Day 68: Beijing

On my way back to the States!

I took a flight from Bangkok at 1am today after successfully navigating the Bangkok public transit system to BKK. 79 Bus to Siam, SkyTrain to Phaya Thai and then Airport Link to the end! Andy and I have mastered the local Bangkokian buses.

After a ~5.5 hr. flight, including a meal at 2am, we arrived in Beijing and went through customs/security and I added another stamp to my passport! Sadly they are out of order as Indonesia skipped one page and Cambodia skipped two. This bugs me probably more than it should.

Now just a long haul to New York, a few days there and then a final bus ride back to Boston! I am very excited to go back and will try and compile my travel lessons on the flight to post soon.

Enjoyed my last Thai meal at Ethos Vegetarian Restaurant.
Delicious Green Curry!

Best sugar covered roti!

Abdul's Roti.  Amazing

Day 55-58: Koh Tao & Khao Sok

The island hopping continues as we visited Koh Tao for a few days!

This was after taking a 7:30am bus to Koh Kong, spending the night, taking a Tuk Tuk to the Thai border, crossing (yay!), taking an hour and a half ride in the back of a pickup truck (don’t worry it had benches and a roof), 4 hr bus to Bangkok, the skytrain and MRT to the train station, 10:50pm train to Chumphon and then another bus to the pier, and then two hour express catamaran to Koh Tao. Oh and then another pickup truck to our hostel, O’Chai Bungalows.

Tuk Tuk to Thailand!

Catching the SkyTrain in Bangkok

Day 52-54: Koh Rong

I haven’t worn shoes in three days.
And I’m living above the ocean on a pier. I can see the waves through the floorboards! But that also means I can hear our toilets flush into the water as well.

Nevertheless I went diving and snorkeling, seeing a manta ray (!!), lots and lots of fish, some hard-to-remember-name of a colorful sea slug with funny antennas, a scorpion fish, some shrimp, coral of course and lots of spiky black sea urchins. Not nearly as breathtaking as Bali, but visibility was low and it’s the rainy season, so I’ll let it pass.

Also hiked barefoot (not by choice) up and down a cliff, in the rain, in a swimsuit, clutching at vines, with Andy and a Swede, to the other side of the island.