I'm writing this from a quiet, backpacker oriented island called Ko Lanta, which is near Krabi on the Andaman side of Thailand. I've been here for 3 days, and am really enjoying how laid-back it is. The locals are lovely and friendly, and the same can be said for the backpackers. It's been nice to be in a non-resort area where people just want to be talk. I met some Thais at a restaurant during my first hour in town, and ended up spending the afternoon with them painting a table.
Yesterday, I rented a motorbike and cruised around the island looking at rice paddies, water buffalo?, and having tea and coffee at various shops to wait out the rain. I met a nice Thai man who told me that I'm lucky to be able to travel, since he works really hard here, but could never afford to have a holiday somewhere else. That was a good reminder, as it's easy to take this all for granted sometimes. And, I was in a particularly crabby mood dwelling on my little problems just an hour before, and needed a reality check.
I drove around a 100 year old town that was the most effortlessly picturesque place that I've visited to this point. All of the houses and a few shops were on stilts, and were above the water during high tide. It was so charming in a very authentic kind of way. I also had a really bomb squid fried rice. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but the food here is incredible. Sometimes I'll see a sign in English that says "Thai Food" and I get excited, forgetting the fact I've been eating Thai food every day for a month.
I'm staying in a bungalow not too far from the beach, and in the evening I have been hanging out at a few cafes on the beach. It's very low key, and quite the contrast to Ao Nang, where I was before.
Ao Nong is a touristy resort town with a beautiful beach also near Krabi. When I was tired of being asked if I want to have a ladies suit tailored up for me, or if I need any designer purses, I took longboats to nearby beaches called Railay or Phranang. Railay beach, as Cori and my guidebook can attest, is spectacular. There are huge limestone rocks and outcroppings (I'm not entirely sure what an outcropping is, but I just feel like this was one). It was extremely beautiful. I took lots of pictures.
While I was reading a book on the beach, a young and small Thai boy asked me if I wanted to buy some pineapple or a drink. I thought about buying a beer from him, but then realized that a) he's 11 (I asked), and b) it was more expensive than the other cold beverages. So, Coke it was.
After I drank my Coke, it started to rain. Here it rains in two different ways. The first type of rain is a drizzly rain, one that stout Washingtonians like myself consider reasonable--rain that wouldn't say, "Stay indoors". The second type of rain is a downpour that causes rivers of brown water to go in places that it's not wanted. The kind of rain that makes a person think that being outside is sacreligious. Remember, it's been flooding here. And, it's the rainy season. So, the post-Coke rain was the second type of rain, and I rushed off with all the other sunburnt white people to the nearest ritzy cafe. I had a good view of the pool at one of the fancy hotels, and the rain gave me plenty of time to consider how bewildering that pool is.
Phra Nang beach was great, as well. There were these amazing rock formations with all different colors and textures. I explored Diamond Cave, scared a few bats, and walked around the island watching rock climbers. At the beach, I learned that some of the monkeys here are pretty low on my list of favorite animals, as their spooky little hands and impolite manners are a big turn off. They're novel, though. At one of my coffee stops yesterday, I saw a monkey in a cage that was, understandably, freaking out. It had zero room to breathe, and was jumping from one side of the cage to the other, biting on the bars and eating it's blanket. It has a depressing life, one can imagine. I don't blame that monkey for being crazy, but I still bear a grudge for the unfriendliness of the wild ones. I also bear a grudge to whatever little rodent or lizard kept me awake last night clamoring on the outside of my bungalow walls.
In the Internet cafe that I'm in a young Muslim boy ithat works here s singing prayers. It's extremely peaceful as a background noise. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the places I stopped for tea yesterday had a TV with VH1 and I saw Britney Spears' video 'Don't Wanna Be the Last to Know'. I stopped hating Britney years ago, and now I tolerate her in a kitsch sort of way. However, that video was just so notably BAD. It was like a car crash that I couldn't look away from. At a different restaurant, they were playing Achey Breaky Heart and Puff the Magic Dragon. :)
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