You get a view like this for $9 a night?!

Koh Phangnan was the next stop on our island extravaganza. We were a few days late for the full moon party, but I was still feeling the effects of that night. The island is known for the party scene and, well, not much else. It has lots of beautiful beaches, but most are pretty isolated. Koreana and I chose to stay in one of the isolated resorts and experience the beauty of the island, not the full moon stragglers.

Our room cost a whopping $9 a night, but check out our view! Honestly, for the money we spent, I didn't expect any less. We stayed in a small bungalow atop a hill on the northeast part of the island. We enjoyed the views, the pool, the food, and the nearby beaches. We rented a motorbike for the day and explored the island. We ate homemade coconut ice cream, saw a few waterfalls, bought gas, and found many beaches.

Driving was wonderful. I will admit, I was nervous. To start, my foot wasn't in peak condition. On top of that, we only had one helmet between the two of us. Then there were a variety of other factors that made my heart race. For example, a lot of the roads weren't paved, and those that were, were covered in sand. No one in Thailand follows the rules of the road, or rather, there aren't rules on roads in Thailand. Oh, and I have never driven on the left. Mai pen rai! It was fabulous. For the first time since October 18, I had freedom. For the past 2 months I have depended upon friends, coworkers, songthaew drivers, bus drivers, tuk tuk drivers and taxi drivers to get me around. It was a breath of fresh air to drive the motorbike. The breath of fresh air did include the occassional bug in my mouth, but it was worth it.