let the adventures begin

over the weekend we took a trip to lazy beach. it is this tiny, secluded island, where we had pretty much our own private beach. to start, we jumped off the boat and swam to shore. apparently, not many people do this. i don't know why because the water is so warm and crystal clear. the staff was so friendly and only laughed at us a few times. we really enjoyed our stay there and had some serious adventures.

on the boat to the island. we made friends with a family from denmark.

adventure 1 - these are bungalows, and they mean it. there wasn't much separating us from the outside environment, so naturally, our charming bungalow was home to several geckoes, all of which were over a foot long. we got used to it after we decided that we were indoor camping.
adventure 2 - snorkeling! it was so fun to see all the pretty fish. this was a first for me. i think i’m hooked. watch out great barrier reef.
adventure 3 - a tropical thunder storm. while, one of the 5 of us played it cool, 4 of us had quite an experience waking up to a tropical thunderstorm at 1 in the am our last night there. honestly, the loudest thing i have ever heard. while i was sure lightning was going to strike through the roof, we managed to evade it, somehow. it was beautiful to see the power of nature, at least to this degree. the lightning was incredible, and the thunder so strong. it was a reminder as to how powerful the elements are and made me feel so small. anytime i felt scared, i just thought of my new denmark family. if they were on the island too, then everything would be ok.
adventure 4 - the sun is a bit different here. by this i mean, you may apply sunscreen multiple times, but you are still going to burn. i am now dealing with an all over the body sun burn, and a heat rash decided to join in the fun. this makes riding a bike in phnom penh summer very comfortable.

would you ever imagine that i pressed the timer button on my
camera, ran in fins, and sat down half a second before this pic
was taken?

i have one regret in my life, my whole life thus far. not bringing enough american food with me to cambodia. lesson to be learned to all developing world travelers, bring more food that you could possibly imagine you could ever need. ever.

i am missing my friends and family a lot lately. thankfully, i have had many lovely and kind emails and text messages. i love you all so much, really truly! thank you so much for your love and support.

just a side note. i am very grateful that mac power buttons don't turn of with the first light press. i always hit it multiple times while attempting to delete something. so thank you mac for not shutting off my computer just because i am a spaz.