new island, same weather

today we (isabelle and i, a french girl i have been traveling the islands with) left ko phi phi for ko lanta, a boat ride away south-east of phi phi. just as phi phi was incredible for its water and mountains, lanta seems pretty ordinary in comparison. maybe that's not the right word, but it's simply not as impressive. on the other hand, this island feels lived-in (as it is huge) - there's not only tourists here but a big population of locals and that feels nice. docking at the island it felt more authentic, real... less touristic.

in fact the beach (long beach, the main one) was pretty deserted today, perhaps due to the gray sky and random light rain. it's weird - the beach reminds me of the westcoast/northshore of canada & usa. the sand colour, the trees. i don't know, it doesn't feel tropical. but this impression would surely change if it was sunny out and we could see the colour of the water.

we're staying in a pretty nice bungallow a few minutes from the beach. we're right around the corner from a really cool restaurant/bar place and another few bars, which is quite nice. this place can be quiet, or not, depending on the mood... and the weather i guess. fortunately though our hotel lets us watch dvds as we wish so when the rain comes again we will now have something to do, on our own time.

in a few days i will be leaving for country #7. it feels weird, leaving. just as much as thailand hasn't felt like an as incredible country as the rest i keep feeling the urge to go back to bangkok, as if i've left something behind or forgotten something. it's a weird feeling...