I leave my Resort Island in style, by speedboat. I don't think I’ve ever taken a speedboat on my journeys before in Asia, it was always for the resort people, but wait that’s me today! At least for a few more minutes. It was actually the best way, and actually cheapest way to get to my next island, Koh Muk. The tide was very low when we departed at 9 am this morning, so with one of the nice men from the speedboat company carrying my backpack for me, how nice! I gathered up my skirt and waded to the boat that was waiting for me off shore , when I quickly realized that I’m really glad I had my bathing suit on underneath since quickly I was up to my waist in the water. There was a family with A LOT of luggage on the speedboat as well and they were dropped off farther down the beach in Koh Ngai before we left for my island. It was a family of four that had come in from Koh Lanita, they had six suitcase and a few totes, I was dying to ask them how long they were traveling for with all that stuff but I knew they would sense my sarcasm, so I just smiled as they waded thru the water to their resort with three of the workers from the boat carrying their luggage over their heads to shore for them, it was quite a site. I now had the boat to myself as we made the trip to my island in a quick 30 minutes..Speedboats are so cool!

So back to the backpacker lifestyle . My bungalow is basic to say the least, it’s always easier moving up in style they say then moving down. There are not a lot of accommodations to choose from on this island, and I was back to my budget, and found a place called Rubber Tree Bungalows for 800 baht ($25) a good price for this island. My bungalow is so basic that it has a bed, a mosquito net, a fan, and a shower and a toilet. It doesn’t even have a sink, I’m serious. Just a shower head and a faucet coming out of the wall. And the toilet seat was basically just placed on top of the toilet, so I have to be careful when I sit down because I might slide off. It’s basic. No bucket out front to wash the sand off my feet, no hand carved coconut shell lights by my bed, not even a single decoration on the wall, its back to roughing it.

This island is known for its Emerald Cave. It’s a unique cave that is surrounded by emerald green water and on the other side of this cave is a secret cove with a beach. But the only way you can get to this special place is to swim thru this cave . And the cave is PITCH black. I did this, two years ago when I was on a day snorkeling trip off koh Lanita. I tell you it was one of the scariest things I have ever done, and isn’t for the faint of heart. The walls of the cave are super sharp so you have to be very careful not to touch them as your swimming thru in complete darkness, sounds like a really stupid thing to do doesn’t it? Lol, yes, and lots of silly tourists as myself come all the way here to do it every day.

So I almost lost my mind today. I decided to take a rough motorbike ride to the other side of the island to check out this nice beach I read about. No mom, I didn’t ride the motorbike myself, I rode in a side car motorbike actually. So I found this beach, so beautiful , that Maureen it was almost better than Lipe. The sand was super white, like powder and it actually squeaked when you walked on it. Amazing. It was met with the prettiest blue water and a long sand bar that let you walk forever into it. The water was so warm, warmer than any cold water shower I’ve taken in the last couple of weeks! I feel in love with this beach. And there was a beautiful resort there called Sivalai Beach Resort  with cottages made of teak wood, with glass doors that folded open to open the whole front of the bungalow. They even delivered food and drinks to your bungalow! , ahhhh. I must stay here! I don’t care the price! I have never seen any place as beautiful as this place! And it’s… .5000 baht ($156) that’s not that much! For a place like this! If I was with Maureen she would have had that credit card out so fast you couldn’t have blinked your eye..Right Maureen? 
Okay, so who do I think I am Paris Hilton all of a sudden? I came to my senses and off my resort high horse and realized that there was no way I was going to blow that kind of money to spend one night somewhere on this trip. So I will do what my friends and I do when we travel…we stay in the cheap places, and go hang out during the day at the nice places for free. So that’s what I am going to do. Tomorrow I will go back and spend the whole day at my beautiful resort for the total price of a 50 baht ($1.50) motorbike ride, and come back to my $25 a night bungalow with no sink and sleep all the better at night for it.

 When I was taking a shower tonight, I heard something moving outside my bathroom. I looked outside..was it peeping tom? No just a goat. So see, I wouldn’t have cool things like goats outside my bungalow for $156 a night for sure! In the morning I found some strange looking poop on the floor of my bathroom,,, I thought I heard some scurrying around in there last night . always good to keep your bathroom door closed. Especially when most of the bathrooms here are open air. There are a lot of little creatures that get in from time to time. In fact, I was told once to always keep your toilet seat closed when not in use, because frogs like to come up at night from the sewer. Maybe that’s what pooped on my bathroom floor? Ha, I hope so, I can handle a frog. Bet you don’t get that kind of fun at $156 a night.

One of the interesting things I noticed at my day spent at that amazing beach resort, was that almost all the guests just hung out on their teak wood lounge chairs on the the deck of their verandas. How could they not spend time frolicking around in the clear blue water and laying on this white powder sand? I don’t get it, why pay so much and just look at the splendor. Its there for you to get out there and sink your feet right into it. And that’s exactly what I did, all day.

I had the coolest dinner at sunset tonight, up on a cliff overlooking the beach, it was really spectacular. You would have loved it Michael. The sunsets here in Thailand are some of the best I’ve ever seen. And paying less than $5 for a whole grilled fish for dinner makes it an even better ending for another great day.