Day 57 Mong Bar 2/27/14

Today we decided to explore the island by bicycle. The long road that stretches from the northern tip to the southern tip of the island made it easy to navigate. We packed a small bag of sunscreen, swimsuits, and towels. The ride was beautiful. We passed many cute communities with beachfront bars and restaurants. Along the way we stopped at a few deserted beaches and took a dip . The weather was perfect; 85-90 degrees with a cool breeze, and almost no humidity.  Although it never felt too hot, we religiously lathered up with sunscreen .Koh Lanta is directly on the equator and the intensity of the sun is very strong. We rode almost to the end of the island. Our last stop was at the Mong bar; a fun, laid back bar, off the side of the road. The place was small and simple, with great vibes. There were hammocks, outdoor lounge chairs, a fire pit, Rasta tapestries, and signs for  magical brownies and shakes for sale. The owner of the bar was a middle aged Thai man. Shirtless and barefoot,  he greeted us with a smile, and asked if we wanted to see elephants on the moon. We laughed and told him we were good with banana smoothies. We sat and enjoyed our smoothies. I asked him if he knew of a place in Koh Lanta where we could camp. He said that we could put up a tent in the field behind the bar. He said he charges backpackers 100 baht a night to camp, and that we could use the bathrooms and shower. Stoked by the cheap price and convenience of his location we told him we would take him up on his offer after we returned from ko rok. After our relaxing break at the Mong bar, we rode back to the bicycle rental shop near our hotel to return our bikes. The ride took forever. On the ride back Ryan's bike decided to break down. The gears weren't working,making a simple ride into a strenuous one. We took turns riding the broken bike until we reached the shop. After returning the bike we went to the beach near our hotel and spent the rest of our day swimming, exploring, eating delicious fruit, and relaxing.