I had to check my calendar just now to
confirm that it was Tuesday. At the moment the days are melding together into a series of
walks on the beach, trips to town (Ban Sala Dan) on the motorbike, shopping for fruit and
vegetables, and conversations with the Thai family who own the bungalows at Palm Beach. It�s
now 6.45 am and although there is plenty of light, the rays of the sun haven�t yet
filtered through the band of strata cloud that sits restively on the horizon during the
wet season in Thailand. I�ve taken a walk on the beach to a small headland and
I�m perched on a rock looking out to sea along Thailand�s South West Coast.
There are five other islands in view, the closest being Ko Phi Phi. We moored there for 3
days on our sail down to Langkawi, about 2 weeks ago. It�s a beautiful island but
sadly development is having a negative effect on the interior as large hotels prevent the
movement of soil, etc.. that would occur naturally.
Back at Palm Beach, the bungalow that is our home is a thatched hut, approximately 4
metres by 5 metres. It has a little porch with 2 hammocks where I spend a reasonable
amount of time. The bed has a mosquito net over it and the owners gave us a fan to use so
it�s just perfect. We came intending to spend a couple of nights and have decided to
stay two weeks.
Being the only ones here we have been well looked after. The lady of the house taught
me to cook fried shrimp yesterday, Thai style. They�ve given us some cooking utensils
to use and an outside camp oven because the restaurant doesn�t operate during the
"off" season. Each evening, the shrimp traps are set, and at about 9.00pm my
husband goes off with our host to check them. We usually get about a third of a bucket.
Today I�m going to make a shrimp curry�.
I�m also learning Thai language - slowly! I�ve learned how to ask for many
things at the market and the locals seem to enjoy my efforts. The other day I wanted a tea
towel. After the shop owner brought me an array of things, including a scourer, washing
detergent and a sponge, and I had exhausted every avenue of description, I laughed and
said "mai pen rai" which means "no problem". The Thai people use this
phrase a lot. |
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