Tales from Thailand

When searching for professional development opportunities, a conference at Hong Kong International School with Kathy Collins and other great educators was recommended.

View from our hotel room

I leaped at the opportunity because
A. The presenters at the conference were fantastic
B. I would get to see my friend, Rachel, from high school who lives in HK
C. I have wanted to visit HK since July of 2005 when I flew through the airport en route to Taiwan
D. All of the above
And the answer is: D!
Landing in Hong Kong reveals an incredible concentration of humanity and nature. Here skyscrapers are justified. There is a limited amount of land on the islands that can support buildings due to the steep rocky terrain.
We landed on Friday night and took the train in to HK's Times Square (many neighborhoods and streets are named after places in New York City and London) and met my friend Rachel. We bundled up and went to Din Tai Fung for delicious dim sum.

We haven't seen each other in the states for years...
We managed to catch up twice in Southeast Asia in four months!

Then we found out just how steep some parts of the city are as we walked and later rode on the mid-levels escalator.

Saturday's workshops were great! That night we managed to see a little more of Hong Kong. We found the city to be very accessible. We walked to Victoria Harbor. We then took the Star Ferry across and watched some of the daily light and laser show that is played on the skyline.

I felt right at home with the Philly LOVE light sculpture.

Then we headed up to Aqua Spirit for a yummy cocktail with a great view (we passed on the gold flake martini). Then we took the ferry back and walked to the mid levels escalator again to get dinner.

If posh shopping is your thing; Hong Kong is your city. Seriously. There were lines outside Cartier. And, yes, that is a bejeweled motorcycle helmet.

As we walked, I marveled at how much I enjoyed the cold weather and how refreshing it was to see people bundled up in coats and scarves.

We then stayed out for a bit longer and eventually ended at LKF, Lan Kwai Fong. When we arrived it felt like a festival because there seemed to be more people in the street than in the bars. Once we got inside a bar I realized there were as many or more expats packed into the bar.

On Sunday, I had another day of workshops, which were great. Since we were taking a late flight back, we had enough time for HK residents' favorite pastime--a hike.

We were on a tight timeline so we did an urban hike to Victoria Peak. We were on paved roads all the way, but that didn't mean that the hike wasn't strenuous! It was a beautiful way to see more of the city, and the views of humanity and nature compressed were great!

And, not shockingly, there was a mall at the top of the peak.

Zoom in and you'll find the temple that's there too.

We made a quick stop at the Hong Kong Football Club, and then we were off to the airport and back to Bangkok.

View of the Hong Kong Football Club from our hotel. It is quite extensive and includes a horse track.

For my birthday, Neil planned a surprise weekend. And so I anxiously counted down the days until Chinese New Year. Not just because I'm looking forward to the year of the horse, but because it was our three day weekend and my birthday getaway!

After an hour and a half of hanging out in the Bangkok Airways lounge (one of the many reasons I highly recommend flying Bangkok Airways), Neil finally told me we were traveling to Koh Samui!

That night we were welcomed to Elements Resort and Spa Boutique with birthday cake and bubbly! (I really enjoy when birthday celebrations are stretched beyond the actual day and week of my birthday.) Then we enjoyed the quiet beach and amazing stars--by far the best view of stars we've had thus far--a result of the isolated and sparsely inhabited area surrounding the resort.

Friday morning started with yoga. Then we read and relaxed by the small, and refreshingly cool pool. We later took a kayak out and had an incredible view of Four Islands-Five Islands! We chased schools of tiny flying fish and found a rocky beach that we had all to ourselves. The water was incredibly clear and the quiet was fantastic! We paddled back in for massages and then jumped in a kayak again to get out of the cove to see the sunset. We picked a bum kayak that took on so much water we came close to tipping. Luckily I'm married to an Eagle Scout, so he steered us onto a sandbar and emptied the hull in no time. We ended the evening with dinner in a bamboo cabana on the beach and more star gazing from the comfort of giant bean bags.

Neil told me that on Saturday we would need to be ready for an early pickup for a boat trip to Ang Thong national park. It's a group of 42 small islands about 35 kilometers from Koh Samui. I was thrilled, and the trip did not disappoint! Our crew on the Anda of Samui Boat Charter took amazing care of us. We snorkeled, and I had the most fun I've ever had snorkeling! We got to see tons of fish, giant clams, sea urchins, beautiful purple sea sponges. My experience was so enjoyable because my mask and snorkel were so comfortable and didn't leak--turns out that makes a big difference! (I am now searching for the mask and snorkel online.). We then toured the islands, anchoring to swim, relax on small beaches, visit the beautiful Emerald Lagoon, have lunch, and kayak. The lagoon was an incredible turquoise; however, I'm still a bigger fan of the hidden lagoon in Railay.

Getting down to and up from the Emerald Lagoon was a steep climb!

We kayaked out to this "floating" cliff

Fittingly, Neil started reading The Beach the day before (and as I wrote this post he was reading beside me). The book (and the movie based on the book) were inspired by the islands of Ang Thong--a stunning setting for a thriller. The movie was filmed in Thailand, in Ko Phi Phi Lee and the waterfall jump scene was filmed at Khaoyai National Park (at one of the large waterfalls).

After returning to our resort we walked out to see the sunset. The cove is so shallow that at low tide we could walk and wade out over 500 meters to see around the edge of the cove and soak up the beautiful colors of the sunset.

Sunday morning we again took a kayak (not the leaky one!) and headed west out of the cove this time. Somehow the water seemed even clearer than Friday. The schools of tiny flying fish were still perfecting their formations. We found a long, sandy, empty beach with a giant leafy tree and a spirit house at the point. This made it an opportune spot to stop and enjoy the shade and the view. The red and gold spirit house with a naga inside honored the spirits of this beautiful land and sea. The paths begged to be explored, but since we didn't have any shoes, and I have a bum toe, we had to content ourselves with exploring the views from the point. We had lunch by the quiet pool and then headed back to the spa for a two hour post-sun skin treatment and massage. The cool concoctions soothed our skin and the face scrubs smelled good enough to eat (I refrained from licking my lips). By the end if my massage I got a French braid that rivaled my mom's work circa 1987.