"Sawadee Ka" to Soi Dog and Naiyang Beach

Like "aloha," the Thai word for hello and goodbye ("sawadee-ka" for women, or "-krap" for men) is the same. It provides a circular openness so while I'm on my way out, this journey is only beginning.

With Komarn on my last day

Leaving the shelter was hard yesterday, and I cried like a baby when I walked into run B2 for the last time. I cried because I would miss them dearly and I couldn't take all of my companions home with me. I also didn't want to think of the reality that if there weren't enough volunteers, they would not get the same amount of daily attention.

Everyone kindly comforted me and told me that I would come back to Soi Dog, and it would be easier the next time. That I would see that the dogs continue to endure as they did before... and they are right. You can't turn your back on a place that changes your life.

It is a ripple effect with the dogs. Gain one's trust and another is sure to follow, especially if they are bonded to each other. Remember those beautiful shy white dogs? The sweet, yet timid, Chocolate showed them that I was trustworthy and I walked one of them on my last day. It was one of the first times a volunteer had ever walked her (Rabbit) - she didn't move very fast or go very far, but enjoyed sniffing her way slowly through the foliage. Hunde started to howl in excitement for me every time I'd walk in. Iggy learned to savor a massage. Purdie, Singto and Soldier remained untouched, but they would at least tolerate me in the area without running away near the end. All 15 of these dogs has a story of growth and touched me deeply.

Today I took in some sun at the beach and reflected over the past few weeks. I keep telling myself that I haven't done very much, but I came to realize that I have. No, I didn't get a better handle of the Thai language like I hoped I would, or explore the entire island.

But I've seen amazing sunsets and storms, my little beach town flood, snorkeled in paradise, and visited Patong and Phuket Town. Most importantly, I've met lifelong friends and basically became a part of a pack of dogs, while hopefully making an impact on their lives. 

They have certainly transformed mine.

I have started to feel a calmness inside of me. Since I parted ways with Darryl and felt an overwhelming amount, I felt a little void of emotion. It was like I wasn't truly processing things as they came at me as I was still wrapping my head around the foreign feeling of being alone in a strange place.

This place, the people and the animals changed this. Seeing an almost happy family form in B2, with the dogs starting to frolic, play and be dogs warmed my soul. I realized this anxiety I felt too frequently is almost gone. I can live and enjoy the moment, and if needbe, take sadness in it. 

It doesn't hurt that I have few of the normal outside pressures of life, but it is important to learn and remember what it feels like without the daily rush. The only thing I am really anxious for is for Darryl to come visit.

It's a really nice feeling.

Tomorrow I head for Ko Lanta for a few days, where I will continue my "pursuit of calmness" with daily yoga on the beach and continuing to walk dogs at a bungalow called Time For Lime. They do great work and their proceeds go to Lanta Animal Welfare.

As one last monster storm rolled in during dinner tonight, the booming thunder, rain and wind enveloping me, I felt satisfied with I have done, and I'm beyond excited for what's ahead.

-Erin

Naiyang Temple Hospitality and Our Private Island

The old saying goes: "Behind every 7-Eleven, you will find the temple of your dreams."

OK, not really, but last Sunday, Amanda and I decided to rent a scooter and explore the Naiyang Beach area a little more. It cost about $7 for a whole day (split between two people), so we braved the insane Thai roads and headed a few minutes away to the nearest temple, which does happen to be right behind the local 7-Eleven.

The temple property is perfectly manicured and most buildings are ordained in gold paint, with many shrines and statues.

The first building we managed to walk into hosted a group of praying monks and devotees. I couldn't remember the etiquette behind taking photos of monks, so I took a shot pretty far away. They started chanting and we believe they were blessing their food for lunch.

After their blessing was complete, they walked out of the room to go eat. A monk came by and gave me this pomegranate. Hopefully eating it helped purify my soul. ;)

We were surprised when a group of locals sitting on the floor insisted that we come over and share a meal with them. I have no idea what we ate, but most of it was spectacular and made at home by the woman in the right of the photograph below.

These coconut gelatin..balls... changed my life.

They warned me that one of the dishes with spicy, and those that know me know I have a very low spice tolerance. I decided to brave it and promptly felt my face catch on fire. I knew it would be rude to not finish my plate, so I sweat through the rest of it.

Even with a serious language barrier, there was something intimate about eating a meal with new people and not much has to be said. I am not sure if it is normal custom or an obligation to invite us, but it was a unique experience. Unfortunately they definitely understand the word "shit," as I accidentally exclaimed that when I dropped some food on the ground.

Shit. Need to work on my temple manners a little bit.

Many people dump pets at Buddhist temples as they see it as a safe haven where animals will be fed. This is true to an extent, until the population becomes unmanageable by the monks. I don't think this is the case in Naiyang, but animal welfare organizations frequently have to step in at temples in larger cities.

Lunch wrapped up and we thanked the group for their kindness (khob kun kah!) and wandered the rest of the grounds.

