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Published: December 28th 2012
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A typical fun-filled dinner
Dean and Eleanor were in fine form, as usual. This island is very popular with the Scandinavian set; in particular, those of the Swedish persuasion. Now, ordinarily I would find the idea of holidaying on an island with bikini-clad Swedes horrific (Dean 's idea of heaven), however this is a family destination. More Frida than Agnetha and a few grandparents in tow meant we weren't obvious interlopers. In fact, Eleanor could easily have been mistaken for one of their offspring. Limping around on crutches limited our activities somewhat, but we tried to make the best of an annoying situation.
Hiring a car, we drove around the island admiring rubber plantations, a sea gypsy village and views along the coast. Lunch in the old town provided us with an opportunity to sit beside the sea and admire a magnificent vista of nearby islands.
The best pad Thai, so far, was eaten at the laundry across the road for a mere 35 Baht ($1!). Another tasty meal was had at a Halal cafe a few doors away. Again, really cheap and full of those zesty contrasting flavours.
Christmas Eve was spent at a nearby resort where we were treated to a smorgasbord of Thai and European foods. Not quite the Swagman, but
Hobbling around
Seven days on an island - and no swimming allowed! A nightmare. the assortment of dishes was appreciated. Entertainment included an acoustic guitarist singing an 'interesting' array of tunes from the 1960s. Some Thai dancing followed, which provided a local flavour to the festivities. Another guitarist then graced us with his presence, butchering classic 1970s songs along the way. Hardly recognisable, his interpretations were thankfully cut short with a brief power outage. Skinny santa paid a visit, handing out party favours and the night concluded with a fantastic display of fire twirling.
Luckily Santa has been following the blog and paying attention, so he filled our stockings with some lightweight goodies. Eleanor had a lovely surprise when Dean took her downstairs and surprised her with a scooter he had hired the previous night. They spent the morning easy riding and stopped for, in the words of Dean, the best ice cream he has ever had.
Technological problems have plagued us and we became very good mates with a young man who fixed the ipod and Samsung with a smile. The Internet connection at the hotel was very slow, unreliable and expensive, so we resorted to a couple of quick visits to our friendly travel agent and used her high speed
On our balcony at Koh Lanta
Passing the time as an invalid - very Rear Window. connection for 1 Baht a minute!
The stitches were removed on Christmas day, so Eleanor was able to have her first swim in the afternoon. Dousing the wound with some waterproofing agent in a can, Eleanor spent some quality pool time before sunset. Meanwhile, Dean had a man date with a handsome Swede. Little did he know what he was getting into when he agreed to a swim in the ocean. This Swede was into long distance ocean swimming, so Dean found himself on a marathon course to a group of rocks he could not see in the distance.
The weather was generally overcast for most of the week but luckily the rains came when we were sleeping. Overall, we had a very relaxing time although we were ready to move on by the sixth day.
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Jeannine
non-member comment
Hello
Hi Jane, Dean and Eleanor, Wishing you a belated Merry Christmas but a very happy new year! We'll miss you this year. Not actually sure what we are doing, I'm thinking of boycotting and staying home with Harry Anyway Koh Lanta sounds great and its good to hear that Nornor is back in the swim. Looking forward to the next blog. Jeannine