A Slice of Heaven

Bophut is an old fishing village on the north side of the island. It is not the busiest beach/town (Chaengwan on the east side is) but it has a wonderful little commercial street and a beautiful, peaceful beach. Our hotel room (1 of 8) has a balcony out onto the small one-way street at our front door and a private balcony to the beach on the other side. This is easily the best hotel room we have stayed in yet, with hardwood floors, nice decorations, everything is clean, comfortable, and looks new. Even the TV has multiple English channels although I doubt we spend much time watching them (did have the Champions League Final on last night live, went to bed at half-time). The beach reminds me of Mission Bay in San Diego as it is quiet and clean, with clear greenish/blue waters. Last night we walked down the street past many nice restaurants, pubs, little shops, and small-town specialties. We ate an Italian restaurant and stopped at a street vendor for a banana chocolate crepe. This is probably going to be my favorite place so far by the time I leave. My sister Rebecca asked me if we will hit any nice beaches or places she would like and I will say without reservation, that this is a place she would love.
Right now, I am sitting at our hotel’s bar on the beach enjoying the rolling waves and gleaming sun on the water. Pretty soon we’ll grab breakfast and leave for our tour at 10am. Today we will be riding elephants, riding in canoes, going on a jeep jungle safari, watching a monkey show, and a couple other things all for $30US (more expensive than our amazing hotel). We have two full days here and will enjoy.