While Tina was off scuba diving, I worked on my base tan. Or to be more accurate, my blothcy sunburn and prickley heat. I'm just made for the beach. When I was enjoying the amazing snorkeling right on our beach shelf, I was reading about the mountains of Laos. Ah, mountains. How I love the mountains.

One of my days on the island of Koh Tao, I rented a sea kayak and paddled out to some reefs. Unfortunately, it took me four times as long to get back as it did to get there because the wind was so strong. If I stopped for a rest, it would turn my boat around and send me in the direction I was trying to leave. It was miserable. By the time I got back to shore, my hands and jaw were numb and my muscles were shaking. I was ravenously hungry.

For a split second out there, I actually thought it might be better to be sitting in an office. Then I looked around at the beautiful scenery, screamed in frustration and came to my senses.