Lex and Laura's Six Month Countdown To Do List

I love making to do lists. I'm constantly jotting down little things like "pay bills", "email friends and family", "update blog", etc. because writing it out helps me focus and follow through with my goals. I don't just make to do lists for day to day things though, I actually have a "Life To Do list". About a year or so ago, I was living in New York and going through a post-college slump, not satisfied with my job or the general path that I was on, so I decided to make a to do list for my life. I didn't make the list just to write down my hopes and dreams, but actually to commit to doing certain things in my life, such as traveling and finding a career that I'm passionate about. Making this list has not only helped me commit to things, it more importantly has helped me visualize my future and start living my life how I want it to be now. In fact, that list probably played a huge part in me actually coming to Korea.

So, a few weeks ago, my friend Alexis and I went to Jeonju for a weekend trip, and while we were there we realized that it was the exact halfway point of our Korean adventure. Although there have definitely been moments where we've thought "I can't wait to get out of here!" those moments have been few and far between. For the most part, the first half of our experience has been amazing and we're determined to make the most out of these last six months (now only five months as I write this). So, seeing as how I love making to do lists, I suggested that we write one for the rest of our time in Korea. There are many things that we've already done, but there are so many more things that we want to see and do while we're here, so I wanted to get it all down on paper.

Lex and Laura's Six Month Countdown To Do List:
(to be completed by Alexis, Laura and company prior to August 31, 2009.

- Go to the famous and beautiful Jeju-do Island and rent scooters
- Go to the DMZ
- Go to the Green Tea plantations in Beosong
- Learn to make kimchi!! (take a korean cooking class)
- Do a camping trip
- Take a Taekwondo class
- Go to a lantern festival
- Cheer at a Lotte Giants Baseball Game (Busan's team)
- Do a temple stay
- Go to the Boryeong Mud Festivial...which is on my birthday!
- Wear traditional Korean clothing called Hanbok
- See the cherry blossoms (did it this weekend!)
- Experience the craziness of Haeundae Beach in the summer
- Travel to China and SE Asia before going home

So far that's what we have, but I'm guessing we will probably add more things as we get closer to leaving. I am most excited to see places in Korea like Jeju-do, the green tea plantations and the DMZ. Jeju Island is probably the most famous place to travel in Korea because it's a subtropical island south of the mainland and has a massive volcano in the center. It is known as the Korea's honeymoon destination, but you don't have to be a newlywed to enjoy its awesomeness. People go year round, but summer is the best time and the best way to see the island is by scooter, which I definitely plan to do. Of course, I also have to go to the DMZ while I'm here so I can take a picture making a peace sign next to a North Korean soldier. Then, there are the cultural things that I still want to experience. Alexis and I both love Korean food and want to learn as much about cooking it before we leave so that we can make it when we get home. I also have to do a temple stay (Lex has already done it) so I'll do that with another friend one weekend this spring (or maybe on my own to make it a truly spiritual experience).

There are a lot of things that I've already done, which were on my original Korea to do list. Those include eating live octopus and other bizarre foods, going to the cities of Gyongju and Jeonju, my trips to Japan and Thailand, taking Korean lessons, making Korean friends, experiencing Korean traditions and so on. So there you have it, the official "Lex and Laura Six Month Countdown To Do list." I hope you look forward to reading about my adventures, I know I certainly can't wait to start living them.

The sick mask phenomenon explained...

Since I came to Korea, I have been absolutely fascinated with Asian people's seeming obsession with wearing sick masks. It is so pervasive that it's practically a trend. You can buy sick masks in every color and design, from polka dots, to animal faces, to all of the colors of the rainbow. When I first got here, I was very turned off by them, thinking that under that sick mask there was a contageous person. But, I quickly realized that people wear them for many different reasons. They wear them to prevent becoming sick, when they are already sick, to filter air pollution, to cover a nose job (for real!) and even to warm the brisk air in the winter when they take walks. The thing I've found the funniest is that Koreans are so careful to wear sick masks any time they think they could be exposed to germs, yet when they're not wearing them and they sneeze in public, they don't even cover their mouths! It's been fascinating to me to try to understand when and why people wear them, but this week, I finally understood. I can sum up my understanding of the origin of and obsession with sick masks in two words: yellow dust.

