I was so ready for vacation. I was feeling the itch. Getting restless and bored in my small city. I booked a bus ticket out of town on the very last day I had to sign in at school. I was off! I had a week to kill before I met up with friends and we headed on our trip to Cambodia. I opted for some R&R on the island of Koh Samet. I couldn’t think of a better way to start vacation than drinking on the beach on a tiny, local island. 

The trip started off in a little bit of a foreboding way; thunderstorms. Just before I left Sisaket I went to say goodbye to friends at their apartment and was stuck there for a while waiting out the storm(the most intense lightening I’ve ever experienced) and then when I got to the ferry the next morning the dawn lit sky was gorgeous, yet also threatening. Once the ferry docked at the island I ran and made it to my hostel 30 seconds before the sky released its fury(no joke). I just sat at one of the tables of the bar/hostel marveling at the fierceness of nature and waiting for the hostel to open(turned out the hostel door was not locked, it was a sliding door, so that’s why it didn’t open when I pushed…yeah sounds about right). 

Luckily, Mother Nature got it out of her system and the rest of the weekend was perfect island weather! I found my friends who had come to meet me on Koh Samet because they live close by. We chilled out on the beach then later got dinner and watched a Thai fire show on the beach. The fire show was so much fun! I watched as they swung the flaming ropes around with ease and then later participated in a game of limbo, ON FIRE! We then partied the night away and went for a nighttime swim relishing the freedom of vacation and island life. ​​​

The next day, my friends and I, nursing hangovers, went on a five island tour and snorkeling trip. The day started with us waiting for the boat to come get us and the rest of the tour; we loaded up on sunscreen, coffee and water(to rehydrate and dehydrate ourselves haha) and we were moving slowly. Jumping in the water was the best cure and the snorkeling was amazing! We saw so many fish, sea anemones, coral and kept swimming further until one guide started yelling at us because we almost missed lunch. We spent the afternoon snorkeling more at another location(just to ensure my entire backside was thoroughly and severely sunburnt) and exploring other islands. It was a fabulous day! My friends headed home after the tour but I stayed on the island. 

I hung out at my hostel that night and made some friends. One guy recognized me from the snorkeling tour because he had been on a different boat and had noticed our guide yelling at us, I guess we were a memorable trio! The next day I got up to watch the sunrise and then I rented motorbikes with my new friends and we rode around the island exploring and testing out different beaches(I wore a t-shirt and made sure when I went swimming I was facing the sun to protect my singed rear). Later that afternoon we headed back and my new friend and I raced to catch the ferry together and sailed away from a weekend filled with good times, new friends, and a seriously excellent start to my time off and there’s more than a month to go! 

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