We move further south and west on the Andaman Sea to the island of Koh Lanta.  The western part of the island was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami and has since been rebuilt with fabulous resorts and long white sand beaches.

For a change from Thai food, we found an authentic Greek Restaurant where we enjoyed Moussaka and Tzatziki with Pita Bread.  We also found a seafood place where you pick the fish and they cook it to your specifications . . .   Sea bass filleted in garlic and pepper and the best part:  baked potatoes and corn on the cob.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven to have such a normal meal.

We rented motor bikes ($8/per day) and checked out the entire island.  Instead riding horses bare back on the beach you can opt for an elephant.  We visited Mu Ko Lanta National Park with white sand beaches.   The monkeys wait for you to turn your back only to steal your snacks or whatever else you may have.  We stopped several times just to check out new beaches, the pictures attest to the fact that each beach was nicer than the one before.  We met another American couple who are renting a house here for a month; it was great to run into other people who are living overseas for extended periods of time.  We compared notes, picked up a couple of new hints.

We were day trippers via speed boat to Koh Rok, where there was great snorkeling in a national park and saw amazing sea life.  The best snorkeling yet, the pictures speak for themselves.  OK, I’ll tell the truth, we stuck a couple of Oreo cookies in our pockets, who knew the fish liked double stuffed.