Noodles, Massages, and Curries, Oh My!

Touched down in Thailand and culture shock hit us like a brick wall!  The airport in Krabi was crowded, unorganized, and not exactly the beacon of efficiency.  Walked outside the terminal and everything was magnified ten fold.  Found our driver quickly and somehow managed to communicate despite the language barrier.  

The one-hour drive down to Koh Lanta was quite the eye opener....  motor bikes absolutely everywhere- many with way too many riders piled onto a single bike with babies and children (and not a helmet in sight), Muslim school girls returning home from classes busy with their cell phones and selfies, and monkeys freely crossing the road (not to mention other

Thai Smiles Bungalows

livestock).  Everything seemed a bit more primitive than I was expecting.  We pulled up a side road and arrived at our destination.  It was an small oasis compared to the surroundings.  Welcome to Thai Smiles Bungalows!  Dave and his wife Lek welcomed us to their little piece of paradise and took us under their care for the next week.

Dave and Lek, our hosts

Lek, a five-star chef, prepared all the meals and nursed Nathan back to health after his food poisoning episode in Singapore, with their soups and carefully spiced (as in not spicy) Thai dishes.  They then began to introduce more spices into our meals, recommending dishes they felt would be to our liking.  There are only six bungalows and so they got to know each of their guests and we got to know them and all the other guests.  Dave recommended places to go, rented us a motor bike for the day with instructions on where to go, what to see, and where to stop and eat while

Old Town Lanta

touring the island.  We visited Old Lanta on the other side of the island, where we ate fresh fish in a restaurant on stilts over the water. We saw local villages and schools, quiet little bays for swimming, monkeys on the road by the National Park and on the beach (yes, they are watching YOU and have a great interest in your backpack and what it might contain, just waiting for you to step away and into the water.........), gasoline sold in empty coke and whiskey bottles along the side of the road, mosques and various temples along the roadside, and panoramic views from the mountainsides.

monkeys everywhere!

We asked Dave about Thai massages and he recommended a place down the road where he goes. And WOW!  It was an hour of pain, stretches, pulling, pushing, and pounding for 400 Bhat ($15.80 US) and we walked out feeling like new people.  Went back two days later for a repeat massage.  They released muscles I didn't even know I had...

Our mornings consisted of slowly getting up and having breakfast in one of the quaint lanais of our little resort, then a walk along the beach to our favorite spot to cool down in the clear, calm sea.  Rest in the afternoon (except on massage days), back to the beach at 6:16 for a dazzling

dining pavilions

sunset, then returning to see what special Lek prepared for dinner that evening.  Chatting with the other guests (or Dave if he wasn't busy serving dinner to the other guests or diners from off the street, then a good book or work on upcoming travel plans, followed by a peaceful sleep to the sounds of birds, frogs, and whatever else lurks in the jungle beyond our balcony.  Copy, paste, repeat.......

Dave also took care of our laundry (first time giving it to someone else.....a big deal for a control freak like myself) but it came back clean, no colors ran, nothing fell apart, and folded!  We also had Dave book our ferry tickets on our last full day in Koh Lanta for Phuket the following morning, and he got back to us several hours later that we were booked at his bungalows for another night and we were not scheduled to leave yet......we totally lost track of the days and thought it was Wednesday when it was only Tuesday.  Funny, that never happened when we were working.  I know there were days when it was Thursday and wished it was Friday, but never did we actually lose track of what day it was!  They say when you retire, everyday is Saturday.  Yeah, it kinda is..........

Our Southern Thailand (Koh Lanta and Phuket) adventures..