Today I was up even earlier than usual, but this time I wasn't complaining because I was on my way to Ko Samet. I was waiting at the door of Dunkin Donuts when it opened at 6, bought a 6-pack (of donuts :) and a coffee, and headed to Ekkamai where I met Mark and Tom. A half-hour later we were on the 7:30 bus out of the city.
Although the bus didn't take the expressway, at least it didn't stop at every corner to pick up and drop off people. So we made it to Ban Pae in 3.5 hours. The boat ride to the island was fast too, less than 30 minutes I think. We were checked into our beach bungalow by noon -- about 7 hours door-to-door.
The day has actually turned out to be more fun than I was expecting. An hour after arriving, I saw a Thai friend who I, ironically enough, first met at the island last year. An hour later I saw another Thai friend from Bangkok with his Canadian friend. So very quickly our party of three became a party of six. We had a great time sitting under the umbrellas on the beach and eating Thai food and drinking Beer Sing. Fantastic.
My only complaint (and I guess it's my own fault) is that I am already sunburned! Arg! Not terribly burnt, just a little red. The sun was a bit stronger and my skin was a bit whiter than I thought. Oh well, tomorrow I will put on that SPF 50 that Mark was offering.
