After arriving in Koh Samui, I was immediately hit with feelings of "this is it?" when I got to the camp. I haven't checked out the island yet, will be doing so this weekend, but this camp is quite underwhelming. And after last night of having to go past packs of dogs to leave the camp and get dinner, yes, more than 1 pack, I ultimately decided that I need to leave, no choice really. I was already planning on it, but today I paid for 2 weeks here and I'll be taking off for Koh Phangan on the 20th of Feb for a week of one on one training at Kobra Gym, staying a bungalow with the beach at my doorstep and then heading up the side of the island to a remote area to stay in a traditional Thai bungalow. No a/c, no tv, no internet, just me, a hammock and my thoughts. I figure it'll be a good time for me to unwind for a few days and just read, write and draw. Then I'll be headed to Bangkok on March 4th, a day earlier than planned, and be staying at a nice hotel for cheaper than I was expecting to pay. I'm really excited for this change for a few reasons.

First of all, I'm sick of muay Thai, haha. It's great and all, a good workout and really beats you up...but I'm tired of it. Since being here, I realized that their sessions are very much the same and they don't cater to your needs like Phromthep did. So it's added to the monotony of the day in/day out routines.

Secondly, the noise and the atmosphere here is just ridiculous. Phuket was much calmer than all the racket here. We'll see how this weekend pans out as I drive around the island, taking pictures, doing the tourist thing and trying all sorts of food. But I hear Koh Phangan isn't nearly as hectic as here.

Lastly, I realized something the other day. I've been in Thailand for over 2 months now and I feel like there's still some stuff I need to do. Who knows if I'll ever be back here in my life. When we took a day trip to Racha island (most beautiful island I've been to), I saw all these little bungalows overlooking the water and I thought, man, I won't get to do that while here. Well, that's changed now and I'll get a couple of spots to stay and take in that experience. Definitely looking forward to that. People who know me know that I love a good roughing it experience as it makes you appreciate what you have back at home. This will be good for me, I feel like it's what I should do to truly wrap up this experience in the best way possible. Additionally, I found out I can take a boat/bus route up to Bangkok for about $30 which is nice considering I was going to spend $150+ on airfare. It'll take all day, but I don't mind as I can read and I'll still have 3 full days in Bangkok since my flight back home that Monday isn't until late at night. Lots to see in those 3 days.

A few recommendations:

I was really looking forward to Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it's lived up to the hype. Probably the best book I've read so far in terms of keeping my interest and the knowledge within. I plan to read much more by him. A big disappointment was the autobiography of Ben Franklin. I could not concentrate on that book, definitely a huge bore to me.

I downloaded Moby's Play the other day and it's great to relax to. A bunch of good tracks on there and like nothing else I have in my music library. Not for everyone, but definitely something you can listen to when you need to concentrate on something.

Chocolate soy milk. I'm living off that stuff. Oh, and I had bananas in coconut milk for dessert last night as it was cheap and I figure relatively healthy. Plus it's on like every menu at every restaurant. That and mango on sticky rice which I haven't tried yet. But the bananas in coconut milk was awesome. I'll have to get it again.

All I got for now.