Tofu Burger in Paradise

The way my class schedule has been working here is that I get home Tuesday mornings usually around 6, go to some class, sleep Tuesday night, go to class on Wednesday and then leave again Wednesday night. While this is objectively awesome- it is also extremely tiring. So anyway, after one night of sleep I headed out again to go to Koh Chang which is the second biggest island in Thailand, yet somehow one of the least visited.

About 10 years ago it was opened to the public and is part of a national marine park reserve about an hour ferry ride from the mainland. The whole place is crazy beautiful, it's a huge rain forest in the middle and gorgeous beaches all the way around. While I obviously benefit from the restaurants, bungalows and bars being built up at a rapid rate, it was really sad to see all the trash and construction. I can't imagine what this place will look like in another 10 years. It's probably on its way to being just like Phuket or Koh Samui.

Anyway, at this point I was traveling by myself which was slightly nerve-wracking when I found myself at a bus station at 4 in the morning surrounded by creepy old Thai men and not a single English speaking person for miles. With some very skillful charades and gestures I was able to make it to the actual island and set myself up in a beach hut, get some breakfast, etc. I spent the first day on the beach reading by myself which was really nice but I started to get a little apprehensive about the night ahead of me. The crowd on the island was a little off- a lot of old people and a lot of couples, I guess per Valentine's day weekend, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to find a fun group of people to go out drinking with.

I worried for naught though... within ten minutes of walking around I somehow managed to run into the only 2 Israeli guys on the island. And I mean only... They purposefully came to Koh Chang to escape the droves of Israelis in every other part of Southeast Asia and said they liked my Americanized version of Hebrew and were sick of hearing Israeli accents. We went to a free BBQ at one of the bars where I had tofu kebabs served to me by none other than Captain Jack Sparrow on crutches. I ended up spending most of the night between them and these 4 Swedish kids I met, dodging lady boy advances and dancing to some Justin T-lake classics.

The next morning my friend from school, Q called me and said he was on the island since last night but couldn't get in touch with me. Anyway after hanging out in his (air-conditioned) room for a little we drove his bike down to the southern side of the island to a more remote beach. (NOTE: I am pretty effing terrified of bikes now I have to admit. The roads on these islands are sooo hilly and twisty, any teeny bump in the road or pothole and you are peaced. Every time I make it to where I'm going safely I feel like kissing the ground just to have made it.) This beach we got to was so beautiful and empty. You literally could walk fifteen meters into the jungle behind you and be in the straight jungle. You'd need a machete. That night one of the guesthouses was having a big beach party at their bar and we hung out there, drank some buckets, met some weird ass people etc. It was a pretty fun night.

The next couple of days followed with more of the same. Eating, drinking, beaching, drinking... not so much on the studying though. That was supposed to take up the bulk of my day today but it's already 3 and I haven't started yet. I really hope these classes are as easy as everyone's making them seem. It would suck if everyone was saying they didn't study because that's the cool thing to do. Then I'll be the asshole who really doesn't study and I'll get dicked and not pass my classes. So cross your fingers for me and be jealous that I spent the days before my midterms on a tropical island in southern Thailand... and my grades don't effect my GPA. Suckers.

I promise to get to E-mailing people back really shortly. I love and miss you,

Esti