day 16: our last day- bangkok

day 16: 

we only spent one day in bangkok before we had to get on a plane and head home.  we used our last day  to go on a canal tour to some palaces and burial grounds.  we also used to it get our last thai massage making our massage count come to a total of 4 for our trip.

day 15: the beach

day 15

we set sail early in the morning and visited the island where the movie "the beach" was filmed.  (if you haven't seen that movie, i recommend it.)  the place was even more beautiful in person.  the waters were clear, bright aqua and surrounded by towering moss-filled cliffs.  we went lagoon swimming on this island, visited some monkeys on another island, ate lunch on a different island, we snorkeling at the fourth island and finally took a nap on the fifth and smallest island.  

when we got back to our "estate" later that evening, we decided that since it was our last night we wanted to stay in and make the best of what time we had left with our mansion of a hotel room.  we played a lot of pool games.  one game:  we filled the bottom of the pool with rocks and held our breaths and tried to pick up as many rocks as we could in one breath and place them on the side of the pool.

we ordered room service and lounged in our giant comfy robes for the rest of the night.  we left early the next day and headed to bangkok.

day 14: beach bums

i woke up around 8 a.m. with a great nights rest behind me.  i stretched out under the down comforter and pressed my limbs against the silk sheets until i realized that i was alone in the bed.  when i walked outside, this is what i found:

we spent the entire day at the beach.  it was a quiet beach with a lovely view of an island.  we each had a book, a towel, some water and some great restaurants within walking distance.  it was a great day to relax, pray and enjoy each other's company.

we ended the day with a beautiful dinner of pad thai and green curry, and, of course, a full body couples' massage.

day 13: the estate

day 13

after spending the last four days in a mountain town, we headed more south to the beaches of phuket, thailand to relax and get some sun.

we arrived at the resort to be greeted with fresh juice and snacks.  they drove us in a golf cart to our private villa.  we opened the giant rustic wooded door that we thought would lead us into the bedroom.  instead, this door opened up to a private swimming pool, a tiny bamboo hut with a table and chairs, an outdoor shower and a lounging bed.  we walked on and through another door that led inside to a giant king-sized bed with a canopy streaming down all four sides, a raised ceiling that had a chandelier hanging down from the highest point, a lounging corner with a giant cushion dressed with pillows, a coffee table and a mini bar.  our bathroom was larger than our actual apartment in korea.  it had a giant shower with a shower head that rained from the ceiling, an extra deep bath tub that lay on a rock island and giant windows with a sliding-glass door that led back out to the pool.

night 12: our last night in chiang mai

after bungy jumping, we decided to spend our last night in chiang mai just relaxing.  we enjoyed a walk around the city which is enclosed by a canal that runs in a perfect square.  we also decided that we deserved another massage, ate another $1 meal of green chicken curry and pad thai, and then headed to a pool bar with live music.

we were very impressed with each musician at this bar.  when we first arrived we heard a solo artist perform classics, and after him a band took stage and invited the crowd to request any song they wanted.  to our amazement this band was able to perform each request; knowing all the key changes, guitar riffs and lyrics.  near the end of the night i decided to throw a challege at the band and requested some jay-z.  i wrote my request on a slip of paper and walked it up to the stage, flashed it to the lead singer and he just laughed and said that he was sorry but they were singing the last song.  i must say, it is one of my only regrets of the trip: waiting so long to request.

we stayed at the pool bar and joined in on a pool tournament with a few friends that went bungy jumping with us.  it was a great end to chiang mai.