What a week! There are three islands in the Gulf of Thailand, starting from top to bottom, smallest to largest: Koh Tao, the diving mecca that I call home, Koh Phangan, home to worldly hippies and world famous full moon parties, and Koh Samui, the big bustling jewel in the region’s tourism crown — and also home to its airport and government offices. This week would find me on all three. A mandatory visit to the immigration office might have been the catalyst for Ian and I’s trip to Koh Samui in the first place, but in the end that was just a blip on the radar of our fun and indulgent three day getaway there. We read by the pool, we ate literally all of the things, we checked out a gorgeous yoga studio, and we went on a tipsy booze tour of the island. Bliss! Next, it was onto Koh Phangan.
In Koh Phangan, we were met by five of our closest friends from Koh Tao to hole up in a villa for a few days of communal tan-appropriating, expat family dinners, and Cards Against Humanity charade marathons. It’s been a long while since I spent significant time on either island, and I loved my time on both — and am itching to plan returns already!
Yet I think it might be the sign of a successful trip when you’re sad to leave, but thrilled to come home. And that’s exactly how I felt heading back to Koh Tao. Now, I’m looking forward to a few quiet weeks here at Wanderland HQ. Work, working out, and the occasional hike or paddleboard are more or less the only things on the agenda until taking off on my next mini-adventure.
Happy Sunday!
Photo A
Code Hotel in Koh Samui
Photo B
A quiet slice of a busy island
Photo C
Sunset on Bang Po Beach
Photo D
Bay Villas in Koh Phangan
Photo E
Friendship to infinity
Photo F
The gorgeous Gulf of Thailand
Which photo is your favorite?
News reports of -15 in Metro Vancouver this week so it’s Photo B for me, I can almost smell the warmth! Looks like you are having a ball.
Oof! I have to admit, I rarely get homesick when it’s winter in the US and Canada — I just can’t stand the snow!
Photo C – beautiful sunset and endlessly impressed (and slightly jealous of) those who can pull off a decent headstand!
We’ve been working a lot on our inversions lately… Ian is definitely a little more advanced than I am at this point!
Love the framing on E! Would stoop pretty low right now for some Thai heat….no one told me winter hits the UK in November. BAHHHH!
Oh man. Winter! It feels so far away. And I have to admit, for that I am grateful!
Girl, this week’s photos are GORGEOUS! I just drove through a snow storm and had to push the car out of a snow pile in the middle of the highway. Getting a glimpse of your Thai heaven is just what I needed.
I hope you got your computer fixed and that it won’t break down again.
Still waiting for news on the laptop :-/ But thank you for the kind words — it was a technicolor beautiful week!
The combination of A,B and D would be my perfect apartment 🙂
Tell me when you find it — I might move in!
I’m choosing photo C. It is a stunning photo of a stunning sunset.
Perhaps one of the best I’ve seen in Thailand. Just gorgeous.
Photo B! That view is incredible!
Can’t beat pretty light time over that Thai jungle. Just gorgeous.
I love E. What a great photo! They look like they’re having a great time!
We were so happy to be out in the sun 🙂
An extra lovely set of photos this week, and I’ve been loving your shots of the Code hotel on Instagram too! Hard to choose, but I’ll go for photo E 🙂
Thanks Emma! I’m going to have some great shots of Bay Villas coming up now too (just got back yesterday but didn’t have wifi at our villa, so I’m posting as latergrams 🙂 )
They are all so pretty it’s hard to say! B and C!
I think it’s a good sign when it’s hard to pick. Thanks Elizabeth!
I wish all “errands” could revolve around such beautiful places and activities. Looks like both islands are simply stunning. I have to go with Photo F. Swoon.
Definitely takes the sting out of going to an immigration appointment when you get to do it in an island that looks like Koh Samui!
Photo E because friendship AND Infinity-pool!
Double whammy 🙂
Photo E – loving all of those blues 🙂 Your Ko Phangan villas look stunning as well!
It really was. Best part — filled with stunning people 😉
After the hottest summer ever in my country (for 100 days the temperature went above 30C) I thought I would never wish for summer again, but after seeing your summerish photos it makes me wanna have summer again.
I could live in an endless summer 🙂 I just love it!
ooh..so that’s BB doing the headstand? Ha, need daylight pics on him. lol
I’ll try to work on that for next week 🙂
Photo C! I can’t do that, I’ve never been there, and that sunset is phenomenally gorgeous!
Indeed it was! We’ve been having a lot of cloudy evenings as it is monsoon, so it was pretty exciting to catch that one.
Photo F! Beautiful!
Thanks <3
Oh how I love each photo you post. I would love to experience them all on my next visit.
Come on over, Thailand is waiting 🙂
My favorite Photo is the C you look so happy
Well, that’s not me in the photo, but I definitely was happy behind the camera 🙂
Photo B looks like pure paradise!
It’s 1 degrees in Vienna at the moment, so that sun looks amazing to me! haha
Oh man! I’m glad I won’t be seeing that number on the temperature dial for a nice long time 🙂
Hey Alex!
I love each photo you post. I would love to experience them all in my trip to Thailand whenever I visit there.
Thanks Priya! I hope you get to do so as well 🙂
I love photo C! So peaceful…
Thanks for voting, Erika!
Beautiful. The balcony just so relaxing… let-alone the water
I could sit on it all day!