Oceanside Bliss

We weren’t sure what we were going to do with this day.  It was originally scheduled to be the hike day, but since we did that the day before we were footloose and fancy free.

On our way down to breakfast we saw a little friend on the staircase.  It was a really pretty snake and I figured it’d be a garden snake.  I mean… what hotel would allow a dangerous snake to slithering around the property.  The answer: a hotel that can’t control every little creature on the property.  Thanks to Erik who happens to be a military surgeon and thus a respected opinion and Bill who was able to find an article about said snake online we were notified this is a venomous and poisonous snake and we should stay clear.  Good to know.  We were particularly careful when taking that staircase.  Luckily, we didn’t see him again but I did have a feeling of being watched each time I walked through the area.  See, isn’t he pretty?

We decided to take White Lightning into town so we could find some natural mosquito repellent seeing as how my right leg was used as a feast the day before.  All the locals use a concoction made of lemongrass, citronella and other herbs.  Good enough for them, good enough for me (and this is what I make at home as well).  Much better than poisonous chemicals.

We found the spray at a pharmacy/organics store.  As we checked out there we saw there were cigarettes behind the cashier.  And they had the most horrific images on the packs.  The surgeon general of Thailand isn’t messing around!  You get a very vivid picture of what could happen to you if you chose to smoke.  I’m surprised anyone does after seeing these:

At the end of the main strip that ran along the beach front there was a small driveway type road that continued on.  We decided to walk down that road and see what we could find.  There were resorts and spas on the left and white sandy beach on the right.  By the way – the sand here is very fine and soft.  I don’t believe I said that in any of our previous posts.

A woman wearing black pants, black long sleeve shirt and a white baseball cap approached us and gave us a piece of paper – it was pricing for a massage.  This is something we hadn’t done yet.  I have no idea why…  Well, I do.  I heard Thai massage is very “active” with a lot of body movement and I didn’t want to do any damage to my already damaged shoulder so I was shying away.  But she was offering us an hour long foot massage for 2 for 300 baht ($6.00). Uh… sure!  My feet hurt so bad from the hike and I had been hobbling around (mainly due to a blister on my heel).

We followed her down the waterfront.  And kept following her.  And kept following her.  Remember, my heel was blistered, I’m limping, it’s hot and humid and she’s speed walking and talking a mile a minute.  I was able to catch about every 4^th word she was saying.  The road ended and we walked under an arch that said “The Last Fisherman Bar”.

 We were now walking on packed sand and gravel.  Open-air restaurants and massage huts were lining the left.  Beach is still on the right and there were several areas that tables were set up for the restaurants.  We finally arrive to hut #12, almost to the end and she directs us to step into a basin of water where she rinses the sand off our feet before we sit down in a reclining leather chair.

They take one look at our feet and offer a foot scrub for an additional 150 baht for both.  There was no way I was going to do a scrub – my feet had already been abraded by the sand that was in my hiking sandals for 4 hours the day before.  Eric went for it though so they moved him over onto one of the floor mats and began lining his feet with cotton and pouring some kind of solution on the cotton.  I’m guessing to soften up his skin so they could scrape it off.  Meanwhile, my eyes were rolling up into my head as my masseuse began rubbing my feet. 

A few minutes later and the wind picked up, dark clouds were over the ocean and they began battening down the hatches.  They moved me into the main area and had me lie down on the bed next to Eric as they dropped the plastic walls and brought everything inside.  Soon a rainstorm moved over the area but it only lasted a couple of minutes.  Then they were lifting up the walls and the sun was shining again.

Since Eric’s feet were taking longer due to the scrub my masseuse worked on my feet for an hour (it actually was from the knee down – so a lot of calf massage which was divine). He then began working on my neck shoulders, upper back.  When he put his knee into my spine and began pulling back my arms I was ready to yell out to stop, but he was good – he could tell how far he could pull and didn’t do anything to hurt my shoulder.  These guys were very talented at what they did.  They weren’t hacks.

We finally finished up and the owner gave us each a little bag full of fresh pineapple and sent us on our way.  Why didn’t we do this every day!!!!!????!!!!

It was now noon so we grabbed a snack and coconut drink at one of the open air restaurants nearby.  It was good food and about the same price as anywhere else in Al Nang – 100 to 160 baht per dish ($3-$5 dollars).

We then spent the rest of the day window shopping, stopping for refreshing drinks and jumping inside when a quick thunderstorm hit again. It was a warm day, so when the sun was shining it was a good thing their electrical wires are so crazy that it cast enough shade to walk in. ;)

We were surprised to see a Brew Dog sign at one bar.  That’s a brewery out of Scotland and we had stopped at one in Sterling when we were there a few years ago.  So, of course, we had to stop in there for a drink.

 

We decided to return White Lightning and face the music (see Eric’s vlog).  Mr. Kord’s scotter rental was very kind.  Actually, they didn’t even see the damage until we pointed it out.  We COULD have gotten away without paying for it.  But that’s not the type of people we are.  So, we pointed it out and paid the deductible.  Thank goodness we got insurance!!!  If in the area, rent from Mr. Kord and choose the insurance option!!!  So worth it.  Eric's Vlog

We went back down towards Fisherman’s Bar for dinner, but everything was shut down.  On our way back towards town we went to The Golden Beach Resort Thai Thai Restaurant.  WOAH!!!  THIS is the Thai food we’ve been looking for.  The Pad Sie Ew was SOOOOOO good.  Best Thai food we’ve had in Thailand.  And again, only cost about 160 baht.

We were tired and ready for bed at this point.  We decided to go find a tuk tuk to get back to our hotel.  The streets were very busy with shoppers.  The town definitely comes alive at night – quite the party atmosphere.  We couldn’t find a driver that wanted to give us a good rate so we ended up walking all the way back.  Good exercises and I needed to work off those calories. 😊

We’re now sitting in the airport waiting to catch a flight to Chiang Mai – our next stop.  We just enjoyed an americano and a sleeve of cheesy cheese pringles.  So good.

The drive here was a bit harrowing because the shuttle driver didn’t seem to have a problem with tailgating and weaving in and out of traffic.  I just averted my eyes and looked out the side window the entire time.   He did stop at one light and purchased a flower thing for 20 baht – a lot like the flowers I received when we arrived at Rayavadee.  I wonder if it was some kind of blessing because he replaced the old wilted one that was hanging around his rearview mirror.  I hoped the blessing got us there safely and it did.  It smelled nice as well.