Yellow dust occurs each spring, when torential winds form in the Mongolian desert, picking up sand and carrying it South East towards Korea and Japan. It has been happening for centuries, and usually comes in the early spring with the changing of seasons. Well, sure enough, on March 16 we got our first Yellow Dust storm of the year. Viewed from space, it literally is a cloud of yellow sand moving from China, and settling right over Korea and Japan. While it doesn't exactly looking like a yellow rain cloud here, there is just a very dirty haze in the air. When its really bad, the dust actually collects on everything and you can see evidence of it if you were to swipe your finger across the hood of a white car.

So, all of last week I was sick, which is why I didn't update my blog. I didn't think I would be affected by the Yellow dust, but I definitely was. When I came to school on Monday morning, a teacher told me to keep the windows closed and make sure the children stayed inside at recess. Around town, many Koreans can be seen wearing facemasks. I certainly took the Yellow Dust seriously when I was told about it, but didn't much think that I would be effected as a young, healthy person. Boy, was I wrong! Within a day, I had a cold and allergies like I've never had before. My nose was constantly tickling with the oncoming of a sneeze.

Though I had my first experience last week, Koreans have been dealing with this for hundreds, probably thousands, of years and they've learned to adapt. Hence, the sick mask. I'm sure there are other reasons that they wear them so frequently (eek, remember SARS?), but I would bet that this is the original reason. I've been told we may have a few more dust storms this spring, but I'm not worried about it. I've had my eye on a pretty purple polka-dotted sick mask at the local market, and I think it's about time I invest.

Yellow dust storm over Korea and Japan

(picture from wikipedia.org)

Every cloud has it's silver lining...

The last two weeks have been intense. While I can't say the first semester in Korea was really that difficult, it definitely wasn't easy by any means. But now, since the new semester started in the end of February, I have really been challenged in a way that I haven't been in a long time.

The reason that my job has become significantly more challenging is because in the new semester, I have been given my own class. However, with this new class, my school has also breached many of the agreements of my contract. Basically, I have no co-teacher, no curriculum, and no Korean disciplinarian...all things that we are guaranteed as foreign teachers in Korea.

When I first heard I would have my own class, I was both proud to be given the responsibility and pissed that my school was taking advantage of me. I resisted, and told the other teachers at school that it was not my responsibility to create a curriculum. I don't have the experience or the expertise to do that, I explained. Their response was to bring me one textbook (mostly in Korean) and suggest that I look on the internet. Great. Big help. I quickly realized that I'm pretty much on my own now.

So far, it's been tough, but getting better each day. For me, I love the actual teaching and I'm ok with the disciplining. Most of my students are absolutely wonderful. There is only one class of fourth graders that is completely unruley, so I have demanded that their homeroom teacher come to my class and discipline. The part that is challenging for me is planning and creating lessons. It is much harder than it looks to put together a good, cohesive lesson that the kids both understand and find fun and interesting. On top of that, try making three different lessons a week for 18 weeks! It's just plain overwhelming. I find myself dreading school on the weekends and in the morning before work because I am so anxious about whether or not my lessons will work out. I'm working at it though and dedicating a lot of my free time to it, and in just two weeks I already feel like I'm doing much better.

So that's the hard part. Now, I'll tell you about the brighter side, because there always is one. Though I'm still anxious before each day, once I get through my lessons I feel a great sense of accomplishment. When I provide the students with a fun and interesting class, they actually enjoy speaking English. I genuinely have fun, too! And, by having my own class, I am really getting to know my students. They come into my classroom in their free time and love learning about me as well as sharing things (in English!) about themselves. It makes me feel like I actually am making a difference.

