We've been settling in a bit here on the island of Koh Lanta. It took a little while for me to get used to the daily humid heat until I fell into a bit of a routine which includes avoiding the sun and exertion during peak hours. I haven't always been good at "relaxing" for too long, but I've mastered it now, much to Jamie's relief. Jamie can function better in the heat and took to the local ways immediately, as you can see in the pictures below.
Jamie found this hammock at our first place and eased right in immediately...
Then we found a bungalow with its very own hammock on the porch! A match made in heaven.
Seriously though, Koh Lanta has a really good mix of everything you could want which is why we've met several people who return here year after year. With bungalows and tree house bunks near the beach and names like Funky Fish, Somewhere Else and Chill Out- who could resist? The beaches are beautiful and each have a distinctive character. There are a lot of good places to eat with very affordable home cooked Thai food and I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about where and what I want to eat next.
Out for a drink with our German friend, Uwe and some locals. Uwe has an fondness for beer, music and motorcycles, needless to say he and Jamie weren't short on conversation. Rush, (yay Canada), was one of his favorite bands, but ironically he was not a fan of his homeland band the Scorpions. Not sure if you can make out the foot high hair do on top of the local artist sitting beside Jamie. He said it was his "woman radar".
Below is a picture of our favorite noodle soup place. It's 2 stalls on the side of the road; the wife makes the chicken or beef soup and her partner sells coffee. It seems to be a local favorite and you can catch a glimpse of their home in the background.
We're working on our chopstick techniques. The owner kept pointing to the spoons in the container on the table. I think he was trying to tell us something. Hmmm... Jamie did have to clean his glasses after eating every time.
One afternoon as I was swinging on the hammock, (yes, I had to twist Jamie's arm for it), and I saw one of the locals hack this fruit off the tree next to our place. Of course, I had to follow him to see what it was. He cut it open and kindly offered me a chunk. He really didn't have a choice, now that I look back at it - what with me hovering over him. For those of you who have tried fresh Jack fruit or "khnun", you know that the sweet morsels are delicious, but your fingers can get Very sticky pulling it out of the shell . It took a while to get my hands clean, but the experience was well worth it.
Finally, I'll leave you with some pictures of our moped travels. There's a winding uphill road leading to a national park here and the views are awesome. The further south you travel on the island, the more secluded it gets. We found some beaches that were nearly empty.
There always seems to be one place that has a band playing in the evening - the bars take their turns, so even if you hear music one night, you likely won't the next night. We've heard some good acoustic music a few nights, but thankfully were no where near the Full Moon party this month. They are very popular though, and a lot of people go.
This is a picture of our full moon party night. Not much of a party, but pretty cool I think.
I'll leave you with a picture of one of the beautiful sunsets.
On a little side note, and after trying to co-ordinate skype at ungodly hours, we've been able to celebrate in the great news that our daughter is now engaged! We couldn't be happier. Congrats Chelsea Leah and Zac!