spiders from mars

As our time in Thailand winds down we've found ourselves in a few places that, at least for us, were off the beaten path... or at least off the beach. And this has meant both the kids and the parentals have had a taste of something different.

Buddy got comfortable hiking in the jungle with all the flora and fauna you can imagine. Geckos we know, but flying lizards were new and cool. At the end we found ourselves in an underground cave for an hour, wading through chest-deep water and narrow crevices with thousands of bats and fist-sized spiders. Someone's idea of a perfect nightmare I'm sure, but we were high-fiving as we emerged into daylight and went back to our rickitty rafthouse for a kayak and a swim.

Fear of large spiders conquered, we also collectively braved a six foot snake...skin and a large black scorpion. The kids now know why I checked my shoes each morning.

While staying at the Thai Child Development Foundation we volunteered in the garden and at the TCDF weekend school program for the neighbourhood kids. Our kids went to school too, met new friends, one of which who just happened to be celebrating her birthday that afternoon. Invitations were extended, and luckily a new handmade necklace and a favourite stuffie were found as presents and brought to the party. 

While the kids made friends and learned some guitar skills I got got my Spring gardening fix, volunteering a week of manual labour on the property and farm attached to the school. But instead of raking leaves and weeding in the cold rain, I planted bananas and papaya trees in 36 degree heat.

 

After our time in the hills we decamped to Ranong, a small urban oasis on the border of Myanmar. Most people seem to just pass through to extend their Thai visas, but the little downtown has an almost hipster feel to it, with lots of used clothing stores, restaurants, bars and live music nightly... with barely a tourist in sight. Plus the prices are better here than we've seen in a while, and there are plenty of beautiful temples, hot springs and sights close by.

For the final stretch of our Thai odyssey we did head back to the beach, taking the slow boat to Koh Phayam... which was a perfect mixture of all the Thai islands we've been to.

No cars, just motorcycle taxis, empty white sand beaches, and a full on hippie vibe. Think Hornby Island or Tofino, but with cashew nut trees. The aroma of cumin from the veggie restaurant wafted through the little village, the Rasta Baby Bar held a "Legalize It" party one night, skinny men in flowing white pants did yoga on the beach in the mornings, and the resort down the way was called Ziggy Stardust.

Ziggy played guitar, but we didn't see any spiders from Mars....