The beginning of this semester has definitely had its ups and downs. While I could have stood up and fought, contract in hand, I decided that by doing so the situation would only get worse. So, instead of trying to make things easier for myself, I'm looking at this as a great challenge and one that I know will make me a stronger person. Being able to live in a foreign country and teach students of another language all on my own is something I will be proud to say I've done. In the end, I know that if I keep a positive attitude and try to the best of my ability, it will be a very rewarding experience.

Well, that about summarizes the last few weeks of my life. It's Friday afternoon as I write this, and I can safely say, I haven't been this excited for the weekend in a long time!! Happy St. Patrick's Day!


I don't have pictures of my new class yet, but here are some from English Camp in January:

Students performing at English Camp, January '09

English Camp Closing Ceremony

Some of my favorite students

Weekend Trip to Jeonju

At the end of a long, grey winter my friend Alexis and I were getting restless in Busan and decided a weekend trip was in order. We were also dreading the start of the semester on Monday and wanted to do a little traveling to get our minds off of it. We picked Jeonju, a city in the southwest region of Korea, known for two things: having the best bibimbap in the country and for its well-preserved and fully functioning traditional Hanok village right in the middle of the city. Our goals were to eat some good food, sleep in a traditional Korean guesthouse, and have some new cultural experiences.

We left early on Saturday morning from the city bus terminal, just a few subway stops away from my house. It was a pretty long and expensive ride, at about $28 round trip ( I think I would consider that really cheap back home)! After three and a half hours on the bus, we arrived in Jeonju and hopped in a cab to the Hanok village. We couldn't find the guesthouse we were looking for, and quickly realized that this city was not at all English friendly so we were going to have to use our Korean language skills (the little that we have). We finally found a little inn, but it was all booked. Luckily, the owner was really nice called around for us, got us a room and then led us there herself. Now that's service, or "service-uh" as the koreans say. We ended up at an adorable little Hanok house and our room was simple but charming. We dropped off our things and set out for the day.



We spent the afternoon pretty much just wondering around, popping into museums and shops and snacking on the unique street food. The most interesting was the tempura fried ginseng root washed down with a cup of dong-dongju (homemade korean rice wine). It was surprisingly delicious, both sweet and earthy tasting, and we figured that the health benefits of ginseng more than offset the fattening batter it was covered in. My favorite part of the afternoon was when we went to the Oriental Medicine Museum, and learned about all of the wacky things people use to cure ailments. As we were leaving the museum we passed a massage room, where you could experience traditional massages and get all different kinds of treatments. There was a sign listing the prices, but unfortunately everything was in Korean. Using our fantastic skills, we were able to read that a 7 minute foot massage was just $1! We were so excited and obviously decided to do it, so we went up to the counter and showed them what we wanted. To our surprise, he pointed us to the computers!! We were extremely confused. We were like, did we just buy 7 minutes of internet time at an Oriental Medicine Museum?? It turned out to be a health consultation program for some kind of ancient healing system, in which you had to answer a questionnaire to find out which type of person you were and how you could best be healed. The questions were HILARIOUS. Some of my questions included, "Is your head big, in comparison to your body?" and "There are times when digested food come up through my throat for no reason. Yes or No?" We had a lot of laughs and decided that it was worth the dollar spent.








