Thai army checkpoint in southern Thailand.

...entering Thailand.

Leaving Malaysia...

The river dividing Thailand from Malaysia on the east coast.

Passport control -- leaving Malaysia for Thailand. Surprising there was no line, no armed guards, no barbed wire, no security guards. I guess Thailand isn't afraid of an influx of immigrants from Malaysia. This was only where passports were stamped for departing Malaysia.

Volleyball at Coral Bay.

Coral Bay at the Perhentians. It faces west, so it has no waves and the beach is thin, but it has nice sunsets.

This was the view from my bungalow.

I think this is a bird of prey. It was hanging around on the beach for a couple days.

Pretty spartan digs, but the mosquito net was vital to my sanity. There was a little fan to keep cool. It was cheap, but expensive in comparison to my other places in Malaysia at 35 Ringiits, which is about $8 a night.

This was my bungalow.

Matahari Chalet, where I spent a few nights.

Long Beach at Pulau Perhentian Kecil. It is pretty deserted.

Back in Paradise!

After many hours on the road, I made the trek from the northeast corner of Malaysia to the west coast of Thailand. I am now in Krabi. I was here back in 2001. It's good to be back.
From the Cameron Highlands, I took an overnight bus to Kota Bharu. A taxi ride and fast boat later, I arrived at Pulau Perhentian Kecil, or small Perhentian Island. There was not much at that place. It was covered with a jungle, a couple steep mountains, and some beautiful beaches. The sky was partly overcast for the three days I was there, and the surf was pretty big, so I didn't do any dives. I did watch the "lifeguards" rescue two girls (separate incidences) from the strong rip currents during my time there. It was fun bodysurfing in the waves, fighting the rips. It was definitely a pretty place to be.
It took me about 12 hours to get to Krabi from the Perhentians. Travelling is definitely easier now that I am out of Indonesia. I just tune out with my headphones and earplugs (earplugs to shut out the high pitched drone of the motor and the Thai/Malay music). Thailand is a lot more developed than I remembered four years ago. The roads and cars are new. In fact, I would guess that Toyota has built a new plant here recently as most of the cars are one or two year old Toyota pickup trucks and SUVs. In the south, where the Thai army continues its battle with Muslim rebels, we had to cross several checkpoints. An army dude just wanted to checkout the male occupants of the vehicle. That included me, but they quickly lost interest when I could speak English.
I think the second largest minority group in Thailand are the Swedish tourists. Holy cow, there are loads of young Swedes here. I think the most casualties of tourists in the tsunami were Swedes. It's baffling how the Swedes more than any other nationality come to Thailand.
Anyways, I am beat, so it's time for bed now.