Life is a beach

We're spending a total of nine days on the island of Koh Lanta, getting our fill of beaches, snorkling, diving, eating and just plain relaxing.

A pleasant little place, Kantiang Bay was a wonderful discovery for us. Here we found a laid back beach bungalow resort without the crowds of other tourist destinations in Thailand (ours is in the center of the photo, hidden among the trees on the beach). We're at peace with the sand and mosquitoes and are quite happy spending hours reading on the beach and plunging into the warm waters when we get too hot.

It also has the coolest bar, the Why Not Bar.

It's run by a bunch of Thai guys who seem to have been transported back from the 60s. One young kid does an amazing fire show every night - not only is he spectacularly good, he's only been doing it for 5 months.

The staff is mostly long haired and tattooed and exude an exotic kind of testosterone that's hard to describe. One guy who looks like a Thai Jimi Hendrix walks around playing the tamborine when he's not serving up drinks.

Here's a sight that you won't see everyday, the island way to gas up your vehicle:

And more signs with creative English:

And one last shot - cheers from the island!