Islands in Thailand

Well, here I am in Thailand again.  I realize one of the things I love about this place is just how silly it is.  After taking a FREE shuttle from one airport to the other, I arrived at my hotel at the smaller airport in Bangkok so I could catch my early flight South.  This is the sign displayed in reception.

Off to a good start! 
Boats:
I have taken three boats since I arrived in Thailand. Here is a brief summary.
Boat #1 - Having taken a minivan with a couple from Reunion Island, we were told at Pakmeng Pier that the boat would be here in 2 1/2 hours.  About 10 minutes later, a woman says, "Okay. Leave now."  And they loaded our luggage onto a motorcart and drove it to the end of the pier.  The woman from Reunion pointed out a longtail boat to her husband and said that it was full of water.  THAT was our boat! One guy bailed while the other guy drove the boat and we obviously made it.  Whew!
Boat #2 - Six of us hired a longtail to take us to three islands to snorkel.  We were a motley crew: a stump of a guy with creepy bamboo tattoos all over his back and a shaved head, two French guys (one of whom got cut up on some coral at the first stop and was pretty much boatbound the rest of the trip and Peter from Sweden along with his daughter and a co-worker of his and then me.  The emerald cave was the big deal that day.  Another first for me.  I was scared because you have to swim in total blackness for a few minutes to get into the middle of the island.  It was supposedly a pirate's hangout and one can see why.  You would never be found!  The boat driver went first and had a flashlight and I wore a headlamp.  Wish I could show the video but it's four minutes (that's how long the cave is) and I don't think it would work.  Very cool though!
Boat #3 - This was the ferry from Koh Ngai to Koh Lanta.  Nothing exciting really except that the boat stopped in the middle of the Andaman Sea.  No explanations and everyone was looking at each other wondering.  All of the sudden, another ferry pulls up next to us and a man jumps from that boat to ours.  He was the man who arranges the free taxi service!  When we got to Lanta, it took the boat driver so long to dock, that he received a round of applause when he finally did it!  Yay! I was so dubious about the taxi being free that they laughed at me, but it was free!
Okay - a few words about massages.  I've had two and both made me laugh.
Massage #1 - On Koh Ngai (happy hour massage - only 200 baht (about $6).  She was very nice and it was an okay massage.  It's outside at sunset and the waves are gently lapping the shore and I'm totally relaxing when she yells (her mouth is near my head) to her daughter who has shown up.  I'm guessing it was something like, "Stop playing games on that phone and do your chores." But I really have no idea!  She then had a conversation with her husband who came by - maybe about dinner?
Massage number two was today in Lanta and w's on the beach also.  I saw this place that was doing a lot of business and figured they were probably good.  I walked up and said Thai massage please.  She said, "No, you hot.  You need aloe cooling massage only 100 baht more.  You lay here.". Okay, okay.  I lie down and she says, "Take off shirt.". I looked around and a British woman getting massaged next to me said, "She wants you to take off your shirt." Okay, okay!  So, here I am without my shirt on the beach getting an aloe massage.  She covered me with a wrap so I wasn't exposed and it was great!  Best massage so far and she also did my toenails which haven't seen any attention since I left home and I've hiked many miles, snorkeled twice every day and gone barefoot in the sand so they needed it.  I told her to pick out the color and my toes are now bright tangerine orange.  Woohoo!
Okay, enough talking.  Here's some photos. . . .

 

From the Leaky Boat on the Way to the Island

 

hornbills visited every morning
 and evening. Those who know me
know I have a million photos.

I'm only posting three.



 

Beach Where I Snorkeled Twice a Day

 

Koh Ngai Pier - Both Photos Above

Inside the Island After Going Through the Cave (see cave in water)

A Frozen Pineapple Drink After Massage

Sunset in Koh Lanta