7/3/25
We had the doors open all night, trying to make it a bit fresher. But Frankie didn’t sleep well, she was unduly worried about being bitten. We woke just in time for the sunrise then lay around outside having coffee and some overnight oats we’d prepared. The extra we’d spent to have our own bungalow seemed to be worth it. We didn’t have any major plans for the day and would just see what it threw at us.
Eventually we got itchy feet and started walking towards one of the beaches in the northwest of the island, Ao Khao Kwai. We’d been a bit concerned that we’d picked the wrong place to stay when we first arrived. That it was a little too tucked away for us to get anywhere. But on seeing how busy everywhere was when we got to the road we felt more at ease. It was another ‘scooter island’, for most people it was mandatory to have one.
It wasn’t a surfaced road, but rather a dusty track, it didn’t discourage people from using it though. The Sun was already making us hot and we tried to find the shade on the edges of the road. A little way along they had started concreting the road. When we say ‘they’, we mean a group of workers who were doing it all by hand. It was laborious, unforgiving, work. Because one side of the road had been concreted, the scooters kept going down the wrong side, unable to mount the concrete slabs. We tried to make the tourists smile as they careered past us. We reckon the stress of using a motor vehicle serves to make them a little grumpy.
The road narrowed and the surface was even worse. So badly worn that the steel reinforcement net had started becoming a trip hazard. We took a signposted turning down to the beach. There were lots of resorts along the golden sands and the bay was full of anchored boats.
We took a short dip, the sand had a sort of cliff edge and was deep and delightfully cold. We didn’t hang about too long and left to head to the next beach in the north.
We passed some Thai people building another cabin. We assumed to be rented out but we couldn’t be sure. The track off dustier and rutted from here, and went over a little hill through the jungle. Down the other side was Ao Kwang Peeb. It was supposed to be a quieter place but there were plenty of people that we could see. There was also an abandoned resort. Old bungalows abandoned. A deserted bar and restaurant. Maybe another victim of Covid? We explored and found one bungalow that someone was living in.
We headed back, the Sun now even more vigorous, always keeping a vigilant eye on the semi-out-of-control scooters. We could never be sure how much they’d had to drink or smoke. We bought a coconut on the way, and made ambitious plans to drink something cold and refreshing when we got back.
The supermarket was well stocked, not as cheap as we’d become accustomed to, but we bought bananas, watermelon, a lime and soda water. We went straight into the ocean to cool off. The water was really hot, especially on the surface. It was hard not to recall all the studies on the rising ocean temperatures and the consequences. We came to a conclusion that there was a lack of public knowledge on the difference in the scale of impacts between 1.5C and 2C rise in global average temperature. We don’t think people really know what the actual impacts are when the media et al. just talks about a particular temperature.
We made our refreshing beverage and lay about on the balcony. It was nice to be lazy. After a few hours of eating watermelon we were keen to find some heavier food. There was another restaurant called Cha Chai that we’d seen the day before. Their menu had lots of messaging about the importance of reducing meat consumption and the much higher amount of resources it consumes.
We ordered a peanut tofu rice wrap and a massaman curry with flatbread. They were both exceedingly tasty and the staff friendly as always. A smile goes a very long way in Thailand. We contemplated their desserts but we reckoned we could make one ourselves, so we bought some dates at the supermarket next door.
When we got back we used our glasses and first put a layer of peanuts, then dates, banana and coconut milk. Drizzled with melted chocolate. It all combined to make a delicious mulch. It was so good we made it twice.
The wind had picked up substantially. It was glorious. Some people complain about it but it was impossible to see why. The heat became bearable and we sat outside in the evening enjoying the breeze and the sound and sight of the sea at night. The doors were opened and the fan on. We had a good feeling about the quality of sleep we’d be having.
Surly They Won't Make It 