That night our mission was to have the famous Jeonju bibimbap and see a traditonal korean music concert. A women at the tourist center told us where to find the best bibimbap restaurant, so we headed there for dinner. It was a simple place but it was packed and we were lucky to get the last table. We sat down for dinner and they immediately brought us about 10 little side dishes to start. Typically in Korea, when you order a main dish, you will get 2 or 3 side dishes, usually kimchi and pickled radish. But in Jeonju, its what they're known for (along with the bibimbap), so it was something very special. My favorite of the side dishes were seaweed and clear noodles in a wasabi vinegrette and boiled sweet potatoes in a sweet sauce. It was all delicious, but the bibimbap itself was the star of the meal. For those who have never had it, bibimbap is a very popular korean dish and it means "mixed rice." Typical bibimbap is a bowl of rice with a vegetables, a fried egg and spicy red sauce on top. You then take your chopsticks and mix it all up into one mush of deliciousness. It's always good, but this bibimbap was something special. Served in a gold bowl, with a beautiful array of bright colors, it could be considered edible art. We dug in and came to the conclusion that it was definitely the best we've had. At dinner I had a thought, which I shared with Alexis; "If Korea is the best place to eat bibimbap and Jeonju has the best bibimbap in Korea, and this is the best bibimbap restaurant in Jeonju, then are we eating the best bibimbap in the world?" We decided that the answer was yes.








After dinner we walked to the Jeonju Culture Center and saw a wonderful traditional Korean music concert. The music was captivating and the people dressed in traditional attire were beautiful. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night, and when it was finished we picked up a bottle of Korean wine and went back to our little Korean guesthouse and stayed up talking until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.



The next day, we still had a a few unfulfilled goals- to hike up to a temple nearby and get a birds-eye view of the village, and to experience a tea ceremony. We grabbed some coffee and made our way up to the temple. It was really nice, but I'm sure once the leaves are out it will be even better. The view of the village, with all of the old asian style roof tiles, was great. We snapped some pictures and then made our way down to get some lunch. After round two of bibimbap (this time in a hot stone pot) we found an beautiful tea house, situated around a courtyard and garden. They didn't have a ceremony like we were looking for, but they were able to offer traditional tea in a perfect setting. The owner was really interesting, he looked like a mix between a monk and a hippy, with long hair and a beard and mustache and dressed in monk-like clothes. He showed us how to steep the tea and then offered to take a picture of us, which turned into a photo shoot of us around the tea house. It was pretty funny. After we finished, it was time to head home. We made our way back to the bus terminal and made the three and a half hour journey home. It was a nice end to the winter break and a great way to get refreshed for the new semester.


Oh and one more thing...I've finally added videos to my youtube page, enjoy and leave some comments!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/LCurrie711

Full Moon Party, Take 2

Sarah and I didn't actually get to go to the Full Moon Party in Thailand because we weren't there at the right time. Instead, we went to the Black Moon Party, also on the island of Koh Phangan. It was great, but from what we heard, nothing like the original. I got my chance though about two weeks later; it was a Full Moon Party...Korean style.

Koreans have unique ways to celebrate just about every holiday, so it is always exciting when another one comes around because it is a totally new experience for us foreigners. We heard that there were going to be bonfires in various places on the night of full moon, so my friends and I decided to go to Haeundae Beach, where supposedly the biggest celebration was taking place. I had been told a little bit about it during school that day, as teachers talked over coffee break about what they were doing to celebrate and explained the traditions to me. They told me that in Korea, the first full moon after the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) is a huge deal, and hence the cause of great celebration and prayer. It is the night when Koreans make their prayers and wishes for the year ahead. To do this, they write their wishes on paper and put the into the bonfire, or they write them on paper lanterns which are set off into the sky like balloons. So, I went to the event knowing a little bit about the holiday, but no idea what the celebration would actually be like.

As we got off of the subway at Haeundae station, we were immediately surprised by the hoards of people, coming and going from every direction. For some reason, we had pictured this as a quiet event, and it was anything but. As I climbed the stairs from the underground, I could see a massive plume of smoke rising up into the sky, and I realized that this wasn't going to be your average bonfire at all. As we approached the beach and the massive fire came into view and my friend Alexis took one look and said, "Wow, I think that's the biggest fire I've ever seen." I was pretty sure it was the same for me. We walked along the beach toward the fire and watched as people dug holes in the sand and placed candles, like their own little prayer alter. Others were gathered in groups with of family, setting off paper lanterns decorated with scribbles of their wishes for the coming year.

