Blog Thailand 2: the beach







Blog Thailand

Spending a day in dry, 98 degree heat is not worth it; unless you have a glass of sweet Thai ice tea and a crystal clear ocean at your feet.  Aaron and I just got to re-do our ghetto fabulous, sketchy carnival honeymoon cruise to Mexico. We reclaimed our white sandy beaches and coconut smoothies. No more hefty burnt alabamans, instead we were surrounded by crispy Europeans who were as happy as we were to escape their frozen homelands, on the beautiful island of Koh Lanta.

We spent the first couple of days out to sea with a diving company. Aaron took an advanced diving padi course and I got my open water cert. The sealife was so incredible, with abundant coral, thousands of tiny yellow striped fish, and surprises like pufferfish, sea snakes, barracuda, and streamlined schools of trumpetfish. The diving company fed us breakfast and curry for lunch both days and although this was our big splurge of the trip, we saved money on lodging by staying in a hut for around US $11 per night. 

After our diving days, we rented a motorbike for about $7/day and cruised the island. We made it all the way to a quirky resort in the south then stopped in Old Town Lanta, before searching for a hike to the island's waterfall. We met a really cool Australian family with two small children and hiked with them to the trickle of a waterfall. Their son (Harry) loved Aaron and danger and the two explored a bat cave right before the bats flew out to catch their dinner. 

On the way back to our shack of a bungalow, we stopped to get some meds for our stuffed ears. I had a terrible case of the hiccups and was pretty sure the concerned shoppkeeper assumed I had been drinking too much like the rest of he backpackers on the island. She suggested I drink some water, but we had some at our place and I didn't want to make an uneccessary purchase. The hiccups came faster and more furious each time. 

As Aaron was getting money out to pay, the woman said, "what dat in your bag?" I was confused and turned around.

"you stole from my shop!!! I saw you do it!"

I was even more confused and denied it emphatically, offering her my backpack to search. I felt so bad that she had probably been robbed many times from travelers and had no choice but to be paranoid.  I pleaded with her to believe me.

The woman threw her head back laughing as she asked through broken English,"where are your hiccups now?"

Again I was confused, and then I got it. This crazy woman scared away my hiccups! Once my heart started beating again, I thanked her and left laughing at her boldness.
 

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