As we only had two and a half hours before the last boat back to Koh Chang, we wasted no time in hiring a kayak and paddling out into waters where we could go snorkelling and glimpse the world that lives beneath the surface.
It felt really great flipper-kicking through the water without needing to stop for a breath. It was a bit disappointing in that we didn't see many fish, and the colour palette below us was quite dull, but we saw lots of these slug-type things. Probably sea cucumbers, but it was far more exciting to pretend they were giant sea slugs with razor-sharp teeth that could attack at any moment...
After what felt like far too soon, we were back on Koh Chang. I'm almost definitely going back to Koh Mak sometime; I'm positive the beaches on the other side of the island were even more beautiful.
Still, I could hardly complain. We ordered mango shakes on the beach and, as the sun went down, we watched an amateur soccer match of foreigners VS Thais. When we left the score was 2-2, although I'm pretty sure some of the foreigners were using illegal body contact to beat their opponents...
Popsie had to leave early the next morning as he was flying to Myanmar that afternoon, so Bryan (his brother) and I dropped him off at the ferry.
Overloaded vehicles like this garbage truck, which was about to make the crossing to the mainland, are a common sight in Thailand. It pleases me when I see rubbish being taken care of properly, because all too often it lies on streets and in gutters and in forests.
Not long after we got back to camp, it started raining. This would have bothered me less had I had a waterproof tent; as it was, I was forced to get everything out and undercover while the rain continued. It didn't bother Bryan and Beth's kids, though: they made the most of the giant puddle that had formed in the middle of our campsite.
The rain eventually stopped and by afternoon I was sunbaking on the beach again. Clouds still haunted us the following days, though the worst rain was over.
We made the enormous drive back home in one day. Though it was tedious, taking about 13 hours, I found an amusing moment as we stopped for petrol. Petrol stations here tend not to be self-service; before the man filled the tank, he made sure to clop a big, plastic advert board on the bonnet of the car. Can you imagine someone having the guts to do that to someone's car in Australia?
As far as I can read, it's advertising a deal where you get a free bottle of water if you spend 1000 baht. I can't help but wonder if it was really so important to shove in our faces...
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