Surprise Detour
The last few weeks have been some of the laziest and we don't have too much to report. We've done nothing but hang out at different beaches across Thailand.
Following the Full Moon Party we visited Koh Samui and then flew to Phuket. The only thing in Phuket are prostitutes and lady-boys and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. I learned two important expressions while there:
1) it's not a lady-boy unless you check and,
2) what happens on vacation stays on vacation except for STDs, those you take home with you
Just in case you were wondering, we never had to put either of those expressions to use.
Ladyboys...they look better than most girls!
To get away we went to the incredible island of Koh Phi Phi. We go to check into our hotel and when asked for our passports Gadi and I look at each other in horror. We forgot them in the safe of the last hotel in Phuket! Now we are forced to go back there.
Koh Phi Phi is paradise and it's hard to imagine that it was almost wiped out by the tsunami. We wanted to put our new certification to use so one day we went scuba diving. All I have to say is "wow"! We saw two kinds of shark, octopus, squid and not to mention all the amazing fish. On the second day we hiked to the top of the island (just follow the tsunami evacuation route signs) to catch the magnificent sun-set. Very romantic.
I love you!
We had a very last minute change of plans and we are now in Bali, Indonesia! Again, my dad was working in the area so we seized the opportunity to meet up with him. It's been lots of fun to hang out with Pa, and I love that he spoils us rotten.
To fly to Indonesia we had to make a stop over in Malaysia. The thing about these two countries is that they don't like Israel too much, that is, no Israelis are allowed in. This shouldn't be a problem considering we both hold Canadian passports. That doesn't change the fact that Gadi is a born Israeli and I have several sets of Israeli stamps in my passport. I didn't think we were going to have any problems but Gadi was frantic! As we were passing through customs in Malaysia, Gadi was just sweating bullets. We gave our best "Canadian smile" and no one gave us a second look. All I have to say is "I told you so".
We took an island tour of Bali where we saw some Balinese dancing, visited several beautiful temples, played with monkeys and ate lunch overlooking an active volcano. We also stopped at a coffee plantation where they make Kopi Luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world. This coffee is made by collecting "droppings" of an animal (the luwak) which contain the coffee seed after eating the most ripe coffee berries.
That's right, the coffee was eaten, digested and defecated and is considered the best coffee on the world. I had to try it. At $3 for a cup of coffee, no more expensive than Starbucks, it tasted just like coffee. Good? Yes, but I can't say it was the best I've ever tasted.
I can't believe people drink this stuff...
We got tired of Kuta beach so we rented scooters and made our way to Dreamland beach, south of the island. The beach was nice but there were huge waves. I got smacked down by one and face-planted into the sand and coral. I didn't realize what happened until I felt the blood dripping down my face. Beside the beach was an amazing restaurant that has the nicest infinity pool overlooking the sea. It was beautiful.
Me and two of my favourite boys in the pool
Bad to the bone!
As much as I've enjoyed my time I have to admit that I am all "beached out". I'm ready to move on and do something a little more cultural. Next stop is Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to visit the long neck girls.