February 9, 2026

The view below shows the channel to the north of Ha'apai Island and King's Island  in the background. The protected lagoon is to the right and the sea and Fiji  are way to the left.  Here's our happy group at the beginning of the week in the lounge pit before dinner.

(L to R) Bosco, Susan & Memo, Doug & Lucia , Anna & Jimbo, Ben, Aliana, Basia, Me, Kim & Phil. ( Whitney is sadly missing).

Speaking of Dinner - the food at the resort was delicious! Below are some of the ones I remember to get a photo of before eating.

Dinner was at 7 pm every night and is very social with all the guest and host joining. We reviewed the day and set up schedule for next days activities. We ran out of time to do everything because the weather was a little stormy the last 2 days we were there and the water got a lot more swell action going - so we never kayaked or snorkled all the spots we intended. Great reason to go back, plus whale season there is supposedly spectacular! Lots of mom's come to have their calves here!

I did get to ride a bike, into the village, on Sunday morning, to go to the local church and experience their incredibly loud and enthusiastic singing ( over 1.5 hours at full volume!)

I also went with Basia & Jimbo on a morning adventure to uninhabited Bird Island via an hour boat ride, each way. As I walked around the tiny island, it reminded me of my childhood nightmare after watching The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock.  Except these birds didn't swarm me and the island was quiet serene, with tons of crabs and actually very peaceful.

KOH CHANG, THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • July 26, 2026
We just relaxed on the Island of Koh Chang, Thailand. It's one of the largest Thai Islands in the Gulf of Thailand and it has a dense, steep jungle & National Park covering the interior of the Island, which extends off shore, to coral reefs. The coast line is dotted with beaches and villages. This was a tender port, so we decided to stay on the Island for 3 nights, to be able to experience the nightlife. Turns out, it is low season, so nightlife was pretty sleepy. However, we did find a new favorite night time activity! Any Guesses?!?

On the way to Koh Chang, Thailand

By Pat Patrick • July 25, 2026
Love Sea Days ! I got a much needed haircut and color. Think I'll be going shorter, but giving this a whirl! Can you see the back in the mirror? The bangs and side volume, is what drives me nuts in the heat and humidity!

WAT BANG KUNG & TRAIN MARKET - Bangkok ,Thailand

By Pat Patrick • July 21, 2026
Wat Bang Kung Temple was a quick stop along the way to the Train Markets . What makes this unique is the Temple is completely enclosed by roots of four giant trees (a banyan, bodhi and others). From the outside, it looks like nature has swallowed the building. Inside the chapel is a golden Buddha image, that locals still visit to pray. It was quite active during our short visit there. The Temple dates back over 250 years and survived the Burmese invasion.