Day 42 - Saturday, March 26 - Ko Lanta

Nobody really cares what time I woke up so just assume I did.

First things first. I packed up all the "stuff" I don't want to lug around any longer, including that stoooopid elephant I bought on Phuket, clothes I'm not wearing, some souvenirs, etc. and found the Post Office on the other side of the island. I packed a nice 9kg box and sent it via EMS (whatever that is) home. I'm now traveling 20 pounds lighter and I feel re-born. I can't wait to put that pack on and not feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I'm now down to a roomy pack and my day pack rather than a stuffed pack, a day pack and a shopping bag of souvenirs and crap that didn't fit into either of the 2 forementioned packs.

Another beautiful morning on Lanta and I then took my usual ride into Sala Dan. The ride is still fun but as gross as ever as the dusty dirty roads are still such. The trucks whiz by and leave a cloud of dirt and kick tiny pebbles in your face and there are periods of time where the visibility is zero. One day, if I stay any longer, I'll find myself driving either onto incoming traffic or off the side of the road. I'm also tired of having to wash every article of clothing when I get back from Sala Dan.

Hence, therefore, ergo.......I realized my time on Lanta must come to an end. I'll break the news to the gang and move on. On Monday morning, I'll board a boat to Krabi and from there end up on Rei Ley Beach and then maybe Ko Poda. After that, maybe Ang Thon National Marine Park for a day and off to the Gulf to Ko Pha Ngan. Of course, these plans will change a few times before they come to fruition.

Back at Miami, I took a swim, sat and played in the sand as if I was 6 years old again, and threw the frisbee with Barry and Nathan for a bit. I took a little snooze and then sat on the porch for a little bit. I'm missing my hammock here at Miami as the porch's have no supports or cross beams to hang it from. I'll definitely make a note of that on my "comment card" along with fixing my toilet so I don't have to reach into the back tank to lift the flap each time I need to flush. Does anyone know where I even get a "how did we do" card at Miami? I'm not sure they really care "how they did".

The sun was starting to drop and when this happens, you know what follows. Katie and Dave's porch became sunset central and today there was an added bonus. Matalie came over with a spread of cheese, crackers, bread, and some slices of mystery meat. We enjoyed our snacks, drank Gin and Tonics and Singha (the new beer of choice for some) and watched as the sun quickly dropped out of sight as it began to light up the Northern Hemisphere.

After it was dark, Dave, Katie and I (is that proper) went to some local little restaurant in "town" (our town, not Sala Dan) for dinner. It was cheap, local, and good!

After dinner, we met Natalie, Barry, Nathan and Aisha at Otto's for a little game of pool before they watched the England / Ireland soccer match. They couldn't find the game on the satellite so they went to Blue Moon and I went home. My bed was screaming my name as another strenuous day in Paradise had taken its toll on me.

Note: Natalie and Nathan are brother and sister from London. Barry is Nathan's childhod friend. Nathan moved to Thailand 7 years ago and met Aisha, a beautiful Thai massage therapist who now works at the massage hut at Miami. Natalie came to visit Nathan 5 months ago and has been here ever since. Barry spends winters in Thailand as he has a landscaping business back in England during the summer.

There you have it, you now know all the gang.