Travel

Hi,

We've been traveling almost all day, but we're finally in Koh Lanta. The resort is incredible. Stay tuned for first impressions of Layana Resort.

Boy, did I get mail. 'Easy Monday' is back in the house. In case you missed the song, here's a bit more of the 'Easy':
"Sit down girl, I think I love you. No, get up girl, show me what you can do. Shake it.... One, two, three baby oo oo __ __ __ baby, and now do re mi, baby now that's how easy love can be." Hint: I'll admit, some songs work better on paper than others, but we're talking about little boys singing about how simple love is. (Ha) The beginning of this verse is actually hollered, not sung. Maybe that will jar your memory.

This morning our friend Tye drove us to the airport. We left the house at 9am. Our bag was checked through to Krabi which meant we didn't have to lug it around during our transfer. While we were waiting to board, a very famous artist from Chiang Rai entered the room. We've seen him at many openings, and exhibits. Thawan Duchanee is a legend in the north, and throughout Thailand. Lisa went over and paid her respects. He is the creator of Ban Dam (The Black House) that I've written about.

Our flight to Bangkok was pretty routine. One hour in the air. What's funny is, after everyone was on the plane, it backed away from the terminal and just sat there. Lisa noted that it couldn't be that they were waiting for a clear runway. There was only one other plane at the airport and it was parked. We had a good laugh over that.

The flight from Bangkok to Krabi began with a bus ride to the plane, and then two flights of stairs to get on board. I have never before had to go through all of that. To make matters worse, there was an empty access dock going right up to the plane. I guess I'm not supposed to know why. Since we ate in the airport, we didn't eat either of the box lunches that were served. It's just as well. The landing in Krabi was enough to send the pilot back to the simulator for more practice. (Ha)

After getting our suitcase, we headed toward a crowd of van drivers from various hotels. We were met by a young man holding a sign with our names, who took our luggage and directed us to a waiting van. We spent the next two hours winding through the countryside, heading north to the ferry crossing. It was raining most of the way. Sometimes heavy, but mostly light. We passed many schools that were just ending for the day. This time of year, rain is a part of life so the kids just deal with it. We finally arrived at a dock where the van was driven onto a large barge type vessel. There are about three or four of these crossing the channel on a regular basis. We actually rode on two of these ferries before we got to the island. There were a lot of school kids who do this every day. As we left the last ferry, our driver pointed and said 'monkey'. Sure enough, on the shore there was a monkey messing with the contents of a basket on the front of a bike. The owner ran over, pulled off one of her shoes and threw it at the monkey who had already run away. When we got on shore more of them came out from behind a wall. There must have been five of six of them. This is the first time we've seen monkeys in Thailand.

When we arrived at Layana, we drove up a long, plumeria lined driveway. As the door to the van was opened, we were greeted by a woman holding two flower leis made of plumeria and jasmine. She led us to an outdoor lobby where we were given cold towels that smelled of exotic flowers, for wiping our hands and faces. After that, a fruity drink and then the check-in. Our guide drove us to our room in a golf cart, pointing out features along the way. There was the library where we could read newspapers, and check out DVDs, the gym, the restaurant, and finally the pool.

Ironically, our room number is 19, the same as the date of our anniversary. We entered our room to find more plumeria flowers placed here and there, a list of various pillows we could get from housekeeping, and so many nice touches that it's hard to remember. In the next couple of days I'll bring the whole experience into focus. Like our first dinner here. For now, it's time to relax.

Have a Happy Tuesday. A 'Thanks' to Christopher for today's quote.

Peace,
Danny


"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light.

Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fear."

~Glenn Clark


Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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