Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Long Flight Home...

A really cool thunderhead forming outside our window on the flight home!

Well the flight home was long and we are definitely going to have "Jet Lag from H*ll", but we made our journey safely home. Jen was able to finally recover her lost souvenirs from the Bangkok airport - Yay, the saga has finally come to a satisfactory conclusion! She also did not suffer from the dreaded "puffy feet" this time as she remembered to do her Pilates on the plane. There's still nothing like sharing a dry aluminum tube for approximately 24hrs with between 100 & 200 of your new BFF's! On the bright side we did however find out that you can really get drunk rather quickly by being up for 24hrs and then slamming a tall beer before your last flight home to Madison! Cheap drunk. Thanks for the beers Steve! :-)
Cheers,
The Thai Amigos
P.S. We'll continue to post more photos on the blog site as we make our way through all 4699 of them... lol!

Our Last Full Day on Koh Yao Yai...

We all fought over this spot every day!


Our AMAZING bungalow at the incredible Koh Yao Yai Village Resort on the breathtaking island of Koh Yao Yai in gorgeous Phang Nga Bay (Gulf of Thailand)
Our last full day here... sigh... before reality starts putting it's ugly grip back on us! What an INCREDIBLE adventure it has been! One for the record books! We are all very sad that we have to go. Especially Jen. She was a little blue today, but Charlie surprised her when he went to the reception desk & arranged for them to plant a "water tube" tree on the last day (something that Jen had continually admired along the trail walk from the restaurant to our bungalow every day). This meant the world to Jen & really perked her up! It will be so awesome to come back in a few years to see how big our tree has gotten. It was planted right in front of bungalow number 106 so we will have to stay in that one instead of 502 on our next trip! We celebrated our last night by drinking Singha & smoking cigars in our sarongs & robes! Jen was able to hold back the tears most of the last day until the incredible staff (our new friends) at Koh Yao Yai Village all waved goodbye, then the tears began to roll. We will be counting the days until we are able to go back! We look forward to posting more photos when we get back to make this blog a "feast for the eyes" & of course seeing our wonderful friends again & sharing more details & stories! Til then...
P.S. Jen's Bangkok airport saga for her lost souvenirs begins it's final chapter tomorrow... stay tuned for the highlights (or lowlights - depending on the outcome)... Wish her luck!

ROCKIN' our sarongs!


Our "water tube" tree!

We can't wait to come back & see how it's grown!


Saying goodbye to our new friends... it was NOT easy!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Snorkel Adventure to the Khai Islands! Nemo Found!!

Charlie & Steve... or as Jen likes to call them, "My pirates"!
Once again words are not adequate, however we will do our best... We opted to go to the three Khai islands today as opposed to just the one island of Koh Phi Phi Don for our snorkel trip (three is always better than one... just ask the Thai Amigos!) We rode our own private longtail boat out to the islands today (Khai Yao, Khai Nok & Khai Noi). First island of Khai Yao - tourist trap. Steve & Charlie learned to ALWAYS wear flip flops when our guide "Mikey" decided it would be fun for all of us to climb a (small by Thai standards) mountain for some great photo ops. Jen was the only one to make it to the top because she remembered her flip flops. Steve & Charlie made it halfway before saying "No mas" - lol. Then on to the second island of Khai Nok (our first snorkeling site), where we learned about the importance of bringing our own mask & snorkel. Again, Jen was prepared & had brought her own mask which explains why she (unlike Charlie & Steve) doesn't have a permanent dent between her eyes! Despite the pain however we all enjoyed the incredible colors of the fish & breathtaking coral reefs.

Then lunch on Khai Noi island. Jen & Steve who opted for the chicken fried rice were quite envious of Charlie's ham & cheese sandwich (WITH potato chips) - NOT! After buying beers for 100 baht each (which is approximately $3.50 USD) we were allowed to sit under the beach umbrella, out of the sun for FREE! Jen snuck into the water closet for free instead of paying the required 100 baht they wanted from Charlie when he tried to use it. Go Jen! And thank you ocean, for providing Charlie with a much cleaner & cheaper alternative to the water closet. After lunch, back into the longtail to drive to the other side of the island to snorkel (the island was very small & we could have walked faster, but hey, what a great day for a boat ride!
Second site with PROPERLY ADJUSTED gear (or at least as properly adjusted as rental gear gets) this time we were all in "liquid Heaven"! Way to go Mother Nature for providing us with such a palate of vibrant colors under the sea! Pixar Pictures has NOTHING on Mother Nature! We've never seen Nemo, Marlin & Dory in such high definition! As Jen & Charlie snorkeled hand in hand across the reef they realized that they were the only two left in the water. When the guide waved to them to come back to the boat they both looked at each other & said "No way!" They were able to buy another few minutes of liquid Heaven before the guide threw out his net & forcibly pulled them back into the boat, (JK)!

