Paradise Lost and Found

First, the bad...

9 Hours on a night bus, finally arriving on the coast. I boarded a high speed catamaran for the 2 1/2 hour trip to Ko Pha Nang. I was sitting downstairs, and suddenly the sea started to pick up. I realized that I needed a breath of fresh air, so I went up to the top deck. The problem with this was I had forgotten my sunscreen in my bag that was checked below. Ooops.

So I look like a giant tomato.

The good is the place I am staying is so laid back, I can just hang out and slowly recover.

The Sanctuary, where I am staying is just a 10 minute longtail boat ride from Had Rinn, a town on the southern peninsula of Ko Pha Nang. More famous for the full moon parties they have there, Had Rinn is a wild town with the usual backpacker bars and beach parties. The Sanctuary is completely the opposite. Low key to an extreme, I have a bungalow high on the slope of the hill above the bay, with a great hammock. The place is almost completely isolated, with a few small hotels in the adjoining coves. There is a great vegetarian restaurant right on the beach which has a great family vibe. Its exactly what I needed to chill out.

Most likely this weekend I will hop a boat to Ko Tao to start doing my Dive training. It seems that Ko Tao is a very popular place, and I am sure I will have a good time there.