Time for another update from Thailand.
Last weekend I made use of my three days off and went out to Krabi, on the West Coast. It was a fine weekend, when measured against some of the rainy days we’ve been having. The bus, decked out like a traveling Rastafarian disco, was heavily decorated in reds, yellows and greens and had numerous reflective surfaces, countless speakers and the mandatory karaoke TV. The driver relied on his mighty stock of good luck trinkets and religious icons rather than his ability to drive.
We arrived in one piece and I embarked on the exhausting task of locating connecting transport to Ao Nang beach. After a few misunderstandings and a detour through a dim, foul smelling market I found a transit point and headed for the beach. And what a beach! My first seaside experience in Thailand, and after three weeks of solitude as a foreigner. The sand stretched glittering into the distance while out before me several lush and exotic islands protruded in rugged greenery from the deep blue of the sea. I spared little time getting into the water and laughed to myself as the hot and sticky heat was banished.
Later, as the sun set behind me, I climbed a rickety wooden track over the ridge and into the next bay. Was I saw was a big surprise. This small bay, trapped between two steep cliffs that ran out into the sea was being completely remodeled as a luxury resort. Huge barges we resting on the sand while diggers and trucks ferried materials to the nearby construction site. An onsite concrete facility was spewing out a constant stream of liquid gray, the blood and bones of this construction masterpiece. Hundreds of locals scurried about like a band of ants, women, men and boys, to raise this monster from the ground. The entire bay was invaded and nature supplanted by the ambition of money men. I strolled the beach, knowing that I was to be one of the last to enjoy it before it, like so many others, was swept away by the rising tide of capitalist exploitation.
The next day I made for the isolated yet nearby Rai Lay beach. Transportation was provided by ‘long tail’ boats. A simple wooden shell with a hefty looking car engine mounted on a two dimensional pivot system at the rear. The engine drove a direct shaft perhaps 3 meters long that protruded out the back. By leaning heavily on a steel bar, the driver could move the motor round, thus changing the direction of the rear drive shaft and our progress. They’re noisy, smelly, dangerous looking things revving in rusty aggravation every time we tilt over a wave.
The beach was beautiful but expensive looking hotels and restaurants had crowded onto the shore and the low season had driven desperate vendors to pursue the few tourists with offerings of little value. I climbed round the base of the cliff, exposed to the sun and drenched in sweat. Mosquitoes buzzes and bit, while far below the waves washed against the rocks. I gave up, not wanting to end up dead, and returned for a swim. Just then the sky opened up, a fierce rain came in and a sudden wind. The palm trees began to bend and quiver, sending deadly projectiles hurtling earthward. I scurried for shelter, hearing palm fronds and small coconuts ricocheting off the tin roof above. As the storm died down I wandered back along the beach. Lying at the waters edge was a dead turtle. I helped some locals bury it. Knowing my deadline for the bus and my job back in Wiangsa I decided it best to make use of the calm to take a boat back to Ao Nang.
I waited for a while but seeing another squall approaching myself and two others agreed to charter a boat. We departed from the other side of the peninsula and were soon out to sea. I thought we might beat the rain, but then it hit. A normal enough downpour but at sea on a little boat it was overwhelming. The water below was beaten into a chaotic frenzy, there was no telling where the rain met the ocean. Off in the distance everything just faded into single shade of gray. A damp but otherwise satisfying adventure.
I picked up my three new shirts from the tailor and found a tuk-tuk heading back to Krabi. The bus ride back to Wiangsa was quicker and potentially more comfortable due to air conditioning but unfortunately it bought out a cold in me and I was sneezing for several days later.
Now I plan for my border run, down to Malaysia, to renew my VISA (and hopefully purchase a laptop). I’m a bit hesitant of the south, knowing that there is still unrest there in the Muslim sectors, but my last journey was uneventful so I’ll dare it again. This weekend we have a work trip planned to one of the islands nearby.
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