Back in Bangkok

Sawadee Khap!
Greetings from Thailand.

Today marks our 30th day in Thailand. This has become a real "soft adventure" for the BusbyFreys as we have casually enjoyed both the urban vibes of Bangkok and the tropical island-time warps of easy living Thai beaches. Tierra had visited Thailand before; and I'd spent a few days in Bangkok back in 2000; but this time with Amaya; we really went about travel and leisure quite differently.

One of the favorite activities is shopping and gawking at the outdoor markets. These shots are from a morning market located somewhere near the Bang Phli suburb of Bangkok; where we did not find too many English speakers, or recognize-identify much of the fruit or flowers. This however did not detract from the experience; nor did it deter commerce when it came to bargaining Bhat.

Flowers for the Bhuddas.

Snails, snakes, birds and turtles.
Are these for food or domestic pets we wondered?

Amaya's favorite pastime---floatation. Here she is in the 'magic bananna' swimming pool at the Sananwan Palace, our Bangkok hideout. She's starting to swim a bit without the floaties, but finds them absolutely necessary for the big jumps into the pool.

Between the skytrain, public bus, public boat, and metered taxis, we were able to afford and enjoy navigating the congestion that is Bangkok. I continue to believe the most dangerous task in the city is just crossing the street. Despite hazards, we're into "urban hiking" here.

Some of the joys in life are universal? Amaya was delighted to find some playground festivity. Apparently, there is no common language necessary for kickin it at the park.

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So, moving on...

We took a bus to Trat; spent the night, then were ferried across to Ko Chang (island) located in the north eastern portion of the Gulf of Thailand. This was, at long last, the tropical island we had imagined finding for a long sought after holiday.

We learned that about fifteen years ago, most of the island was free of paved roads and development. This was very hard to believe given the plethora of destination resorts being constructed along the coastlines. We stayed for a few days at Lonely Beach which certainly was not lonely, but offered a really nice beach as well as numerous dining and a lot of party options.

Walking along the road, we met these monkeys whom were working away on the phone and electrical lines... Perhaps they were on their own tour of the development? They may have been taking a break from the national park situated in the center of the island.

Dancing to the last light of the day, Amaya appreciates the warm tropical climate and surf...

Whoa, someone gotta light?

Nature's resort (where we had a hut) held a Full Moon Party. It was much more scaled down from the more infamous versions; perhaps because its the rainy season here; BUT they offered some free cocktails; then the staff went about throwing fire around to some major techno jams. They certainly outdid the fireguy from the Grateful Dead shows... and you could tell that they enjoyed the dancing as much as we were entranced by watching all those tracers.

Then it was time to move to a more remote side of Ko Chang. We traveled to the Treehouse on Longbeach by a route best described as 4x4. Here we lived off the grid and away from the crowds, surrounded by the tropical jungle. The series of huts and big lodge are built on a beautiful bay offering endless snorkeling ops; days turned into weeks as we laid back, made some friends and adjusted to a slower paced life.

Amaya and her little buddy Milan, rock the house.

Sunsets to write home about...

Goofin Off with some new friends. Yea, thats the sunset still going off in the background!

How to complete a warm tropical breeze and the constantly changing color schemes of the Bay? Puzzeling prediciments.

A lazy afternoon on the deck of our hut; I can't believe I was able to get up and take a photo!

Thats it for now. I'll try to update with some more Thailand soon. peace love busbyfrey.