Eeny, Meeny..Ah, That Island Sounds Nice.

“Sorry- but all trains heading south are booked out for at least the next three days.”

Translated from its Thai origin, these are precisely the words you do not- on any circumstance I can imagine- want to hear uttered from the ticket master after attempting to purchase tickets for your week-long vacation in southern Thailand.

I did.

With our bold plans for exploring the savage inner regions of Koh Sok National Park thoroughly upended, we did what any two young men in desperate need of an daring exploit would do- we turned to the solace of my Lonely Plant Guidebook! An hour later, we found ourselves heading towards the bus terminal, in search for a bus that would carry us to the ferry which would bring us to a distant island on the Eastern side that neither of us had been- Koh Chang.

We didn’t know what to expect, but thankfully, everything worked out fairly well and within 24 hours, I was snoozing in the woven hammock clinging to our beach bungalow porch. A hard life, I’m fully aware.

Honestly, Nate and I had the time of our lives while there. Between us, we had many conversations concerning life, relationships, and women of course (come on, do you really expect two single guys not to talk about that?) Also, we rented motorbikes and explored the island, relaxed on the beach, and ate good food- though I came to the conclusion that no one makes more fantastic cashew chicken than the mom and pop shop I frequent near my school.

The best part of the whole trip I can sum up in three words: Laura, Leah, and ofcourse, Jose! After meeting these three fantastic individuals during our second night there, they became our inseparable companions for the rest of our time on Koh Chang. Laura and Leah were two German young ladies who spent months backpacking around Thailand before beginning university in the coming fall. Jose was a Portuguese environmental engineer working from a British company in Beijing and was spending the holiday with his Mother in Thailand.

Together we explored the island’s natural waterfalls (alright, so truthfully only two of them and one was just a trickle!) had plenty of laughs, and played games late at night, such as “spoons” (which involved chili sauce for the loser of each round- I won’t go into any more detail).

Ofcourse the Koh Chang New Year’s Eve party was great, especially if you are a huge fan of unstable fireworks, fire throwers who miss their torch-catch every so often, and building-sized speakers that spewed techno hits from six years ago.

A winning combination on all occasions.

Classes recommence in approximately twelve hours and can you believe I feel unprepared? Possibly because I am exactly that- so is the life of a teacher. Truly, it is hard to look far forward when the last glimpse backwards is such a savory one.
Anyhow, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and brought the new year in with dearly-loved family members and the best of friends. Let us approach the year with an attitude of curiosity, vigor, and grand expectations, shall we?

And by the way, does anyone have with them some pre-written lesson plans for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade English class they would care to send me?

Hmm.. I though as much!