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- Stefanie
Querida familia y amistades:
So, the island beach days in Koh Lanta were amazing. But
first we had to get there going via Kanchanaburi and Bangkok. Stef and I
arrived in Kanchanaburi (Bridge over River Kwai city) after another kind of
scary bus ride down from the mountains of Sanghkla. I can’t describe the bus
ride’s views from their big windows because the road turns so often: first it’s
a lake, then it’s a huge forest scraping (almost) the sides of the bus, then it’s a cluster of roadside stands selling mango, pineapple. And the bus drivers
OWN the very narrow road, they go at outrageous speeds, swerve around cars on
curves and glue their hands to the horn to make cars move out of their way. Estefania, I don’t know how you have done this
more than once in your life!
We spent the afternoon walking to the bridge on
the river, trying to get service on a floating restaurant – the waiters and
waitresses totally ignored us, but at least we got to feel the super swift river current rushing underneath the barge,
right, Stef? Steve has always been a fan
of the 1957 WWII movie so we shopped for postcards, walked the still
functioning railway bridge, evaded large groups of tourists from all over Asia
and Europe, took pics, read the placards that described the unimaginable human
suffering of the forced laborers, the usual tourist stuff.
I always felt so far away from home and was
constantly seeing myself clear across the other side of the globe, but not so for
Stef. Before sitting down to the most
delicious meal of rice, Thai omelet and Thai sweet and sour pork and veggies in
a restaurant right by the bridge, the owner of the restaurant came up to Stef
to greet her like an old friend and I was once again introduced as “my mom”.
She’s been there quite a few times with her student groups.
We walked back to our hotel, about 15 minutes and were up
the next morning ready to catch a tuk tuk to the bus station. We couldn’t get
tickets on the “big” bus and ended up in a small van, Stef sat in the third row
between two guys, I was stuck in the middle next to an older gentleman and his
2 large bundles, as the ride progressed he gradually took up more and more of
the shared seat…………I know it’s because he fell asleep and raised his feet onto
the seat so he could cushion his shoulder against the window. Stef’s fellow
passengers got off several stops before Bangkok, so she was really quite comfy,
what luck! This time, from the bus station in Bangkok we took a taxi to a hotel
near the airport. Stef actually went out to eat, I crashed. 
Next day….Air Asia to Krabi and then a van ride and 2 ferries to the southern part of the island of Koh Lanta. Paradise, long beach, soft sand, beautiful view of the ocean and the mountain rainforest behind us. Our hotel room was a little bungalow with covered porch and ocean view. Every day we woke up to “surfy” sounds and chirping birds. Actually I did spend an insane amount of time just lounging on our front door porch, drink in hand, kindle going, just listening, reading and thinking.
Our morning routine included walking a few meters to coffee and breakfast in the outdoor area overlooking the pool and sea. We were always surrounded by very agreeable Swedish family groups of abuelos, their children and the grand kids. Perfect for an old abuela like me. Dios mIo! I’m getting to be such an old something or other, agreeable is just another word for kind of quiet, relaxed, no shouting and children who never complained or whined. We found out later that the Swedish International School was right next door. I swam in the ocean at least twice a day, went into the pool daily, the weather was HOT but one afternoon it rained and the sound was magical and the smells beautiful – I watched this from the porch, of course. This part of the Andaman Sea is hard packed (but not too hard) reddish sand.
Queen happened to be on the same island staying in the
northern part with 2 Australian friends.Queen had wheels! She picked us up and went from the
southernmost point of the island to the northernmost. We had lunch at a
hillside restaurant looking down a most amazing ocean view – Queen, thanks
again for the lunch but that was supposed to be my treat! Queen and Stef have
known each other for years, and their conversation reflects that. They gossip
and tease and cavort as only 2 sisters can! Thank you, Queen for being such a
good friend to my little “bebe”. We stopped again in Old Town Lanta and did a
little strolling and peering into stalls and stores. Stef claims that the
statue of the goddess (Chinese Buddha of Mercy) we saw in the Chinese stores is the same one I have
at home, but the bottom of mine says “porcelana de Cuernavaca, Mexico” although
she is holding a lotus flower in her hand and appears to be standing on a
pedestal surrounded by lotus.
Then we took off again on the scenic route
toward a Sea Gypsy village. We took pics, of course, but the atmosphere was
just so nice being with my 2 (forgive me Queen, but I had to “adopt” you)
girls. Of course, their love for animals or anything in need of help had to be
a part of their day. Just as we got in the car, both Queen and Stef literally
bolted out of the car in an attempt to rescue a little dog that was on the side
of the road with its head stuck in something. I, of course, was “muy miedosa”
and could only hope that the dog hadn’t been tied up because it was sick or
rabid. Well, the village was quiet and though there were some people about, the
atmosphere was very laid back. Queen went on to knock on a few houses to
inquire of the owners of the dog, then came back when she couldn’t find answers.
It turns out that the silly puppy, whose mother we realized was lying down in
the shade just on the other side of the road, was just too dumb to figure out a
way to loosen the can around its snout. Stef and Queen let it go and waving its
tail it sauntered off to drink some water next to its mama. We had a good laugh
about that one! Poor Queen, she ended up driving all day as she brought us back
to our hotel and later that night picked us up to take us to the north again to
dine at a gorgeous hotel where Queen, and her friends were staying.
Beautiful surroundings, beautiful sunset, the girls jumping up and posing for action photos with the ocean behind them, it was fun! I don’t know about you, nignas, but I think the honeymooning couple next to our table weren't in the mood for our laughing! Too bad, the food was good, we all tasted each other’s choices, and I hope that Queen's friends do continue to be interested in Baan Unrak and somehow sponsor a child. A few hours later, Queen drove us back south, again. Graciasss, Queen you have a very generous spirit. Thank you for sharing your beautiful country with us. Besos y abrazos!
Forward a couple of days, lying on the beach, eating
delicious food, just relaxing. Then, back to a van, waited in line to cross
from island to island on 2 ferries, took the four lane highway to Krabi Airport
(it was packed, jammed with tourists!) and back to Bangkok. Chris and Chas, I
agree with Stef that this is the island to visit on your next honeymoon. You
can lounge but also party, snorkel, whatever. The plane ride from Krabi to Bangkok was super scary. We
roller coastered through a thunderstorm. I don’t know what Stefanie did, but I
just closed my eyes during the entire flight. Tight!
Retired after 37 years as an educator and what a ride it’s
been! It’s true that when you look back all you remember are the kids and the
wonderful aha moments (some of them with parents!) You have to be a teacher to
really understand. After my first year of teaching in Texas, when I was about
to decide to change to another profession, my sister Rocio and I took a trip to
Southeast Asia. It was loads of fun and Rocio and I still laugh about “the
beautiful statue you must buy, ONLY THE BEST PRICE FOR YOU! … the price kept
going lower and lower the longer we walked”.
But, Angkor Wat was on the itinerary and suddenly cancelled due to Khmer
Rouge hostilities. I am still fascinated by the ancients and their buildings
and loved teaching about them, so this trip I had to come to Siem Reap for the
temples of Angkor, especially the biggest of them in the whole world, Angkor
Wat...
-Guest Blog post written by: Cecilia Langley (Mom)
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