Note: This is a continuation of Part 1
Spending a week on an island off the coast of South Thailand was like a dream. I had to pinch myself to believe that I was really here. And living on an island gave me a chance to see what a beach bum slash expat-islander life is like. One of the most peculiar things I noticed was time seemed to warp somehow – it slows down yet flies so fast at the same time…
I was left alone at the cottage most of the time – and I was grateful to CP for that because it was exactly what I was yearning for. Lying on a hammock with a hot cup of tea, and listening to some world music while gazing down at the passing fishing boats on the bay below… Heaven!
Just me and nature. Small, fluttering butterflies seem to frolic everywhere.
First time I stayed in a small cottage on a remote cliff. I enjoyed it so much – even if it meant I was all by myself even at night! It was generally safe anyway and no one really bugged me – except for the pesky ones that fly and crawl into bed with me – hence, the net above.
Fixing my own breakfast on the patio: instant coffee, steamed canned tuna, fruit, and bread. Despite the fact that there is not much to do (no TV, internet, radio), I surprised myself by getting up early (around 6 am – something I never do back home) and just bask in on nature, the silence and peace – knowing that I have to make most of it as long as I’m here.
But I wasn’t really alone… I had a roommate – Spidey. Good thing I don’t have arachnophobia. My other roommate – a huge gecko that stays on the roof – was camera-shy.
CP would pick me up for lunch and head out to some of the island’s restaurant resorts. Curry dishes seemed to be the main thing you see on their menus. I’m not really a big fan of curry so less than a week in Thailand, I was already yearning for something ‘non-curried’ … like Thai Fried Pork Rice (above from Coral View Resort).
Unless you have a vehicle with trusty brakes, walking is the only way to reach the beach… and walking up and down very steep roads like this gave me THE work-out of a lifetime.
Night falls and dinner would be a streetfood take-out of pork barbeque, papaya salad, and sticky rice – downed with a cold can of Thai beer. And before you know it, another typical island day has ended so fast that a week felt like a blur of hazy, dewy, soft-focus dreams…
On my last night on the island, we watched a fire dance show on the beach a fitting finale to an idyllic island get-away.
The next day, CP and I said our goodbyes before I headed out to Bangkok…
sharpen up...and got to 
On My Palette 