I travelled 3 hours, 176 kilometers (or about 109 miles), from Bangkok to Pattaya City. I stayed there for 2 nights where I traveled by day an additional 7 kilometers (about 4 miles) by ferry to two islands called Ko Lan and Ko Sak. Ko Lan is the main island near Pattaya and Ko Sak is a small island very close to Ko Lan. The islands were beautiful but were overcrowded with boats which limited you to small swimming areas when on the islands.
I was nearly 700 kilometers (or about 435 miles) away from my new home at the Doi Inthanon summit, the tallest part of Thailand at 2,565 meters (or 8,415 feet). This summit is also known as “The Roof of Thailand”. It is part of the Himalayan mountain range, has several good waterfalls (best seen between May and November), and has year-round relatively cool weather. I was actually cold at this summit which is a big surprise for most people coming to Thailand!
I stayed local this week, so I only walked or used the school van to get around. Over the weekend, our tropical ecology class used vans to get to Pattaya and its pier. From there we used boats to travel. When on islands, we walked. When near research sites, we swam.
