I'm back and for most of you, I'm gone again! What a whirlwind summer vacation it was for me! Had a great time with some good visiting in. Even though I had seven weeks to do and see a lot with family and friends, it was impossible to see all! For those that I missed please do not take it personally, next year when the two of us return we hope to slide in visits with those I missed on this past trip. What a bunch of sleeping around I did last summer, in total 23 stays at different homes and some of those were multiple visits. To the few that allowed me back ha ha, an extra special thanks goes out to my sister-in-law Rosi, and my inspiring, great friend Anne, and the always helpful and accomodating Candace and Lawrence for opening your homes for extended stays. Without all your help, clean sheets and tasty meals, where would I be? I also want to thank my sister Tami for taking so much of her time to be with me and for her always putting my needs above hers! She is "the best"! Forever I am grateful! Thank you to all! And to all you one nighters......Kup koon ka (thank you) so very much !!!!
It was great to see Steve at the airport in Phuket. It was emotional for both of us, because I was so busy and surrounded by so many, Steve did the harder time. I am blessed with the amazing relationship we have and know that he is truly my bestest friend! As said before ..."we are so lucky"! Arrived to sunshine and smiles, then the next day tons of rain! First it was sprinkles, then the sideways downpour, to full on monsoon buckets. Holy cow batman can you say waterworld? Unfortunately some of the Thai shanty's in our area were flooded out. It seems to hit the less fortunate folks the worst. Sad to notice many pumps working in the area that suck out massive amounts of water.
In our paved driveway we even had a large crab wandering about. He sure looked out of place! Later we were told it was a mud crab. There's rivers and lagoons in our area, so nice to find out he wasn't from the sea as it's a ten minute bike ride away. One of our security dogs was gone. Doi was my favorite (the old grey, greasy fur, flea ridden stinky one). After asking a few workers from our villa's, I was told that one of the chamber maids took him home to live out the rest of his life in retirement. That's good news but we will sure miss him. Thob the female was very happy to see me! She looks as though she has lost a few pounds, most likely a combination of missing her buddy Doi and from me not feeding her extra treats for almost 2 months!
Nice to be back in the neighborhood, having a few of the local ladies at the market greet me with big smiles. Same same at the beach with the life guards waving and big hello's. I'm guessing that I stand out with my red hair and being "the farrang girl on a bike wearing a helmet"! Ah the familiar sights and smiles. Great to be back! Had four days with Steve. His boss is awesome and gave him the much deserved time off. Now it is back to business for Steve and I spent the week (weather permitting) riding around the ole haunts, floating in our pool, and afternoons reading seaside! What a life! Packed us up and now we are in Krabi. Oa Nang is the spot where we will be for a month or so while Steve is building a large resort pool. It's nice to be back in the area. We were here last year but found it to be too touristy and crowded for our likings. It 's best described as Osoyoos in mid summer, now it's like Osoyoos in November. We prefer the quieter places. But like home and around the world, it is busy for a reason, it's so beautiful! We're renting a big two story, two bedroom, two bathroom home about 8 km's from Steve's job site. So it's a very easy commute for him and a nice bike ride for me to visit. The small complex we are staying at has three rental homes and the managers live on the property at the entrance. Currently no one else is staying here so we have had the pool to ourselves. Our home has a huge full on kitchen with a four burner stove and even an oven. Ovens here are not too common. It also has a full size fridge! So I am enjoying all the space in my cooking area. It could be a 3 to 4 bum kitchen for sure. We have a Mosque across the street and at various times day and night we hear the chanting and short hymns. At first I wasn't sure if I found it comforting or daunting. Now a week in, I am liking some of the sounds, some are finer than others! I must say we do stand out here in the Muslim countryside, and as in many places we have been in S.E. Asia, the people are very friendly. Same same but...........different! Stealing a quote from my brother Dale's blog, "Extreme Muslims" in the neighborhood and meaning what he saw and said while in Mongolia, extreme friendliness and kindness here. We really all want the same things in life, health, happiness, and all the best for our families and close friends.
