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Lanta Beach at Sunset
A local family of three passed in front as i was photographing the sunset. their sillouettes added a nice touch. leaving the relaxed atmosphere of Pai was difficult but time was running out. from chiang mai i took a night train to bangkok. i walked around downtown bangkok and rode the elevated monorail and metro just for fun. both were very nice but stayed in the business district. after a couple parks and a mall i caught another night train to surat thani, where at 5am i was herded onto a bus that i was told went to krabi. this was a mistake. we were all captives of this particular transportation company. everyone on the bus was dropped off in an isolated area where we were separated by our several destinations and made to wait for this company´s buses to come. after another redistribution of passengers all the while being kept from other transportation possibilities, i finally made it to krabi town hours after i had planned. i walked to the docks and asked around for prices but phi phi was popular and expensive. julie and her friends had been diving around phi phi. i found a boat that would take me. i had no idea how i would find julie and her friends. i hadnt known what day much less
Snorkeling in Phi Phi
this is the island where they filmed 'the beach' what time i would make it to phi phi when i first decided to go.
i walked around and asked prices for guesthouses and eventually settled for a nice little place in the muslim section of phi phi. i left my bags and walked around the tourist packed island. i found an expensive internet shop and told julie that i was on the island. as luck would have it i was walking past julie´s guesthouse just as she was walking out with her friends. i heard her calling from behind me and turned to find maybe the first face i recognized in thailand.
we watched a video of their scuba adventures and then i joined them on their way to the beach for drinks. i was introduced to julie´s thai friend, Gig , Gig's boss's son, george, and julie's kickboxing partner, brian. after drinks we headed to the center of the island to watch some thai boxing. they ordered more drinks as we watched the spectacle. quick kicks, speedy punches, knees to the ribs. they were pros but it seemed kinda staged. after the fight the boxers walked around letting people have their picture taken with them and
Snorkel Galore
another Snorkel spot on phi phi. one of three boat stops. expecting tips for the pics and the fight. workers walked about with big signs advertising a bucket of alcohol to anyone from the audience that would take the ring. it was realistically more entertaining than the clean seemingly staged fights by the pros. two girls took the ring. it was hard not to watch. two more pros took the ring. brian decided he was going to fight julie was the coach in his corner. he ended up with some free alcohol and a black eye. we stopped for a bite to eat. after making plans to meet in the morning, i said goodnight to julie and her friends and headed to my section of the island.
the next morning we had some breakfast and booked a boat to go snorkelling around the island where they filmed 'the beach'. the snorkelling was absolutely magnificent. the coral was good and the fish were amazing. all shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. we snorkelled at 3 or 4 different places and visited a beach that was overrun with monkeys.
after showering at their dive school. we got some lunch and headed to the dock to take a 2 hour ferry to koh
Julie and Lanta Sunset
sunsets and sillouettes lanta. if phi phi is for college kids lanta is for families. koh lanta is a big island with a large muslim population. pork is not common. everything is more spread out. its much more relaxed.
a friend of Gig's from Lanta picked us up at the dock. we found a little place on the beach. and walked to find dinner. gig´s friend drove us to a bar that was dead, but we stayed for a drink anyway.
the next morning julie and her friends booked an elephant trek. i had some kind of moral dilemma with it not knowing the elephants, the trainers, or the situation so i rented a scooter for $7 a day. i rode all around the island. i almost died once or twice(they drive on the left side of the road). we hung out on the beach the rest of the day. sunset was beautiful. we walked(i rode my scooter) to a nearby restaurant. we all spent most of the night sitting on cushions on the beach. the stars bright in the heavens and waves crashing on the sandy shore. the alcohol was being served to my new friends in buckets. you generally
Scooter Coffee
i found this little coffee hut overlooking a farming valley that stretched to the ocean. islands in the distance. order a bucket and share it with friends.
i reluctantly surrendered my scooter in the morning and we took a pickup truck to the docks. we took a ferry to Ao Nang. Julie and her friends were taking a plane to bangkok. i headed to the bus station for another night on the bus. so many night buses. when i got to bangkok i headed to khaosan road as it has the cheapest lodging in bangkok, for my last night in thailand. i took in the sights and sounds, the bright glaring lights, the calls in choppy english to buy something. i ate from street vendors and turned down sweet chicky boom boom. i repacked my bags for air travel and headed to the airport early the next morning. back to kauai but i had forgotten why.
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