Koh Lanta

At what will likely be our final spot in Thailand, Koh Lanta. Have a great budget beach bungalow (500B/$17 per night) about 60 steps from the beach which faces west making for some pretty spectacular sunsets. We will be taking a guided two-night/three-day snorkeling trip after spending 4 nights here. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to opt out of paying for playing but snorkeling at world-class sites is, again, a very unique regional opportunity here and for such a trip to be overseen by people who know these sites and to be taken care of after 6+weeks of being mostly self-reliant is well worth it to us. The trip costs $400 total (Eleanor free) and is supposed to be small-group (about ten). And rustic accommodation, ie camping in tents.

Otherwise, and in general...I think we're actually looking fwd to returning home (where hopefully spring has commenced on the 'western slope'). I know I am anyway (much to Marrie's surprise). Between the heat and the mosquitoes (and Eleanor's current ultra-fickle eating habits)...enough is enough. But we're on the home stretch with just a final push to KL, Malaysia (which is already proving to be a logistical challenge). And our challenge will be to make the most of our remaining time vs being too future-sighted (a challenge that is very familiar to Marrie who is typically lining up travel plans 5-7 days in advance!).