Death by coconut!
Seriously, it’s a real concern here…those things fall out of the trees like bombs, and they do it often! It would sure be an embarrassing way to go…
Despite the many “dangers,” I am still loving every minute here. On Saturday morning my housemates and I took a walk down to Rawai beach to find someone to take us to an island, preferably Ko Phi Phi. We had already been through a couple of rainshowers, but that wasn’t going to deter us! “Johnny” was the first guy to wave at us, so we asked him about Phi Phi and he said no, the waves were way too big and wind far too strong for his longboat (basically a long wooden plank boat with a small motor on the back). He said that he would take us to Coral Island plus one other island for 1000baht total (roughly $7/person) – we were sold.
We were blessed with great weather for the 45 minute ride out, and enjoyed blue water, hundreds of lush islands in the distance and plenty of sun. We got to the island and were the ONLY foreigners on the beach – the only other people were Thai food staff and boat guys. It was great, and the place was absolutely stunning – the water blew away what I’ve seen of the Bahamas. The nice weather lasted a good hour, giving us some good tanning and swimming time. Then the storms started rolling in…
You could see the islands start disappearing one by one as the rain moved towards us, and everyone ran for the covered eating area. We, of course, decided that it’d be a good time to go snorkeling! There were some cool fish and Raina found some Oakleys, but overall it was pretty murky due to the rain and we couldn’t get out to see the reef or anything.
We finally gave up and went to eat and wait out 4 or 5 five more storms before Johnny decided that it was okay to leave. I was more than a bit apprehensive, but figured (prayed!) that he knew what his boat could handle. It took a good ten minutes of being sent airborne over the swells before I finally relaxed and had the time of my life! We were all holding on for dear life, shrieking at every massive wave while Johnny just perched on the back, completely relaxed and having a great time laughing at us!
That night a big group of us went out drinking at Kata beach. In theory, bars close at midnight, but in practice they close whenever people quit buying things. We kept buying things until nearly two, finally leaving only to discover that taxis and tuk-tuks do NOT stick around that late. We weren’t quite sure what to do as home was one very dark mountain away, so we returned to the bar. Luckily the bartender was awesome, jumped on his scooter and returned ten minutes later with two friends and two cars.
On Sunday I awoke to beautiful weather and was at the beach before 10am. There is a “storm warning” for the next five days and the waves were HUGE. There were red flags all over the beach warning swimmers to stay away, but of course I had to at least feel the water. I literally could not go beyond ankle-deep water without being knocked over – needless to say, I didnt dare venture out any further!
That evening a few of us went to the big temple complex here on Phuket, which was incredibly beautiful and really neat to see. Unfortunately it was overrun by tourists (mostly the Japanese kind), but I knew that it would be and am looking forward to eventually getting up north and seeing the temples there.
The weather is still holding out and the humidity has dropped a ton, making the past two days perfect for sitting outside and enjoying the views and sounds (or lack thereof). For now, however, it’s time for school once more…
Tags: Travel
allisonrae
May 12th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Hi Allison,
WOW! I am so happy for you. What a way to earn a living! I have read your blog & love it! The pictures are wonderful & your comments are great. How much fun! Have a grand time. Mary
May 13th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Thailand looks absolutely amazing! Jo and I are both super jealous:) But if I win the lottery in the next few months, you’re totally getting a visitor. The house isn’t the same without you
your (favorite) roommate!
May 18th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I know you are busy getting your lesson plans together for this coming week. I’m sure it is a little nervewracking but I know you’ll be great. Can’t wait to hear how it goes. Know that you are always on my mind and that I love you very much!
Mom
August 29th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Wow!! That boat doesn’t look like it would survive any kind of wave. Sounds like the excursion was worth every penny(or baht, whichever you prefer)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
HA!! Could you imagine if they have a death by coconut count? “And in other news, the DBC count rose by two today as some coconuts struck a pair of lovers as they made out underneath a tree…”
September 4th, 2010 at 1:06 am
Vill ni åka till Phuket i Thailand för en mindre fartfylld semester så gör ni helt rätt i att välja Rawai.