Khai Yao

Life is good - indeed!

Our postcard perfect beach on Khai Nok...
Fish!

Charlie & Mikey on the floating pier - training for their debut on WIPEOUT!

Friday, January 20, 2012

We've lost track of our days in paradise... - James Bond Island

James Bond Island! (In picturesque Phang Nga Bay)
Well, Steve was able to check something off of his Bucket List... made it to James Bond Island with his "Golden Gun"! He is a very happy guy! For Jen it was a lot like her first skydive... a blur! Too much excitement & photos, but luckily she will get to relive it through our 4699 photo slideshow extravaganza! Now food, blankets & pillows may also be required?
Tomorrow... Koh Phi Phi Don island (some say the most beautiful spot on Earth) for snorkeling!
Can't believe it's almost over (sniff... sniff...) but was SO WORTH IT!!
Miss you all (sort of - lol) ... stay tuned...
- The Thai Amigos
XOXO

A very ecstatic man indeed!
Steve's "Man with the Golden Gun" photo!


Steve & his "Bond Girl"!


Charlie's got HIS Golden Gun too!

And of course, Jen has HER Golden Gun as well!

Just goes to show ya ladies... We ALL have a little "Bond Girl" in us! ;-)

I LOVE this pic of Charlie! Wouldn't this be the BEST Coca-Cola ad ever?!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Day Seventeen - Lounging

Today the "Lobster Twins" are going to be in the sun very briefly after they apply their newly purchased (from the spa) aloe vera gel to their ruby red bodies. Jen is going to take her naturally golden tanned body for yet another walk on the beach, in search of the ultimate sand dollar (she's found three already)!
Tomorrow we head to James Bond Island & more sea kayaking! Stay tuned... XOXO

Charlie doing his best "European Tanning Position" impression and Steve doing his best not to witness it! Lol!

Day Sixteen - Travel to Koh Yao Yai

Walking to our private boat to head over to the gorgeous island of Koh Yao Yai!



Just can't get enough of our view!

Took a rock star boat ride over to the gorgeous island of Koh Yao Yai! Once again, postcard pics at every turn! We all couldn't resist doing our best "Titanic" impressions at the helm of the boat! Our bungalow at the resort is INCREDIBLE! The outdoor shower ROCKS!! The infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Thailand made Steve & Charlie spend a little too much time in the sun & now they call us the "Lobster Twins". Jen however blends beautifully into the natural scenery with her deep golden tan (all but for a tiny red spot on the top her nose). We went for a walk on the beach & watched the tide pools roll in. Found some incredible shells. Indescribable views...
We had our first all-inclusive (or so Charlie thought) dinner tonight. Spectacular buffet of sushi & all kinds of traditional Thai food. All was splendid until it came time to leave. The lovely hostess asked Charlie to sign for our drinks (two Cokes & two Sprites). Charlie seemed confused. Hostess is also confused. The communication breakdown begins. A language ping-pong match ensues. Hostess serves: "Drinks No Include". Charlie vollies back: "Include". Hostess spikes back "NO include". Charlie backhands: "Include! I see manager". Hostess (with eyes wide & a polite smile of defeat) watches Charlie walk away to the Reception desk. Charlie falls on sword as he is informed that drinks are in fact "No Include". Steve takes one for the team & does the Walk of Shame back to the restaurant to sign for the drink bill.
I'm KING OF THE WORLD!

We're flying!

That DiCaprio guy's got NOTHIN' on ME!!









The "Lost" days... (Days Eleven through Fifteen)

See our random posts titled "Phnom Penh" & "Last Night in Siem Reap"...