Koh Chang

We have finally gotten ourselves out of BKK (that's Bangkok for those of you no in the know . . . I also like to think of it as Bodacious Kate 'n' Kyle) and to Koh (island) Chang. It's off the coast of Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand. We took a 5 hour bus ride out of BKK and a ferry and an hour on a truck bed with benches which is called a 'taxi'. The bus ride out of BKK was interesting. Watching the Thai landscape go by full of factory warehouses and dotted with incredibly ornate Buddhist temples makes you realize what "Made in Thailand" means. As an not-yet-architect, it's interesting to observe a city full of non-descript, not terribly well cared for concrete buildings that have the most ornate and glorious temples sprinkled in their midst. It shows a very different priority and standard here. It seems like that which is public/spiritual takes priority to anything personal - just the impression I got.
But I digress, we're on Koh Chang which is beautiful and full of semi-touristy kind of shops and restaurants but everything is thatched roof or tin roofed and doesn't really feel too over-developed. Our "cabin" for the first night was much more tree-house than hostel but we were happy to find it since the island as fairly full (Sunday night) and we're in the "backpacker ghetto". We moved tonight to a cabana that is ocean-side with it's own bathroom (kind of a luxury) but we figured it would be worth it. Today was spend unwinding from a day of travel to get here and a few days braving the city.
There was bravery involved in today however! We rented a moped for the day (really the only way to get around the island) and Kyle maneuvered us all around from beach to beach, to a wonderful seafood lunch on a lagoon-side cooking school/resort and home again. Yes, we ran out of gas, yes, we were passed frequently as the slowest on the road, and yes, I almost wet my pants from the sheer terror of riding up and down these giant hills on these winding jungle roads. Kyle did a great job and we made it everywhere we wanted to go. Upon our arrival home though I did decide I'd hate myself if I didn't try the Two Wheeled Terror Machine on my own so I took the Red Rocked With Hello Kitty Stickers out for a spin. Let me tell you, moped- ing is a great way to blow dry your hair before you've gotten a plug adapter . . . and I'm not too bad at it too!
Tomorrow is a splurge-day of snorkeling tour at four different islands around Koh Chang. Should be a fun way to spend a day and even out the sunburn we've both got on our faces, neck and feet from reading in the sun for an afternoon.
Food - we've decided to abandon western breakfasts. It's always slightly disappointing (Portland, Or has the best breakfasts ever, I'm spoiled for life) and not very authentic of us. It may be cliche but my favorite dish so far has been the Pad Thai. We did have some good crispy noodles with lots of tamarind today though. Yum.