January 26, 2023
The dead cockroach is still there. I must have scared off the lizard.
Today I decided to go to the east side of the island to Thong Nai Pan Yai beach. I rode about 45 minutes across the island, passing 3 elephants and later 2 monkeys holding onto a truck bed 😂 No idea if the driver knows they are there.
Sometimes I feel like I’m in Jumanji when I’m here.
I stopped for breakfast at Pat and Da’s and ordered Pad Krapow with chicken. Delicious. 70 baht. I gave the woman 100.
I parked the scooter near the beach and walked to find out what this area has to offer. It’s a pretty cove, similar to bottle beach, except there is much more trash on the beach. Bottle caps, lids, laundry detergent bottles, straws, automotive bottles, tons of styrofoam bits, etc. lined the entire beach. As I walked I found a few people raking up the trash. It seemed everyone was just starting to come out to do clean up. Not sure if this is a daily occurrence or if yesterday’s storm brought it in.
I found a nice clean stretch in the middle of the beach and setup. I sent a few messages to Yvonne, Diania and Carrie..
Yesterday one of my former Kroger coworkers reached out to me saying they found my blog. He said I have come a long way since taking work calls at kickball games. Yes I have! And I am loving every second I have away from that life!
After a bit I walked the rest of the beach. I found most of the buildings abandoned and the trash even worse. Turned off by this beach, I left and drove up to the nearby waterfall. The driveway was shared by a few homes and an abandoned shop. Never 100% sure if I’m going the right way or if someone is going to approach me letting me know I’m not welcome on private property.
At the end of the drive, next to a woman working on her fruitful garden, there was a small sign that said “Parking.” I must’ve been in the right place.
I walked up a short path to find a perfectly clean waterfall where pipes were rigged to provide the houses below water. I dipped into one of the pools near the top to cool off and enjoyed the waterfall to myself for about 10 minutes.
Afterwards I drove to the other nearby beach, Thong Nai Pan Noi. This one was listed as more touristy, and it was but in a good way. More amenities, all well kept, and a more pristine beach. I only walked the beach to check it out, then decided to drive back across the island and the amenities at my resort. It had a couple nice, calm beaches and a large, refreshing pool. I swam 20 laps which I thought might kill me. Felt good though.
On my way back I stopped for a banana Nutella roti from a roadside stand. I dropped off my laundry at a place in town, then went up to Hemingway’s for dinner. Good scenery but the food was just ok.
Went to another Kirtan gathering tonight. More crowded than last time. Enjoyed it.
