Koh Phi Phi and feeling better

Robbie and I are currently at a beautiful deserted resort in Koh Phi Phi called Ao Toh Koh. It’s on the eastern side of the island and feels as if we’re in a different part of the world. The main part of the island is full of people, touristy, and loud. The drinks are expensive and the beaches are mediocre. Here, however, the sand is white, the food is delicious, the rooms are cheap, and there’s only a handful of people staying at our resort.

We arrived here yesterday morning to find monkeys trying to steal coconuts and bananas off of the trees. Our room, a small bungalow with a queen size bed, balcony with hammock, and our own shower was nearly overlooking the ocean. In the small little desk, we placed our books (it’ll be no surprise—the heaviest part of our bags, after our hiking boots, are the 4-5 books we can be found carrying at anytime.) When I went to grab my current read—On the Road by Jack Kerouac—I screamed as a little mouse ran out of the drawer and up the wall!

Going down to the water, we saw two lizards: one was about 6 inches long and an inch wide, a dark brownish green colour; the other was smaller with a something that moved out of his throat, somewhat reminiscent of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park! (I thought so—Robbie thought I was crazy.)

We spent the day lounging on the beach and exploring a nearby deserted resort. Dinner was delicious—a panang curry for me and pad thai (Robbie’s go-to dish). We shared our favorite beer—a Chang—and then played some hearts with a couple of backpackers from England. It was a delightful evening…except going to bed. I was reading up on Angkor Wat (ancient temples in Cambodia) that we plan to visit in about a week and a half. All of the learning—about Buddha, Vishnu, Rama, and how the temples were made, how the empire nearly disappeared, how the temples were raided—I couldn’t stop thinking. My brain wouldn’t turn off for nearly the next hour—it drove Robbie crazy with all of the questions I had. I admit it did get ridiculous at one point. After all of the creatures that we saw crawling through our small little bungalow, I began to wonder what was crawling through it in the nighttime. Robbie, appeasing me, described our bungalow as a lion’s den with us as the lions—who would dare mess with us??!

Today was another lazy day—we stayed by the beach, walked through the water to another resort for a drink, had lunch and dinner, and read our books. We’ll be doing this for the next few days. Dinner tonight wasn’t quite as good—a Thai spicy soup for me and chicken and garlic with rice for Robbie—but it still hit the spot. Our stomachs have also enjoyed the Thai food—much better than the frequent bathroom breaks we needed to take in Vietnam.

Renting a kayak and snorkeling around the island are also on our limited to-do list. We’ve been recovering from our bad luck here and preparing for the next big part of our travels—Cambodia and India. Our flight to India, leaving October 12th, will take us to Kolkata; we’ll quickly head up north to Darjeerling and Sikkim, where we’ll stay for at least 3 weeks. Instead of staying on the tourist road, we’ll be taking the higher one of meditation and yoga.

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