As we approached the bonfire, the sound of a beating drum and Korean folk music became louder. When we got closer, we saw that there were hundreds of people dressed in traditional Korean hanbock (kind of like kimonos), holding hands and dancing around the fire, with the bright full moon rising overhead. My friend Kelsey decided to get in on the action, and was probably the only foreigner dancing and singing to the folk music. We all got a lot of attention at the event. A group of older men and women (bottles of soju in hand), came up and asked to take a picture with us. Before we knew it, it was like the paparazzi swarming, there must have been 20 different people trying to either take a picture or get in a picture with us. They seemed just as fascinated with us as we were with them.

After about an hour or so, the blare of the bonfire began to calm, and so the dancing and singing quieted too. People slowly finished their prayers and made their way home. We were happy to have experienced yet another unique part of Korean culture. We hung around, watching the evening wrap up, but soon our attention turned to our stomachs which were growling with hunger for dinner. Though we probably should have continued the celebration with a traditional Korean meal, we decided to honor our own culture and went for some nachos and burritos at the new taco joint near the beach...nothing like the greasy, deliciousness of home sweet home!

Thailand- Chapter 4, Back to Bangkok

It felt like deja vu when the time came to make our trek back to Bangkok, with all of the modes of transportation we had to take. Another ferry, multiple taxis and a plane (luckily we avoided all buses), and on Saturday morning we finally landed back in the place where we had started a little over a week ago.

We had a full day ahead of us and intended to use every minute of it exploring Bangkok and enjoying our time together. The first stop was to put our stuff down and we really had no plan whatsoever, but lack of planning hadn't been a problem so far, so we were not worried at all. We headed towards Khoa San Road, the infamous backpacker street where Leo (Dicaprio, that is) spent his nights getting lost in the movie The Beach. Anyway, the street was bustling when we arrived with vendors and restaurants and we couldn't wait to unload, get some food, and make our way around the city. Almost immediately, we located a Backpackers Inn and although they wouldn't just store our bags, we were delighted to find out that they had one room left and it only cost $10! They let me check out the room first, and although it was tiny and a little dingy, it was fine. We just wanted to put our things down, and I was happy to have a place to lay my head for a few hours as my flight wasn't until 7 am the next morning (Sarah was leaving first around 10 pm that night). Anyway, we happily paid for the room and found a restaurant nearby for delicious pad thai, thai iced tea (a new favorite) and some people watching, of course.

pad thai covered in peanuts, mmmMm

Around 1 pm, we left Khao San Road, planning to head towards the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), which we had only seen from a distance the first time around. On the way, we wandered into a much smaller temple, and found ourselves the only tourists among a crowd of Thai people, there to pray, be blessed by the monks, and make their offerings. It was amazing to see the people kneeling on the ground praying with a monk seated above them, chanting and sprinkling holy water as he gave his blessing. We tried our best not to disturb, and I think we did a good job of it, no one seemed to mind us being there. We left the temple and headed out through the streets of Bangkok. We came upon a huge festival where everyone (easily a few thousand people) were wearing red shirts, but we had no idea what it was for, so we kept moving. After a few stops to haggle some goods from local vendors, we made our way to the river and took a ferry across to Wat Arun.

buddhist monk blessing the people

As we got closer to the temple, we began to see that the structure which looked gray and drab from a distance, was not gray and drab at all. As we approached it, we began to see that it was completely covered in a complex pattern of porcelin. From far away, it just looks old, but up close it is truly unreal (Ben commented that it looked like one of those Magic Eye books we used to stare at when we were kids, and I think thats a pretty good description). Anyway, we paid about three dollars to get in, and were able to walk (and climb!) all around it. The base of the temple is a pentagon shape and then there is a steep tower jutting up in the middle. We climbed the steps or I should say ladder, which is a much more appropriate way to describe it, up the tower and were rewarded with a great view of the river and the city. It was fascinating in a different way than the Royal Palace which we saw on the first day. While the Royal Palace was gold and magnificent and a work of art, Wat Arun with its worn appearance felt more like a glimpse into the past. It was really cool to be there and to see the buddhist monks carrying out century-old traditions. Thankfully not everyone in the world is becoming a homogenized reflection of the western world.

