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.

Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan, Indonesia

fresh off the fastboat - 1 hr. from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan (mushroom bay).

beautiful weather - skies, waters, gentle breeze - very nice.

no idea where we'll stay - we jump in a truck and head to, Tamarind Bay.  driver wants us to stay w/ his friend - even to the point of being pushy - we push back and walk on, turtles in a foreign land w/ too little information.  this turns into a common theme as we're traveling on budget so the places that fit our criteria very rarely advertise online.  we must stay somewhere for 1 night while we scope out the area for subsequent nights.  trouble in Nusa Lembongan turns out to be electricity reliability - which is to say the juice is sometimes on at night, sometimes not.  there even seems to be a pattern to the service but after a few simple hypothesis are tested and disproven, we throw up our arms and adjust our strategies.  without electricity, air con units are worthless and concrete, bunker-esque hotels, are hot - no air flow.

eventually we find Ulu - bungalows built in true Indonesian fashion, 2 stories high w/ balcony, windows for evening breeze, and outdoor shower / bath on the first floor.  not often i get a view of the stars while i'm sudzin' up - what a joy though when it comes my way.

possibly the best sunsets we had in all of Indonesia were on Nusa Lembongan... 

not a great beach for tourists - more of a working beach, from hosting moorings for guiding, fishing, and local ferry boats to giving access to locals transporting their seaweed haul, this slanted beach at Tamarind Bay was buzzing.  surfers come to Lembongan to ride the 3 surf breaks off shore.  they hire local fishermen to take them out to a covered raft near the 2 most popular breaks, "laceration" and "playgrounds."  i get the feeling this area is not for beginners.

waves breaking at breakfast - what a treat!

the oldest / biggest tree on Nusa Lembongan!

we had a blast renting scooters and exploring the islands.  between $4 and $7 gets you a scooter for the day and they go everywhere!  Carly like riding hers into things like walls.  no harm done though and we all enjoyed laughing at her mishaps - nice, supportive, family that we are.

Bintang!  a daily splurge in the evening - hard to avoid, why try?

we loved Indonesia's obsession with architectural decoration - carvings, casts, statues...

no house reef for snorkeling here - half hour by boat to the Mangroves (too silty = bad visibility), then to Nusa Penida (beautiful and clear but cold for the kids - approx. 23 degrees C).

one day we happened upon a funeral ceremony which we observed from the road.  apparently these ceremonies last all week - evident from my attempt to find the local doctor to treat an ear infection.  every time i stopped by, he was "away at ceremony."  i thought maybe this was just a standard dismissal but no so - they clearly attend ceremony often on Nusa Lemongan. 

Gamelan players waiting for the post-ceremony procession through town.

if your family has enough money, you get cremated when you die.  if not, you're buried until there's enough cash to afford the wood, and presumably priests' fees.  umbrellas on every gravestone apparently for added comfort from the midday sun.

dream point, near dream beach - powerful waves nearly swept Basil and Ryan off.  couple scrapes, some angry scoldings by loved ones, and a dead cell phone later, four travelers back on scooters head for trauma therapy - food, beer, & middle of the night contemplation.  nothing keeps a mind engaged in the wee hours like a lesson on human frailty as taught by the indiscriminate might of the sea.

all waves are not equal...

the islands of Lembongan & Ceningan maintain a thriving seaweed farming culture.  they grow, cut, haul, dry, and presumably much more in the way of processing it to produce skin creams & jellies.

moving the harvested seaweed during low tide from the bay in between Lembongan and Ceningan

this young girl looked to be about 15 years old - strong and proud of her task!

wherever there's flat, undeveloped land, there's seaweed arranged for drying...

Kayl and Ryan stay behind for a scooter adventure to Ceningan (fanta, laps in the pool for exercise, and 4x4 rubiks cube lessons…by Kayl of course), Carly and Basil jump on the Dive Concepts (great dive company run by a bunch of competent, friendly, french guys) SCUBA boat to Crystal Bay and Manta Point.  little chilly but worth it for an encounter w/ Mantas!

…and Oriental Sweet Lips

gentle giants glide nearby, unafraid & even curious.

manta rays have feeding grounds & cleaning stations - different depths, different locations...

…and we're off!  to Bangsal, Lombok by fast boat.  Mt. Rinjani looms physically as well as in our thoughts - do kids often climb this massive volcano?  will we find available guides & porters at prices we can afford?  how will the actual experience contrast with the marketing literature?

Kuta beach, Bali

early in the trip, the boys were often spoiled with their OWN twin bed.

hotel Lusa quickly became a favorite of ours.  1) because USA is hidden in the name, 2) it was close to Kuta beach, 3) the pool.  many laps, games of chase, & breath holding contests were hosted in this lovely pool.  breakfast, complete with Bali coffee, always enjoyed poolside.

Basil and Ryan's first attempt at surfing.  we came to discover that many elements of surfing successfully are hidden beneath the surface of this sport.  timing is everything here - from knowing which wave to ride to checking weather conditions / swell reports to determining whether high tide or low tide would yield the most fitting conditions.  let's be clear, surfing is for 20 year olds, ready to risk life and limb for glory and adrenaline.  i'll stick to my snowboard and backcountry freshies!

cold bottles of coke, 10,000 IDRs ($1) / cold cans of bintang, 20,000 ($2): comes w/ free chair rental

Carly and Kayl less inclined to surf after initial experiences - respect for the sea, lesson #1.  Kayl opted for a local Balinese resin tattoo that would last for several weeks before fading.

the finished tattoo...

navigating the streets of Kuta after a fabulous dinner of Nasi Goreng (fried rice with shrimp crackers).  a couple of Chocomuchos (anyone out there share our obsession with these candy bars?) from the circle K for dessert and then a slow walk back to the hotel, keeping an eye peeled for pubs with big TVs and FIFA world cup banners.  kayl and i would later sneak out of our hotel room at midnight to join a mostly crowded bar full of football fanatics.  one half of the bar was watching USA v. Germany, the other half, Portugal v. Ghana.  of course who could resist trying to keep tabs on both games!  i admit the walk back at 2:30am with my naive and youthful fellow football fanatic had me a bit on edge.  the deserted and often darkened streets urged us to keep a brisk step and limit our gaze.

nights 2 & 3, done.

on day 4, we're picked up in a van and driven to the port at Sanur.  4 nasi goreng's please while we wait for the fast boat to Nusa Lembongan…making this up as we go!