Tags
Burmese, food, Haad Rin Beach, hammock, Koh PhaNgan, language, Leela Beach, Lighthouse Bungalows, restaurant, sunrise, sunset, Thailand
After we were settled into a new bungalow, one that provided the privacy that we had hoped for, our vacation really began. We unpacked our bags, organized our bathroom toiletries and enjoyed sprawling out in our new space. The only minor issue was the fact that there were two small beds instead of one big one, but we were able to use the other bed to lay out our clothes so it worked out well. Dam (pronounced Dom), the owner, and the entire staff worked very hard to make sure we were comfortable and happy with our accommodation, and we were. The hammock called to us, and our extra large porch allowed us to get sun all day long if we wanted it. It was just what we needed.
Noah and I settled into a routine of doing…nothing, really. We read books, we talked, we took naps, we swung in the hammock, we ate at the restaurant. Several days passed with us sleeping well into the day, only making an appearance when our stomachs demanded some food. The restaurant was yummy, and the Burmese women who cooked were great. We had to learn how to communicate what we wanted since they didn’t understand much English, but that became fun and all of us learned how to get along with the limited vocabulary we had. Our all-time favorites: the coconut shake and banana pancakes. YUM!
The Burmese women were married to the Burmese men who worked on the property, basically helping Dam run the place. Dam told us that the older Burmese man (probably mid-thirties) had been working at Lighthouse for several years. The younger couple came over only about six months ago I think, but they seemed to be adjusting very well and were often laughing or giggling about something (I figured they were laughing at the fact that every time we walked into the restaurant we would basically order the same thing, depending on the time of day) and were incredibly sweet. Once they realized we were going to be there for a while they doted on us, hovering to make sure we were happy with the food, bringing extra juice for breakfast or making us our coffee when the do-it-yourself table was just around the corner. We all settled into a rhythm and it was nice-really, really nice.
The Lighthouse Bungalows are in the most perfect place on the island. Haad Rin Beach is where all the partying happens, and it was just on the other side of the point. Leela Beach is more relaxed, with only two major resorts and a scattering of smaller bungalows that eventually petered out on our end of the point. Lighthouse is located between these two beaches, within walking distance of the town and yet far enough away from everything that noise was never an issue. Since it is situated over boulders and open water, there are no beach-goers or extra traffic and as it is a dead end walkway, rarely did we see anyone poking around the property where they didn’t belong. Dam’s father owned the property before him, and Dam took it over when he was around 25 and expanded it. He also owns a wildly successful bar in town, the Cactus Bar, and we heard that there were all sorts of fun happenings should we ever make it into town at night. With all that we needed and wanted at Lighthouse, we didn’t care to venture far and it was over a week before we even walked to town. We were perfectly content to swing in the hammock, sit on the boulders and watch the sunset, and play on the computer at night until the restaurant closed. It wasn’t too long before we felt caught up on sleep and recovered a bit from our crazy traveling schedule.
The sunrises and sunsets were unbelievable, and we have lots of photos that try to do it justice. The longtail boats that zoomed by all day are owned/run by locals who use them as taxi’s for people wishing to get from one beach to another. Some are also used as fishing boats, and it was really cool to watch the locals tossing their fishing “cages” back into the water, very much like lobster traps, from the sides of these overgrown canoes. Sometimes a huge cruise boat could be seen in the distance, and once or twice we saw this beautiful sailboat go by that made both Noah and I dreamily fantasize about what we would do with a boat like that. Like I said, basically we did nothing but watch the days go by from our porch hammock, and it was wonderful.
When we did eventually make it in to town one afternoon, the place was empty! A few locals were hanging out, chatting with those working at the restaurants that dotted the beach or were strung along the streets. We found the internet cafe and the 7/11 but we didn’t stay long; just long enough to orient ourselves and get a sense of the lay of the land on this side of the point.
Aside from scuba diving, which was awesome (see Lessons Learned Underwater post), celebrating Christmas (Merry Christmas post) and the Full Moon Party (Full Moon Madness post), most of our three weeks was spent in this little slice of heaven at the southern tip of the island. We met some cool people, made some new friends, got rested and rejuvenated and feel ready to move on. We had some great conversations, and really felt like we got the vacation that we needed since we started planning this whole trip. And I have started to get REALLY excited for New Zealand, especially as the new year approaches. We are heading back to Bangkok for New Year’s Eve and then we fly out the next day. I am so glad to be starting that part of our trip (the part I have been looking forward to the most) feeling rested and raring to go.
-Amanda
One-2-Ten 