Wat Arun- Temple of Dawn

Sar climbing Wat Arun

couldn't pass this up

Pleased with taking in one more famous temple, we decided to find some local action at a flower market on the river. We walked through the blocks and blocks of flower vendors, pretty amazed that these people can all make a living selling flowers. After taking in the bright colors and smells, we decided it was time to make our way back to Khao San for some shopping and maybe a little bit of relaxing. We still hadn't taken a famous Tuk Tuk vehicle (see picture below) because we had heard that they try to scam tourists, but we thought it was a steal at about $2 for a 20 minute ride! It was also great because we got a tour of the historic area of the city from a new perspective. Sitting in traffic next to the Parliament building and whizzing by the Royal Palace grounds was a great last way to see the city. When we got to Khao San, we did some last minute shopping and found some great deals. Just a word of advice, don't try to haggle too much in Thailand because the vendors are sticklers and you will piss them off! After a long day on a plane and exploring the city, we needed a little relaxation before the night, so we headed back to the dingy (but cozy) inn to take a rest.

50 baht (or about $1.75) for each bouquet


riding the tuk tuk!

Sarah's flight was at midnight, so she had to be in a taxi by about 9:30 and she had just one wish for her last night in Bangkok: to check out the posh roof-top restaurant Red Sky at the Centara Grand Hotel (if it sounds expensive, that's because it is). Despite my meager Korean teachers salary and my backpacker attitude in which I'd rather sample street food than eat in a western style restaurant, I agreed to dress up and dine like the New Yorker that I still had buried in me somewhere. It turned out to be a beautiful restaurant with stunning views and absolutely to die for drinks and food, so it wasn't all that bad...plus, the sis helped me out a little, of course!

Red Sky restaurant

Our sister adventure in Thailand was finally over. As we went back to the inn to pack up Sarah's stuff, I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyes. I had that awful mouth twitching, when you're trying to hold back emotion. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my sister and go back to cold, family-less Korea. We didn't say much as we walked through Khao San Road (which was now hopping with music and party-goers) and when we got to the end we were quickly able to hail a cab. Suddenly, her luggage was in the trunk and the taxi driver sat waiting. With tears rolling down our cheeks, we hugged and said our goodbyes (even now it makes me teary to think about it). Sarah left and then I was alone again. I wiped away the tears, and decided to make the most of the last few hours with some shopping and listening to live music, and then finally headed back to my room to relax. Around 3 am I had the hotel call me a cab, and I was the first in line at the airport which was worth it because I scored the exit seat for the flight back.

It was a long trip back to Korea, and I thought a lot about the trip and how great it was. To be able to share that week with my sister, in a place neither of us had ever experienced before was really special. It was an amazing time, and we really better do it again (Matt, you can come too next time)!!

Thailand- Chapter 3, How many vehicles does it take to get to Phi Phi Island?

Answer: 10.

When we woke up on Day 5 of the trip, we had no idea what was in store for us that day. What we expected was to take a ferry and connect to a bus, which would take us across Southern Thailand to Krabi town. We then planned to stay in Railay Bay for the night and we would catch another ferry to Phi Phi in the morning. Unfortunately, it turned out that it wasn't that easy. On the plus side, we made it in one piece.

