So I left Ko panghan by ferry in the late morning. The sky was wicked and dark, and it was only a matter of WHEN it was gonna rain. Of course half way to Ko Samui the clouds opened up and dumped bucks of cool refreshing rain. When I arrived in Samui, the ground was covered in a good three inches of water, roads included (their goes my idea of hiring a motorbike). So I finally gave in and paid a taxi driver 100 baht to take me to Boa Phat (which is only the next beach away). He dropped me at a place that I had reserved for the following night...I took one look at it and walked out the door (no way was I staying there one night, let alone two). So I wandered "fisherman's village" which I think more accurately should be names Spa Central! The prices were astronomical! Beautiful places, but...I know I am on holiday, but speaking of holidays, I need money to buy gifts and such, so nope. After lugging my pack up and down the muddy road for an hour I finally gave into a taxi bike, and had him take me to Chaweng for 60 baht. He took me to a guesthouse, accross from the beach. Nothing fancy, but clean with hot water, and for 600 baht (well more then I have been paying, yet still much less than Boa Phat) it would do. I roamed the streets aimlessly. HEAPS of foreigners, therefore everything was twice the price of anywhere else in Thailand, it took me 10 minutes in the street to know I would be leaving Ko Samui the next day. For dinner I went around the corner and down the street from the main tourist strip, and found the perfect dinner. Papaya salad and a pineapple shake (total bill 70 baht), now that is what I am talking about! I paid for my trasfer ticket to Krabi, was told to meet at 6:20 am, so headed straight to bed. Bright and early I met up with my taxi bus (seeing the night life stragglers eating soup, or staggering back to their hotels), yep, definately won't be missing this place. The taxi bus took me to a bus that got on a ferry, that got off the ferry and drove to Krabi, total trip time about 4 hours. The ferry was nice, and made me miss home a bit. Though the ferries at home aren't totally open air, and they don't serve lobster flavored chips, or pasteries filled with meat. Most of the travellers on the boat were Israeli (again...how do they have so much holiday?) The bus ride was quite interesting. There were 8 more people than seats, which ment they sat in the ailes, which ment the bus was that much stuffier, but that is one of the adventures of travelling. Just getting off the bus in Krabi was like paradise. The bus station was clean, they had cool bottled water and ice cream, what else could one ask for. A man asked me if I would like to stay on the beach in a bungalow outside of Krabi city? I specified that it must be clean and free of bugs, he assured me yes...and for 400 baht, plus a ride to the bungalow, I was sold. Pine bungalows were perfect, and changed my loss of nostalgia feeling. They were concret, pained white, so had a very crisp clean feel to them. The bed was a bit hard...then again, all thai beds are (sigh, yeah my bed will feel SO good when I get home!). There were a few couples, and a family staying there. Friendly people all full of smiles and hellos. The owner of the place was greatful, and full of pranks anything to make you smile. A few of us sat on the beach soaking up the end of the days rays, and watching the sunset.
Steve, a bloke from the UK, was going into Ao-Nang to pick up laundry, and wanted to know if I needed to go to town. (The bungalow is quite secluded, they had a restaurant...but sometimes it is nice to see a new place). So I hopped on the back of the motorbike, and let the wind dry my hair. It was after night fall (obviously), and the scenery was stimulating. The land is much different down south. Large rock formations, randomly strewn about. At first they were a bit haunting, these large ominous objects, but that feeling slowly changed to intrigue. To see the huts that people call home. Some just plastic walls and hammocks hanging inside. Others Bamboo structures missing walls, and no furniture for that matter...yet theirs shoes were lined up nicely outside. Ah, the lure of other cultures. We arrived in Ao-Nang, once again a large tourist place, but a much different feel than Samui. It is clean and well organized. There are little shop stalls on the streets, but not so many that you feel klosterphobic. There is thai restaurants as well as western ones. Some expensive, some thailand value. There is a bit of everything here, or should I say something for everyone. (Dad, if you were to come to Thailand I would recommend this region as a must for you). Steve really wanted a steak (which isn't served at the resturant at Pine), so we ate at a restaurant in Ao-nang. Steve is quite a character, think pirate, no joke! He was quite animated and spoke with one of his eyes closed and face scrunched to one side much of the time, but good for a laugh and converstation. Woke up to a wonderful bowel of Muslei, hired a car to Ao-nang, said goodbye to the owner (he wiped away fake tears, as I blew him a kiss), and so now here I sit. I need to catch a boat to Railey Beach, where I have booked accomidations for the next two nights. My understanding is that Railey is the perfect place to end your holiday in Thailand (too bad I have to fly back to Bangkok to get home). I plan on doing some (half day) rock climbing...sniffel, goodbye fingernails, and some more relaxing. I will admit that I do feel abit lazy, and look forward to a good workout induced sweat, rather than this humidity induced sweat. Less then a week and I will be back home. Home. Yes I do miss it, and no not just my bed. Believe it or not, I look forward to enjoying a hot shower, and putting on a warm sweater and hearing the sound of the endless rain. Ah, life is grand, either way you look at it.
