After about a week in the islands it is time to move north onto Chiang Mai.  I like some time at the beach and the ocean, but after a while ‘many beaches look alike sir’ and I can sense that for Mrs. Columbus and I it is time to move on.

We had dinner with Erica last night to say goodbye and wish her luck with her rock climbing and whatever other adventures she seeks out, but this morning it is back onto the ferry to return to Koh Samui to catch our flight up to northern Thailand.

I must give a shout out to the airport at Koh Samui, it is without a doubt one of the nicest airports I have ever been in.  It is all open air and even the seating areas are remarkably comfortable.  Free WiFi with complimentary drinks and snacks while you wait for your flight makes the couple hour wait for our flight quite civilized.

The flight back to Bangkok is about an hour, and then we have a short 1 hour layover to switch planes and finally another 1 hour flight into Chiang Mai.  As the last flight starts to descend into Chiang Mai, Mrs. Columbus starts to vibrate with excitement over the comfortable feeling of a place that we enjoy returning to and seeing some friends we have made here.  She is drumming her fingers together in that way she does when she is giddy, and the look on her face as we land is what vacations are all about.