Day 68 -73 Lanta Round two 3/8/14- 3/13/14

After our amazing week on Ko Rok we returned to the island of  Koh lanta. Leaving Ko Rok wasnt as difficult knowing that we were heading back to Lanta, another beautiful island. This time around our accommodation on koh Lanta would be the budget travelers way.The pattaysia speedboat drop us off at Klong nin beach, a five minute walk from the mong bar. Still in our swim suits, with a weeks worth of sand in our hair, and all of our camping gear strapped to our backpacks, we made the half mile trek in the blistering heat to the mong bar. When we arrived at the sandy little shack , we spotted Mong in the side yard painting his handmade advertisements which read "Mong Bar, In Bud We Trust" and  "Mong Bar, Your Ticket to the Moon".  Mong greeted us with a smile, and led us to a small little field behind his bar, where we set up our tent. Camping at the Mong bar was a funny experience. To the left of the mong bar was a farm with a cow that had the most disturbing mooing sound. Every morning we would be woken up by the sound of this cow that sounded like a baby crying. In addition to the natural calls of nature were the sounds of two of mongs ducks. One of them was a normal duck, that did normal duck things, and the second one was an aggressive and overly horny duck. The second one would chase the other around and step on its neck, causing a disturbing screeching sound. Aside from the ducks and cow, the only other crazy creatures at the mong bar were the customers. There was one regular named Carl. He was a middle aged British man that reminded me of a sloppy version of Vince Vaughn. Every night you could find carl sitting at the end of the bar with three or more empty beer cans, a joint, and talking someones ear off. Carl was a nice guy, but definitely one of those people you start to tune out after 30 minutes of conversation. Our days on Koh Lanta were spent at the beach, and coffee shops with wifi since the mong bar didnt have internet; not a surprise since they didnt even have a shower. joints. At the coffee shops we skyped with family and did our research for planning our next adventures. One of our days on Lanta, Ryan and I went to a cave and waterfall. The hike was short. The first trail brought us to the waterfall. There wasnt much water since it had been four months since the last rain, but it was still a beautiful sight. Close to the waterfall was a small cave where we could see hundreds of bats. This little adventure was a nice break from our hours spent planning our next trip. The second night we were in Lanta we went to the 13th annual Lanta Lanta Festival. This was a lot of fun. We rented a motorbike and road to old koh lanta town where the festival was held. For 5 hours we walked around and ate delicious street vendor food, saw various performances of traditional thai dances, fire shows, and a concert by our new favorite Thai reggae band ; Job to Do. The festival was decorated with brightly colored lanterns and art decorations. Most of the people at the festival were Thai, and to top it off there was no admission fee. Lucky for us we were accidentally in Koh lanta for the festival. This is one of the many things that happen to fall into place and work out for us on our trip. Another very strange coincidence happened while staying at the mong bar. I was sitting on a lounge chair by the fire at the mong bar,Ryan was in the bathroom, and the bar was empty when two motorbikes pulled up. Two couples got off of the motorbike and walked up to the bar. As they were approaching I recognized one of them. It was an old friend from Santa Rosa that I hadnt seen in a couple of years. At first I was skeptical, thinking that the chances of it being him were so slim that it couldnt be possible. I stared at him wanting to make sure that I wasnt mistaken. When they sat at the bar, I got up and followed them; sitting adjacent to where they were. We made eye contact, and instantly he said my name in disbelief, getting up and hugging me. Neither of us could believe it; here we were,half way across the world, on a small island in thailand, at an empty little bar shack, and we run into each other. I was in shock by this completely serendipitous moment. Elijah and his friends hung out with Ryan and I by the fire for the rest of the night. They told us of their traveling experience through out South east asia, and we did some reminiscing of the past, with a few interjections to talk about the strange coincidence of running into each other. Early that day Ryan and I bought bananas and chocolate to cook on the fire. I wrapped up six, and cooked them on the fire to share with everyone. I didnt think that the moment could have been any more ironic or comical, until Elijah told us that they were at the mong bar earlier in the day and met Carl, who told them that there were two Californians camping in the back of the bar. He said they are "Amber and Ryan from California, maybe you know them?" He jokingly laughed and said "yeah, because everyone in California knows eachother". Come to find out, we did know each other. It's situations like these, that make you realize how small the world is, and how connected we all are. Our five days on Lanta were full of unexpected and unplanned adventures and coincidences. Although we only spent ten days total on Koh Lanta, we felt like that place began home. We got to know the island very well, made a few new friends, ran into old ones, went to a festival, drove around the entire island, saw two concerts, and created a life time of memories.