Southern Thailand - Ranong to Krabi

leaving Koh Phayam is difficult - so beautiful here and still an affordable budget destination - by 2025, will probably be developed but we can hope to the contrary.  perhaps the local culture will continue to cultivate cashews and rubber and limit tourism growth.  perhaps its somewhat middle-of-nowhere location will naturally limit popularity.  to anyone who wants gorgeous waves to play in, a wide beach for playing beach or ultimate frisbee, and yummy, modest food options (especially on the middle road from Ao Yai to the main road!), Koh Phayam is all that.  spend a week or a month there...easily.

i don't get to the ocean often enough - makes me feel as though i've lived former lives in tropical climes, existing in simple, lightweight clothing, connected to the waters through fishing and tales of turbulent catastrophe.  nothing like the sea to humble the invincible spirit, raising and steadying one's pulse simultaneously.

we take a fast boat to the Ranong pier and jump into a truck taxi - it's a quick ride to the bus terminal.

7 hours on the bus to Krabi - the bus stops often to pick up whomever wishes to travel in the same direction and has a few baht for a ticket.  Kayl pushes back as several muslim girls in hijabs attempt to share his seat with him.  getting the message, they move elsewhere in search of opportunity.  eventually a seat is vacated and the three of them manage to share it - no doubt they've ridden this stretch before.

Krabi town has hotels, restaurants, nicknack / clothes vendors, a port for boat traffic, and a muslim night market.  due to the muslim influence, there is no beer for sale in the market.  in fact, there's a sign in our restaurant / stall which requests the prohibition of alcohol in their space.  i notice this sign to late however and after being steered to the local 7-11, Carly and i down a couple of Changs with our curry dinners.  my rice and yellow curry adds up to 30 baht whereas the Chang is 35 a can.  (approx. 33 baht to the US dollar - was 42 back in 1999 i recall and from the advancement & organizing i see here, the baht will only be strengthening - not much lethargy in Thailand)

the outdoor food market by the pier boasts Pad Thai and batter-fried mussels with showmanship!

15 minutes by taxi from downtown, we arrive at Tiger Cave.  1237 steps to the mountaintop shrine!  they should have statues of the people who built this monument - they deserve the praise!  i suppose that's the point when it comes to those who receive inspiration from the divine - they put their zeal into their art or architecture for others to witness.  hallelujah!!

thousands of year ago, the cave belonged to a tiger.  then monks and nuns began meditating nearby subtly causing the tiger's eventual relocation.  many places of business in Thailand have a picture of their King dressed to the hilt in elaborate garments and polished medals.  next to this they often display a portrait of a simply dressed, scrawny, and aged monk.  once in a while, they'll have a photo of the King in his youth during his time as a monk, dressed in simple attire but not without his signature specs.

Winter escape to Southern Thailand - Phuket to Koh Phayam

Well we survived the midnight flight from Shanghai to Phuket, arriving at 4am to a near empty airport.  Few taxis to bargain with so we stall and shimmy away from the exit far enough to attract a driver who's bored with the company of his competition.  He lives close to our hotel so he accepts a price half of what the "official" taxi company quotes us.

Rosa greets us at the door with a yawn and a smile.  The room's not ready yet as it's still pre-dawn so everyone but Basil, who composes rhythms on the laptop, decides a poolside lounger is the best available option next to remaining vertical.  Bangtao beach is relaxed and uncrowded; small waves and bathwater temperatures are somewhat less than refreshing after a morning run.

Three nights in Bangtao yields several wonderful memories.  For starters, Kayl turns eleven during our stay here so we do something a little different and sign up for a two hour zip line adventure in the jungle, the longest ride being 400 meters and about 30 seconds of flight!  Then there's the minnow spa, something we first witnessed without trying in Vietnam.  You sit on a bench for ten minutes while dangling your legs into a tank filled with hundreds of little fish who nibble quite veraciously at any dead skin they can find.  For the first two minutes the sensation is overwhelming.  Carly howls, Kayl bears it, Basil flails around avoiding critter contact before pulling the parachute after a minute or so.  I manage to make it through while surprised at the intensity of the experience.  Afterwards our legs and feet feel like baby skin.  

A final memory of mine of Kayl's birthday would be the buffet breakfast we indulged in at the Best Western on the beach.  When everyone in the family is happy, even if only for an hour, it's such a relief.  Raising kids is a wonderful experience but never without mediation, discussion, and education present.  A delicious meal with options for everyone, not to mention coffee at the ready, is satisfying from many angles.

Almost forgot to mention our nightly soccer rendezvous on the beach.  Wherever we travel, Kayl and Basil demonstrate their knack for disregarding social anxieties if the possibility of joining a local match exists.  The puddles of sea water make for interesting strategy as does the rising tide!

I arrange a driver to take us north to the pier at Ranong.  We'll take a 2 hour ferry from there to Koh Phayam.  The driver invites his wife along for company and we ride in style in his rather spacious 6 seater SUV.  Arriving 14 minutes before the ferry pulls away, I'm happy to be on the water and starting the next leg of our adventure.

We arrive in Koh Phayam and jump on the back of 4 motorbikes which taxi us to Lazy Huts bungalows, a very chill assortment of rooms and bungalows with fantastic lounging options on the southern end of Ao Yai (translation: "beach south").  The beach is wide and flat which makes it wonderfully suited for soccer, ultimate frisbee, running, yoga, and during low tide, a travel corridor for scooters to access the northern end of the beach in minutes.  Koh Phayam grows and harvests cashew nuts and rubber; the latter evidenced by cups hanging off trees like maple syrup pails catching the milky white raw rubber.

Kayl and I sculpt a new creation daily, finding the sand ideal for this purpose.

Koh Phayam is very relaxed.  No worries other than finding accommodation during peak season which proves more difficult than anticipated.  Prices are two to three times low season rates but that still doesn't keep local resorts from filling up.

Frisbee is a daily passion - especially after meeting Giovanni and Louisa from Hong Kong.  They play Ultimate 2 to 3 times a week and inspire Basil and Kayl profoundly.  The 6 of us play 3v3 in the sand on a "mini" court and plunge into the surf after Basil makes the winning, diving catch.

Some lessons are not learned best hands on - like, letting a dog's owner negotiate frisbee removals.  In the end the dog only relented by accepting another frisbee - which broke when he chomped down on it!

The surf proves to be one of our favorite phenomenon.  From kayaking to bodysurfing (which I finally figured out - it's all in the timing and a few strong swim strokes) to feeling a wave's energy by letting it knock you around (kids' top pick), the surf keeps us coming back for more.

Snakes, frogs, lizards, rats, cockroaches, spiders, mosquitos, flies, etc. - they clearly live here also.  The lack of fancy shmancy resorts on Koh Phayam means accepting some bonding with the local microfauna.  Mosquito netting is a must!

Toes sensing the slip of the sand underneath.  A warm breeze across the ears on an otherwise silent beach.  Pad Thai, Panang Curry, and Chang beer awaits - no hurry though since you've been snacking on cashews and dried bananas to avoid the physical exertion of seeking a table.

All is well with the world.