicken, fried egg, and pork. The food tasted so good as being out in the sun really made me hungry. Before heading back, we stopped at a coffee shop where I got an iced espresso macchiato and some other people either got gelato or a donut.

We had the rest of the day to ourselves until dinner so most of us decided to lounge at the beach and swim in the pool. I apologize for this next story but I have to tell it. I was hanging out at the pool with my professor, Libby, and Sarah when we noticed a conversation being had by one of the workers and a German man. The German man was saying something like, "the good thing is that it is on the ground and not floating." We analyzed the situation and when we saw the worker come back with a net we realized what had happened. The man's daughter pooped in the pool. Imagine the amount and how dense it would have to be to sink to the very bottom. That poor worker spent ten minutes trying to pick it up but probably ended up smearing it on the ground. To this moment, we still aren't sure he actually got the poop but we didn't go over to check.

Minutes after this incident occurred, I happened to look up and see a man in a speedo over at a canopy bed next to the pool. He walked over to the bed and in clear sight took off his speedo to change into another pair. He made a brief attempt to hide by sitting down as he pulled off the speedo, meanwhile I stopped and said, "what on earth is happening." Immediately, everyone including my professor and her husband look over just in time to see this man stand up fully naked and slip on another speedo. Now believe me, I understand that nakedness is normal in other cultures but with kids all around the pool and curtains surrounding the canopy, the least he could have done was pull the curtains down. None of us could stop laughing as my professor and her husband kept making jokes. Libby was losing it and said multiple times, "Okay the trip is officially ruined. Did you see THAT? I am scarred. I see complete darkness now." And that is how I would describe our afternoon.

For dinner, I decided to wear a long dress I purchased at a market in Chiang Mai. The same dress in two different colors was bought by my friends Katie and Sarah so we all decided to wear it on the same night. Tonight for dinner we would be meeting Pi Jit's brother and her sister-in-law (owner of Chill Resort). The menu was a seafood buffet. Again, SO MUCH FOOD. We started with a buffet of rolls, sushi, fruit, and salad. There was a portion of the line where you could pick raw veggies and have a chef stir fry it for you. The main meal was any seafood (large shrimp, fish, scallops, lobster, crab) made-to-order. Just like breakfast, you could keep ordering more seafood. The first order, I asked for a lobster tail and two scallops. The scallops were the size of a quarter and the lobster tail was very small. All very delicious, I order four my scallops to appease my appetite. For dessert, there were shot glasses of chocolate, mango, and strawberry mousse, vanilla cake with strawberries, and a small chocolate molten lava cake. I tried everything of course. No regrets. The meal was amazing with so many unique options to choose from.

Before the night ended with a fire-show, we met the owner of the Chill Resort who told us that if we contact Pi Jit in the future, we could come to the resort for our honeymoon. Hopefully this offer still holds ten years from now 😉

The fire show was on the beach and consisted of five men. Each man did different tricks with the fire to loud dance music. With only a few mistakes and lots of sweat, they performed the finale. The finale was amazing as one of the men stood on the shoulders of another man, both hold and flipping fire. The fire jumped around everywhere, that it almost looked like fireworks were going off. We cheered loudly for them at the end of the show, many of us in disbelief at what we just saw.

This day didn't beat out my favorite moment of the trip, but it came pretty close to doing so. It was hard going to bed knowing that we would be leaving in the morning, but I was thankful for the time that I did get to spend on this beautiful island.

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