Pattaya, Thailand

And now it's back to Thailand! Has it been two months already?? Seems like forever since we held Bhat (Thai money) and said "Sawadeekaaaaaaaaaa" (means hello; the "a" can be held out for an indiscriminate amount of time), but here we are again. Heading west from Siem Reap, we were lucky enough to meet up with Preston's aunt and uncle, Lisa and Frank, in the costal town of Pattaya where they are currently living on their beautiful catamaran, Mango Moon. Frank and Lisa are in the beginning stages of a 5-10 year trip around the world on Mango, and happened to be in Pattaya when we were passing through (like I said, lucky us!). This turned out to be one of the absolute highlights of our trip--but how could it not be with some much needed family time (or "American time" for that matter) on a sailboat in Thailand!

We set sail the morning after our arrival, and Preston and I immediately got some on-the-go sailing lessons. With the spinnaker flying, we headed to our first island destination. When we arrived a few hours later a bit more boat-smart (and incredibly sweaty), we immediately jumped in the water, did some snorkeling, and then lazed around the rest of the day. We both agree that the highlight of the day was drinking margaritas with Frank and Lisa while cooling off in a half-submerged hammock strung between the hulls of the boat. As Lisa would put it: This doesn't suck. How true it is.

Our arrival to Pattaya and Mango Moon!

Amazing sunset from the Marina.

And we're off! Frank let Jessica steer for a few minutes. She DID NOT crash. Thank god.

Preston and Frank raising the spinnaker.

Then the real experts (Frank and Lisa) took over.

The spinnaker is up!

Margaritas in a hammock? Yes, please.

So many beautiful little islands in this area.

Getting ready for some much needed snorkeling.

The next day we hopped from island to island looking for good snorkeling spots, then anchored in a quiet little cove on Koh Sak. Essentially, it was two days full of sailing, snorkeling, swimming, great food, and good company. We couldn't have asked for more.

Thanks Lisa, Frank, and Mango!!