And so we began the next chapter of our travels out of Phuket, Thailand aboard the "Paprika II" (for some reason locals at the marina pronounced it "Poppy-cock" - don't ask me how. All I know is there's a certain spice in my cupboard that I haven't been able to look at the same way ever since).
Thankfully, we ended up not having too much trouble as far as the monsoons are concerned. There were definitely times when enormous black clouds chased us up and down the Andaman Sea, painfully pelting thick droplets on our faces and backs the whole way. But adrenaline has a funny way of altering perception, because despite the threatening thunder, lightning and choppy waves, all I remember is having a blast savoring the spirit of the adventure. Henry David Thoreau would have been so proud of us! My mother would have had a stroke.
For 7 days we zig zagged through the Thai islands, stopping at 2 or 3 a day for mini excursions. Some of the islands were populated (barely), but most of them were deserted and overrun by jungle.
Favorite Memories:
Snorkeling inadvertently into a dense jelly fish area where we refused to let our fun be ruined - despite being repeatedly stung (these kind weren't dangerous, but they still hurt like the dickens when we got too close!)
Exploring a"hong" - the hollow center of an island created when the roof of an island's cave system collapses and the ocean and jungle fill it in.
Climbing around in a cave - which also happened to be an off-limits swallow preserve - and crawling through it's winding tunnels unsure of where they'd lead us. (I admit that the adventurer in me completely dominated the conservationist in me on this one, but it was totally worth it).
Wandering around an abandoned resort in the process of being reclaimed by the jungle. This memory actually kind of haunts me, but I had to mention it. After coming ashore (on an overcast day nontheless), we found a dirt path which led to a group of aging bungalows. Behind their locked doors were rooms made up with linen-laid beds, pillows, dressers, desks and chairs - but by the dust and cobwebs you could tell everything had been sitting there for a while... forgotten. Among the overgrown vegetation we kept finding stone statues, live chickens and axes - so random, and creepy. It was like walking into a Stephen King novel - so needless to say, we booked it off that island.
For a few different reasons, I decided to end my trip early. It was a hard decision, because I knew I'd probably never have the chance to do this again, but it was the right thing for me at the time. From one of the small islands, I hopped a ferry to a larger island where I honestly can't remember how I made it to the airport. The picture above pretty much sums it up, though. I sat in the airport for a few days rearranging my schedule and waiting for new flights. The other 5 went on to have many more adventure, all of which I'm super jealous of. And that was it... as swiftly as this experience came into my life, so it went out.
Maybe one day I'll be able to add more chapters to my Thailand Travels, but that's it for now!
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