Ferry in the Gulf of Thailand

What actually ended up happening was we took a truck to a ferry to a bus to another bus to a taxi to a bus to a longtail boat to another longtail boat to a ferry to one, final longtail boat (that's 10). It was an exhausting 28 hours, but we managed to see many beautiful landscapes along the way. Driving through farm towns and fishing villages gave us an entirely new perspective on Thailand, and it was really fascinating to have a glimpse of the real Thailand and its people. I only wished I could have stopped every few miles to get out and snap photos of interesting people, buildings, fruit stands, shrines, etc.

our crazy pink bus

view of Thai farmland

After a long day on the bus, Sarah and I finally arrived in Krabitown and were disappointed to hear that we still had quite a journey to go to get to Railay Bay. But from what we had heard from travellers along the way was that it was worth it, so we pushed on. We caught a taxi, which took us to a bus stop, and then that bus took us to a beach where we loaded into a longtail boat in the dark. As we sailed from Ao Nang Beach around to Railay Bay, we could see the dark shadows of massive limestone cliffs jutting up from the shore. We both wished we could have made it there in the day time to see it, but we knew it would be a great suprise in the morning. We finally arrived around 8 pm and dragged our things through the sand (no roads) and check into our hotel. We ate crab and squid curry and washed it down with tall, delicious Pina Coladas. That night, we went out to bars and tried to relax after a long day of traveling.

Delicious crab curry

Railay Bay

In the morning, we were up and ready to go by 8:30, as we had to catch the one and only ferry of the day at 9 o'clock. Of course, being that we were on "Thai time" we didn't actually end up leaving the bay until 10 o'clock, but while we waited we were able to take in the magnificent views that we had missed the night before. Finally, we took off and arrived at Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee) an hour and a half later. As we came into the port, I was amazed at the beautiful scenery in front of me. I really didn't think it could get much better than we had already seen, but I knew that we had definitely saved the best for last. Koh Phi Phi is an island made up of rocky cliffs, exploading with lush greenery, sitting in a sea of the most turqouise blue water.

our beach on Koh Phi Phi

When we finally arrived at our hotel (10 vehicles later), we knew for sure we had found paradise. Our hotel Phi Phi The Beach Resort, was a simple resort with a cluster of bungalows set on a hillside, nestled on a quiet, stunning beach, with a view of Koh Phi Phi Leh, a near by island. We didn't waste any time, getting into our bikinis and heading down for lunch on the beach. Our plan was to just chill out for the day and head to the famous Maya Bay the next morning, but when I went to talk to the boat tours guy, he suggested that we go in the late afternoon. He explained that it would be the least crowded time to go and that in the morning the bay was sometimes too shallow to enter. So we decided to go for it, and we each paid $18 for a 3 hour private snorkeling tour around Koh Phi Phi Leh, to Maya Bay (where The Beach was filmed) and finally to watch the sunset. It was a spectacular time. Sarah and I enjoyed snorkeling in a little cove and saw the best coral we had seen all trip. When we arrived at Maya Bay we were so happy to see that it was not crowded at all because it was the end of the day and the day tours had already departed. It was stunning, so I can see why so many people go to see it. We walked a long the beach, played with some sea cucumbers, and took in the beauty of it all. Around 5:30, it was getting darker, so we hopped back in the longtail boat, and Fin, our driver, took us out of the bay to see the sunset.

Maya Bay

After a long and exciting day, Sarah and I decided we had to get up the energy to go out in Phi Phi town. It was our only night there and we wanted to make the most of it. We had seafood dinner on the beach, and then went to find a reggae bar we had heard about. To our plesent suprise the reggae bar ended up having a Thai Boxing show, which we hadn't seen yet. We watched the Thai boxers and after an exciting match, they each came around and shook all of the audience members hands. It was really neat, but I think we were supposed to tip them or something...oops! Anyway, after that we found a club and danced the night away. We met some cool people too and it was a great one and only night on Phi Phi Island.

The next day, we woke up early to enjoy the breakfast buffet on the beach and gave ourselves plenty of time to relax and soak up the sun before our 2:30 ferry boat to Phuket. The island journey had come to an end, but luckily we still had time for a little more adventure back in Bangkok...

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