Khanom, Thailand; and the Beautiful Solo-Honeymoon
8 Oct
Khanom is the Thailand you imagine. White sand beaches, some resorts, some huge hotels, but mostly just open empty land laden with rocks to climb, shells to collect, shade to sleep in, and clear clean water to swim in. Most tourists are from two different classes: class one: the resort couple wining and dining and spending their hard earned cash on a two week vacation… and class two: the english teacher working in Nakkon or Surat who camps out on the beach and spends as little as possible.
Obviously, I’m usually a second class citizen. But on a solo-honeymoon one must treat oneself as one wishes their loved ones to treat them. So I pampered. I cycled the 100K to Khanom. It was hot, the road was busy with traffic (cough cough), and the wind was attacking me from the front directly the entire way. The palm trees bent towards me beckoning me, taunting me with the power of air, but somehow I managed. I actually rode 4 km with no hands! (Look mom, no hands!) I suppose my balance is getting better.
I spent the next two days laying in the sun, learning to spin two tennis balls on strings, reading Irvine Welsch, studying Thai, and other general beach things like collecting seashells, playing in the sand, crawling over rocks, and swimming. The water was crystaline. I felt like I was in a big bowl of body temperature jello, and floated for a lot time.
My first day I had this terrific idea. My idea was that in order to get rid of my terrible cycling tan lines, I must only put sunscreen on the tanned body parts. Let the rest burn, baby. (What was I thinking?) I felt the sunburn start as the sun descended into the mountains opposite the coast. Oooh, my skin hurts, I thought. The following day I was sunburned, but no worse than a typical Jersey first-summer-beach-day. To help my burn heal, I laid my chair in the shade of a lovely big tree and passed out for a few of the hottest hours of the day on my tummy. I awoke to a searing sensation on my legs. Time for a swim. The water was so painful I almost went to tears. What’s going on here? I forced myself to cool my hot skin off and went back to my room. The following morning, day of departure, I couldn’t bend my knees upon waking. The back of my knees were so swollen that I had to peg-leg it up the stairs. Then the blisters started. PUSTULES erupted on the back of my legs. Get ready! 100k back to Nakkon… , Somehow I talked myself into it. I made the 100k with ease (thankfully, with the wind at my BACK! Haha, palm trees! I win!) Five hours later I found myself in the air-conditioned safety of my lovely apartment. Plants were almost dead, ants had just about taken over the room, but home-sweet-home nonetheless.
Explanation of the 1st degree burns: THE SHADE. Shade burns, dudes. I slept in the shade, and burn-on-burn, I crisped like some rotisserie chicken skin. (ew.) It’s still healing (two weeks later.) It took me four days to walk properly, and a week to start peeling. THE PEELS. Oh maa-a-a-a-a-an. What did I learn from this lovely experience?
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR EFF’IN SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MRumianowski
duh, lis. I could have told you that. SUNSCREEN!!!
That place looks amazing though! So peaceful an relaxing. And you look happy!
You’ll pay for this later in life–like in 20 years when you are wrinkled beyond belief and/or if you have skin problems like your momma… forewarned is forearmed. Never too late to apply sunscreen.
I absolutely love the solo-honeymoon. Clever idea. biking with the wind is a vacation in itself… except with swollen sunburnt legs.
Ahhh sunburn… always good times, even in paradise I bet.
As usual darling, lovely pics. Hopefully one day I’ll get to see someplace like this first hand. Be safe!
Aahh Melissa….Reminds me of the time when I fell asleep in an inner tube, floating down the Delaware……and four hour later, the worst burn on my shins you could ever imagine. The blisters were four inches long and two inches wide on each shin! I couldn’t walk for one whole week.
Try to remember the sunscreen. Your life will be more enjoyable if you do.
Have fun, take care, and keep rockin the boat for your generation. Non-conformity-Yay.
Uncle Dave
Hi Melissa…KEEP MOVING…..!!!
I want to travell as you do!!!
OMG – Christmas here I come!!
PS I’m like the biggest stickler on sunscreen. I mean I did live in Arizona afterall!