“Butterly Bliss, Toucan Land, and Sharkville” March 6-7th

Refreshed by a good-night's sleep that was induced by the crashing waves nearby, I ventured along the beach in search of a cup of coffee, and a nicer bungalow further down shore. I am proud to say, I HAVE FOUND IT. “The Big Tree Bungalows” is situated on the same beach, but close to the rocky point. One must cross a river (during high tide, which diminishes to but a trickle during low tide) to get there. Yet it is only a 30 minute stroll downshore. I sat with German, Swedish and Nederland backpackers who return to this bungalow each year, for several months at a time, claiming this beach is one of the last backpacker outpost beaches left in all of Thailand (not ruined by the loud, Western tourist party scenes so often accompanying the beaches). Close enough to other restaurants, yet far enough from the main bungalow area, Big Tree nourishes a familial feel and holds a gem of a spot.

I now live in a bungalow three times the size of the former, for the same price, yet on the beach. It was previously rented for two months by an Irishman who just happened to be checking out when I arrived :). I type from my hammock not 20 feet from the clearish, turquoise waters of high tide nourishing the shoreline. I am visited by a red frog (who shares the bungalow), orange-bellied black honey suckers, butterflies of all different varieties, salamanders, geckos, “real” geckos (which look like 8-inch long green lizards), red lizards, and most impressively, a flock of hornbills (similar to a toucan but with an ax-head shaped horn that rests on their bill). Yesterday I was blessed with small, black tipped sharks feeding in the shallows not 30 feet from me. My report of them to my new-found veteran backpacker friends was unbelievable, until I showed them the one picture I was able to capture. They said after all the 20 some years they have traveled here, they had heard of but had never seen these “quite rare” sharks. What a blessing.

Hoy, ensano yoga en la playa a mis amigos.