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The problem with paradise beach is that it is very distracting. I mean, there I was planning to tour most of the island when I got to a dead end. The Monstrosity and I looked up the hill - narrow partially paved track into the jungle and a sign, worn and unclear, that indicated that Paradise Beach was 1.4 k ahead. I slid The Monstrosity in to gear and started up the hill.
Now, for those of you (Robin, Baz, Jenny and others) that have gone off-roading with me, it can be an adventure. Just a few months ago Jenny and I ended up in the middle of BC, Canada with a flat tire as a result of a little 4X4 adventuring in our rented Jeep Commander®.
Anyway, this trip was no exception, it was an adventure. The road climbed steadily up hill into the jungle with the vegetation getting thicker and thicker around me. I then arrived at an unmarked fork in the road. With no idea which way Paradise Beach was, I turned left and headed downhill. Big Mistake. After about 300 meters I found myself descending down a hill that was so steep that applying the
Paradise Beach Air Force M28
They swoop in in stealth mode, land and attack! (Art, my Macro Lense....) breaks barely slowed my descent at all - I had flashes of abandoning The Monstrosity in a flying leap (as my father knows full well I would be prepared to do since I nearly did it once in the mountains north east of Vancouver) when I managed to bring The Monstrosity to a halt. Now there was a new problem - how to get back up the hill. I tried in reverse, no go what-so-ever. Every attempt to go back up the hill resulted in a net loss. So, as I sat there imagining the very long walk back to Patong to beg for help, the Paradise Beach Air force showed up (see inserted picture). They took me to pieces as I had not prepared for an aerial assault. These mosquitoes were very reminiscent of the ones you might find in northern Canada - they are large, aggressive and have banded legs that make them look, well, intimidating.
This aerial attack gave me pause for thought as I sat and sweated buckets. Did I really want to try walking out of the jungle with the PBAF attacking me, or run out in the oppressive heat? No. I wanted to
The Monstrosity in the Jungle
Okay, I set this up with a timer, but still... drive out. I did a 217 point turn to get my jeep facing up the hill, got the wheels onto hard ground and went for it. With mud spraying everywhere, mosquitoes scattering and leaves bashing my window I managed to get up the hill and on the move - what a relief.
Arriving back at the fork in the road I took the other fort and easily found my way to Paradise Beach. Is it possible that the relief I was experiencing has affected my judgement about the beauty of Paradise Beach? Yeah But No (to quote Vicky Pollard).
Paradise beach is a small privatish beach with one small restaurant (outstanding fruit ‘shakes’ and fruit salad). There are beach chairs which Chaz (see previous article for definition of Chaz) will explain you must use since “no lie on beach without chair”. (If you really want to lie on the sand, no not you Steph, you can walk to the far left side of the beach which really is private and do what you like.)
In the middle of the beach there are a bunch of trees with branches that overhang the water with (yes Nick, this is
for you) a swing attached! You can run, jump and swing out over the water! It is tremendous fun.
The beach is nice, but the reef starts only a few feet from the waters edge so getting in and out of the water is a bit trickery. On the plus side of this though is that there is good snorkelling just off shore from the beach.
By the way, if you have not rented a bike (I hope not!) or a car, I think you can hire a ‘longtail’ to take you from Patong Beach to Paradise beach or simply get a taxi from Patong - this should not be hard since, on average, a taxi will offer you his/her services around once every seventeen seconds.
The best part of Paradise Beach is the quiet. It is still very clean with many crabs and other sea life around.
As I sat on the beach my IPOD queued up an Eagles song that made me think.
“You call some place Paradise; kiss it good-bye.” - The Last Resort (Eagles)
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Nick
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cool to engrave a little "Eric was here"
I think it would be cool to engrave a little "Eric was here" on the little mobile home. Or maybe an http://idtag.info URL on him... Oh yeah, we haven't finished that site yet. Nick Edmeades on the Road