Back from the Beach

It’s pretty amazing to think that at the beginning of February, I was on the mountains of Japan and at its end, I was on the beaches of Thailand. I feel very blessed.

The trip to Koh Samui invigorated and rejuvenated me; the ocean has always been my happy place and I was thrilled that we were reunited once again. The beaches in the Gulf of Thailand were beautiful and unlike any other I’d seen before: turquoise waters rhythmically swaying back and forth, away from and toward the white sandy beaches bordered by lush vegetation.

The most gorgeous ones were an hour’s speedboat ride away. Not terribly relaxing, the ride was rather violent thanks to choppy waters and a lead-footed captain. I spent most of it with my stomach in my throat; it’s a miracle someone’s breakfast didn’t come up.

Our destination was the Ang Thong Marine Park where our first stop featured snorkeling. I have to admit, I wasn’t terribly impressed; the water was murky and crowded with other boatfuls of tourists. The second stop, however, took my breath away. Remember the movie, “The Beach,” with Leo (-nardo DiCaprio)? Well, it was a book first and this place inspired its author -- Emerald Lake, an inland saltwater lagoon that can’t be seen from shore. Photos -- iPhone photos to boot because I forgot my camera (I know!) -- don't do it justice.

Our third and final island stop involved kayaking and lounging in the crystal clear water under the glorious sun. The Ang Thong Marine Park is a protected archipelago made up of 42 islands. I read that it's what Thailand looked like before the onset of mass tourism, overfishing, overpopulation, and modernization.

We spent our other days in Koh Samui on the beaches of Lamai and Chaweng. Though still beautiful, they were overrun by tourists, the majority of whom seemed to be old, large, Russian men in speedos.