Island Life

We have no sort of chronological system of writing our blog it seems lately, so please don't mind us.

The inevitable tourist thing is bound to happen every now and then and we ended up on an island designed for "farung."  Luckily our arrival was accompanied by my host father in his Pepsi truck, who took the better part of the entire day to not only drive us to the ferry landing, but to take his truck across it and drive around to find the "perfect" spot for us to stay!  Such an honorable man. In all our attempts to distance ourselves from the craze of tourist shopping and bar scenes we had quite a success.  A little bamboo bungalow became our extremely inexpensive home on a quiet and lonely stretch of beach.  Nothing like rolling over on a calm morning under the softness of mosquito netting to see the ocean through a crack in the wall.  Perfect.

 We rented a "motorcycle" for about $6 for the entire day and explored the western half of the island up and down.  The roads were unlike anything we've ever experienced and I remember constantly panicking at a 'careful yet thrilled' Corey on the roller coaster ups-and downs and unexpected hairpin turns.  We found ourselves on a back road so muddy and full of potholes Corey actually did a gentle crash into the ditch, so we continued down the path on foot.   To our delight at the end of the road was another quiet and lonely beach.  On the return desert-haze-of-a-heat-wave sort of day, we ran across a small man with a 30 foot bamboo pole with a hook on the end for knocking out coconuts from trees.  We saw opportunity and took it.  Next thing we knew, Corey, bamboo pole in hand, pulled down our very own coconut!  What a memory with the sort of 'working class' Thais who never once crossed paths let alone had such an interaction with foreigners!  To our delight, the small man pulled down another coconut and machete chopped off the tops like nothing!  Refreshed as can be, covered in coconut juice, hopped back real good'n'muddy on the "motorcycle" buzzing through the small outer villages on the most beautiful sunny day one could imagine.

Coincidences are too much sometimes.  One evening the two of us were getting ready to enjoy another stunning island-vibe sort of sunset while sipping on a delicious 'round-the-world' liqueur from my Aunt Barb (from S.Africa->Texas->Michigan->Thailand) when, what do you know, a SAILBOAT was ANCHORED right in front of our bungalow! I mean, it couldn't have been more precise of a location.  Sailing yachts aren't a sight I've ever experienced in Thailand, what is meant to be is always meant to be. 

We journey on as wayfarers.  Taking the road by foot whenever humanly possible.  Even if that means being drenched in sweat, with blisters scabbing off in the humidity, in all the intensity of the sun....we walk.