Something very strange happened at a few locations, including the one in the next photo. When I got too close, my camera could only capture blurry photos. Amanda's wouldn't even take photos. I can't find anything on the internet about intentional interference at temples, so I'm not sure what happened.

I had to walk back about 10 feet to zoom in and capture this picture

With our bellies and spirits full, we drove (scootered? LOL) to an end of Naiyang Beach that we hadn't explored yet, to try to walk to a small island that is visible from the restaurant we dined at many nights.

Construction on these condos was abandoned for an unknown reason in 1990. They are now home to thousands of snakes.

The tide was fairly low so we were able to wade out and be the solo inhabitants of the island.

Wading

Hermit!

It was fantastic to finally explore the spot I'd stared at for weeks. We left just in time as the tide was coming in... if we'd left any later, we would have had to either wait it out or swim to shore.

Beach dog

-Erin

Am I Dreaming?... Day Trip to Bamboo Island, Ko Phi Phi and Maya Bay - 10/26/13

A slight problem with not having much of a timetable is that I don't feel too much pressure to fill my days. Phuket complicates this further because the taxi mafia makes it really damn expensive to get anywhere, so I have spent most of my time confined to Naiyang Beach and Soi Dog.

Because of Soi Dog, I have met awesome folks who are here with more limited time and well, have a greater sense of urgency. Amanda is one of those people and I couldn't resist joining her on this speed boat and snorkeling tour.

Amanda, my partner in crime!

The day started out overcast with a small rain shower about 30 minutes away from the first snorkeling spot. We shared the speedboat with about 25 people (which wasn't even close to capacity), including a group of bros in matching obnoxious neon "Full Moon Party" outfits. They at least helped add a splash of color to a dreary morning.

Sweet tank, brah

By the time we arrived at Bamboo Island, the clouds started to dissipate and I was wowed by the cerulean blue waters that were revealed as we approached the shore. I rediscovered my love of snorkeling once I was past ingesting a few ounces of saltwater.

If you ever end up on a trip where you will be snorkeling/boating, bring a shockproof/waterproof camera. Mine was about $130 after an impulse buy on Groupon and is my best travel purchase to date!

Shores of Bamboo Island

Snorkeling selfie

 

After about 40 minutes, we headed to some rocks off the coast of  KoPhi Phi Don to continue snorkeling. The tour guide noted "If you want to see sharks, head about 20 meters in that direction" - what??? I did try to find the sharks, but they weren't interested in an under the sea party with me. :(

The rocks we snorkeled around, with Phi Phi Don (and my future villa) in the background

Human photobomb

I am no coral expert, but I think a lot of it was dead. These areas are extremely high traffic and therefore see a lot of boat pollution. Maybe the area is also still recovering from the 2004 tsunami. It's conflicting to play tourist and see the destruction, but at least there was still a thriving fish population.

We headed to shore and ate a buffet lunch. I felt my blood boil when I saw a man carting a monkey around for photos, and we also found the world's tiniest kitten laying in the road without a mom in sight. For a predominantly Buddhist country, I have heard of and seen so much animal cruelty. I'm going to give Phi Phi another chance next week, though. :)

Giving Grumpy Cat a run for his money

Baby kitteh :( The stray animal problem exists everywhere in Thailand

We shuttled off to Monkey Island, where we thought we would be able to get off the boat, but they kept us on there to take pictures. In hindsight, this was probably for the best as a monkey would have probably bit and robbed me of my camera and dignity.

The outfits the tourists wore and the poses they made continued to impress.

The water color became increasingly unreal as the trip progressed

Hay gurl hay, with random monkey

Werq

Hungry monkeys

Leaving Monkey Bay

Quick "drive by" the Viking Cave

The islands we passed seemed to become more and more dramatic as we approached Maya Bay. I was initially not so excited to go here, the famous location where The Beach was filmed.  In high season, the boats are usually in a queue just to get into the area and any attempt at a photo is filled with the background noise of strangers.

We must have timed our arrival perfectly (at the tail end of the low season) or won the island lottery, as there were a few 'slips' open between our boat and the one next to us. It was like we had a private view of the scenery.

I felt my jaw drop repeatedly at the perfect views and temperate water. I could live and swim here forever (without the tourists).

Boating into Maya Bay

View from my swimming spot

Attempt at a panorama, which is hard when you're bobbing up and down in the water :)

Don't know what to do? Put your hands in the air.

Yaaaay

The only piece missing from these pictures is Darryl, but hopefully I can take him somewhere just as spectacular when he comes to visit.

Unfortunately our last stop was the worst - an overpacked beach that we are convinced is a money pit the boat operators get a cut for taking us to, and is not worth mentioning outside of saying DO NOT GO TO KHAI NOK ISLAND.

I did not let this disappointing end cast a shadow on a truly beautiful trip. And this beautiful trip was a nice reminder that it's okay to pack more into each day, because they are flying by too quickly already.

Link to full set of pictures here.

-Erin