Southern Gulf Coast of Thailand

After three solid weeks on various islands, I am truly acclimated to the (slow) pace of life around these parts. We arrived mid-morning to Koh Tao and loaded our heavy packs onto our backs for the long walk around town to find accommodation. We looked at probably ten rooms before settling on one a few blocks from the beach, down a dirty alley that alternated between smelling like cat urine and rotten fish. BUT it was cheap. And we had a fan and a tiny trickle of sometimes running water that allowed us to rinse our salt water covered bodies at the end of each day. Sairee Beach on Koh Tao was a breeding ground of new SCUBA divers. Every block advertised Open Water Certification courses or bucket specials that appealed to the same demographic. The beach wasn't as nice as Koh Chang, but the food seemed fresher so we ate lemongrass papaya salad, drank Chang beers, and watched the days roll on. After two days in Sairee Beach we hopped in the back of a pickup truck to investigate the other side of the island and potentially find a new place to lay our heads. We were dropped off in a small village and told that the bungalow we were seeking (which had been recommended to Maddie by a German tourist) was a 20 minute walk down a dirt road. The dirt road turned to a beach walk, and then a major climb with our heavy packs strapped to our back up some stairs that became a trail that became less and less visable and more overgrown as the jungle became thicker. After about an hour of bushwhacking through who-knows-what kinds of poisonous plants, we retreated to the nearest beach and flagged a boat taxi for what we were sure to be a short and shameful ride to our oh-so-close destination. The taxi driver laughed when we directed him to our destination, and promptly overcharged us for a 5 minute boat ride around the corner to a beautiful and secluded white sand beach. We were glad to reach home and scrambled off the longtail boat into the ankle deep water that welcomed us. No sooner had the taxi pulled away from the shore than we saw he had brought us to the wrong bungalow! Exhausted and sweaty, we decided to investigate anyway and were welcomed by the friendliest Thai family that ran the small bungalows in the jungle. We lucked out in acquiring beach front real estate with our own porch and private bay to watch the gentle waves roll in. Later that day we discovered a paved path that lead through a jungle on a 30 minute walk/hike over a few ridges to the nearby town. We bought fresh papayas, lime and a pocketknife to slice them and consumed them leisurely with our $3 bottle of Mung Korn Thai Spirits that we mixed with our fresh fruit shakes after a sunset swim. All was good in the world. On night two at SaiThong Villa we got caught in a downpour after dining at Banana Rock Bar, the first bar we found that played reggae music and hosted a cast of Thai-hippie-rastas. It rained all night and into the next morning. We strapped our packs on, and trudged through the rain on the trail to town. I've never been so thoroughly soaked. I felt my bones pruning up as the rain trailed down my forehead to the tip of my nose and off to the saturated ground below. We treated ourselves to a special croissant and cup of real coffee (no instant Nescafe!) at the local French bakery before hopping on a ferry to Koh Pha Ngan. The ride was only an hour, but the seas were stormy and plenty of tourists were running for the bathroom or rear deck of the speeding boat to let up their breakfasts. We made it through intact. The arrivals pier at Koh Pha Ngan was crowded with promoters heckling us to come to their hotel, jump in their taxi, sign up for their boat tour. We steered ourselves away from the masses and eventually hopped in a truck bound for Haad Salad beach. My Lonely Planet described Haad Salad as "a perfect beach for those too old or cynical for the real party atmosphere of Hat Rin, but who still want to enjoy a happy hour." Bingo. We arrived between downpours and secured a bungalow 20 feet from the beach for a budget price. The shack on stilts is barely large enough to fit the queen sized bed that we share, but boasts its own private bathroom, fan AND a gorgeous front porch equip with side by side hammocks. It was easy to spend the evening gently rocking in our hammocks and enjoying our Thai beer sampler that we picked up at the local mini mart. Late in the afternoon a brief thunder and lightening storm rolled through and we chose that very moment to strip down to our bikinis and run into the ocean for a quick swim. The rain pelted us with huge drops and we were saturated before we reached the warm sea. Submerging our bodies in the warm water was the cleanse we needed after a few beers and a bit of a sickness coming on. As we backfloated in the Gulf of Thailand and the heavy drops battered our bodies, I smiled up at the heavens for allowing me this opportunity, this luck, this chance to travel and to be here now. I am so very blessed.