Official Sick Bag Warning: I've really tried to keep the balance of more interesting travel/sites/people vs. personal photos of Helen and I standing in every photo like cryogenically frozen japanses tourists, but there was not a lot to do in this place so I apologize of these look like schmaltzy honeymoon shots.

Koh Samet. A 15 minute taxi to a 3 hour bus to a 45 minute speedboat and you're standing on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Sorry, not to much else to say...refused to leave the beach...here are a few pictures to salivate over.

I was very proud of Helen for conquering her fear of swimming underwater. At the end of the first day she had turned into a foxy mermaid.

One thing that was interesting is just after we arrived the jelly fish birthing season hit it's peak. One morning we had a lovely ocean dip then the next there were millions of little clear gummy-bear like creatures floating around the water not quite knowing what to do. Many have been washed ashore, some have drifted out to sea, and others just hovered in the gently breaking surf letting the tide decide their fate. They are completely harmless, but when they squish between your toes as you walk down the beach it's kind of disgusting. We did actually see a larger Jelly Fish, but I think it was close to dead. I have a feeling it was a mother who couldn't survive the process of delivering two thousand little jelly rolls.

One day while snorkeling we saw a stingray that was about 3 feet long skimming over the ocean floor in a slow ballet. They are truly beautiful and elegant creatures. It made me sick to hear the BBC News report that the Australian Wildlife Department had discovered 14 dead stingrays in the five days after Steve Irwin's death. Some actions defy logic and even stupidity. Some people are in a category unto themselves.

The staff at the Sang Thian Hotel (Ao Thian beach) were unbelievably sweet. We also must thank Yahtsay, the young entrepeneur/owner of Mr. Dang's Restaurant who went back to the mailand to bring us a boatload of tofu. The second to the last night on the island we were blessed to meet two fellow New Yorkers. Nick and Meena had just graduated from law school and were travelling through South East Asia before settling down to start their lives (and repay their student loans). It was fun to toss back a few beers and revel in some good old New York wit. In our seven days on the island we were fortunate to have met some really great people and a dog named Bang.

Next we head up north to Chiang Mai to work at an Elephant Rescue center. It's our one year weddingg anniversary and I can't think of a better way to celebrate it than by throwing my back out scooping elephant poo!

PMB 10/9/06