after the initial shock of not being able to connect to the outside world wore off, we left to continue on with our day.
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goal: find a deserted beach.
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we hopped on the moto outside of the coffee shop and headed to the southern end of the island. after about fifteen minutes, we took two sidestops: the first was to see a waterfall. we trekked down a steep hill in our flipflops, because, well, it was a good idea, until we arrived at the bottom of the hill to find a trickle of water cascading down a few rocks. my best math skills from the gre:
thai waterfall is not equal to american waterfall.
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after we hiked back up the hill, we continued up the mountain to a lookout point.
the view was beautiful, but we stopped long enough only to take pictures. we coasted back down the mountain in search of our little slice of heaven.
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we picked a road that seemed to be parallel to the beach and followed it a few more kilometers (oh god, they've got me!) until we lost track of the water. eventually, we took a dirt road past some abandoned homes that were for sale. this part beats out trekking in flip flops as the second stupidest thing we've done so far--
it looked like the thai mafia could be headquartered here.
instead, it led us to a private resort. same same. but at this point, the sun was coming out and we wanted some beach space, especially after yesterday's rain. we decided to head back to the hostel and lay on lamai. on the way back, i spotted another dirt road, so we thought we'd take it to see where it led. when we finally parked the moto, we watched as the waves crashed on the sandy white beach only five yards in front of us.
and no one else was around.
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we immediately took off our clothes (we still had on bathing suits!) and dove right into the water. the view was phenominal: the water was just as crystal clear as it had been further up the beach, and the sun was shining. we were officially in paradise. we had spotted some large rocks only a few yards away that were perfect for sunbathing. like schoolgirls, we half-jogged over to them with our bag to stake claim and catch some sun. we made the climb to the top of the rocks, ready to tan.
just in time to see the people on the other side. lying outside of their resort.
it was nice while it lasted.
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when it was time to go, we packed up and stopped at the coffee shop to check on the internet again. still down. then we went across the street to our hostel, grabbed our bags, and began contemplating the most difficult part of the day.
we stayed in lamai, point a. it is south of chaweng, point b. across the island from both places is the pier for the ferry, point c. however, to go from our hostel to drop off the moto in chewang, get a taxi to our bags, and then over to the pier would have been ridiculously expensive and time consuming. we had no choice but to take our bags on the bike with us.
did you see the picture in the last post? and how much room was on the bike?
we were definately the spectacle. not one person walked by us while we were trying to figure out the bag situation without laughing. first i tried wearing my bag on the front-- but i couldn't turn the bike. kind of a problem. in the midst of figuring this out, it completely toppled over. i got off of it in time, but it crashed to the ground. oops. then i put on my helmet.
shit. this is such a bad idea.
we tried again. this time, instead of wearing it in front, i put the bag between my legs where my feet would sit. with my knees to the side and my feet hanging off the platform at the bottom, alex sat on the back of the bike-- wearing her bookbag on her front and her dufflebag on her back. she asked me:
"can you move the bike?"
"yes?"
"can you turn the bike?"
"um. yes."
"just go, just get going!"
swerving the handlebars back and forth, we set out.
what a site.
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twenty five minutes later and four shades redder, we turned the bike in. sorry about all of those speed bumps, alex. i'm glad you didn't fall.
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the views from the ferry were gorgeous.
we eventually arrived in surat thani, met up with alex's friend weeks who is going to the monestary with us, and went to dinner.
i finally experienced thai "chili." aka, thai spice.
the dish i got at dinner was "sweet shrimp." one thing we've learned here is that just because it's on the menu doens't mean the restaurant has it. in fact, cut the menu in half. that's generally what's available. and whatever it is you want isn't going to be on the menu. that's pretty much guaranteed.
she told me it would be "chili" (hot). i said, "sweet?"
"yes, sweet and chili."
dammit, wrong again.
proudly, i ate five out of seven shrimp. i barely got through half of my rice. and when i tried to order french fries, the only thing on the menu that could cool down my mouth, they said "sorry, we no french fried."
of course not.
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i ended the night with chocolate ice cream instead.
thailand runs on its own time schedule. by that i mean that ten minutes is generally forty-five and an hour and a half is sometimes closer to two and a half.
this is fact. it's called thai time.
that's why they're buddhists here. they need buddha patience for thai time.
at least i do anyway.
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in front of me, there are two geckos playing tag. they sound like birds chirping.
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ok. take a ten day vacation guys. it's been a long week of reading. go ahead and process that before my cynicism on the monestary.
i'll be sure to keep a day-by-day journal so you don't miss a beat of my oh-so-tactful american reaction to lord-knows-whatever-it-is they tell me to do.
wish me luck. love you all.
Y rae. racho. d.
