travel tips

travel tip # 157: do not, under any circumstances, hide your passports under the bungalow mattress on a remote island for safekeeping, and then forget about this hiding place until you are 3/4 of the way back to the mainland, on the most choppy sea you've ever ridden, rocking dangerously through the splashing rolling waves, when you recall disbelievingly that the passports are, indeed, still under the mattress. this was our shock of the day. i kept saying no, no no, are we sure, they aren't in the backpack...no they are not. luckily, we've contacted a person in the company we booked through which is connected with our guesthouse on ko lipe, and hopefully (fingers crossed!) our passports are going to be picked up in the morning, brought onto the ferry, transported across the sea, transferred to a bus, and drivin to krabi to our waiting grateful hands. i truly hope so! we are flying out in less than three full days, and we need those precious little documents to be able to leave!

ko lipe was (is) so beautiful. it's like the kind of tropical paradise you might always dream of, or see in postcards. apparently we were there during the peak time of the year when the water is it's most stunning. white sand beaches underline the clear blue water in a way that you just keep saying, wow, i can't believe i am here, and every picture taken makes you think, did i really just take *that* picture?! we rented a sea kayak and paddled around a bit on tuesday, out to a little island, where we snorkeled and got stung by lots of baby jellyfish that were invisible to the eye. we hung our mask and snorkle heads over our little kayak too and looked down at the world of coral beneath, and big sharp pointy creepy black sea urchins, and little nemo fish swimming around their purple-based sea anenome home, and angel fish, and parrot fish, and little fishes with nice colors, and one sting ray that made us swim fast away, and slug-like sea cucumbers on the bottom of the sea floor. i love snorkeling, and it can also be a little scary sometimes, that huge under water world, my body just floating up there above it all but in it too.

as we were kayaking around, i said, "let's just check that one last beach for rata and chino" (as we had been looking for them constantly for the past 48 hours!) as we paddled up to the shore, we thought we saw a figure that looked like chino...could it be?! carson said "......chino?" in this adorable curious way, and slowly he turned, and yes! it was him, and rata, after all, on this little secluded beach at one end of the island that we had yet to set foot upon. it was soooooo wonderful to see them, they are some of the most beautiful, warm, welcoming, generous, genuine people i have met, it's so easy to love them so much, instantly. we spent a lot of the last couple of days with them, and some of their old friends and new friends, all from spain (last night we had dinner with 7 people from spain, how fun! inspiration to start studying our spanish book).

ko lipe was only a 4 day experience, but how special. they are just about to begin building a road on the island (it's got to be small, there are not many places to go on that island!) i think this is sad. there was a huge barge that pulled up on tuesday, with cranes and a bulldozer-type big yellow machine, and concrete makings. we definitely got to see the island at a turning point. the local chao ley people there are so friendly, there is a 700 person village on the island. carson participated in a 12 person beach volleyball game with travelers and locals alike, and had some awesome saves, if i do say so myself (his height is a coveted advantage, he's good at those spikes over the net!)

today was exhausting though, with the (quite scary) ferry ride, and then our unfortunate realization about the left-behind passports. we are in krabi now, it was raining here all day (last night we saw lightening in the distance on ko lipe, and the wind was strong). uncharacteristic weather. but krabi has two great night markets, tonight we let ourselves be inspired again by our friend jeromi's food adventures and tried some new things at the market. rice and coconut fried cakes, waffles made with corn, carrots, and coconut...a nice big fat piece of fresh cut durian for only a little more than a dollar...rice noodles with peanut sauce,...some tasty freshly-made-with-a-fluorish phad thai, vegetables in curry sauce, and my beloved mango with sticky rice and coconut. our favorite thing we ate on ko lipe were the local chao ley banana fritters dipped in yogurt sauce...yum! we had those twice.

another special thing about ko lipe were the phosphorescence (spelling?) that floated in the water at night....illuminated glowing green/blue particles that ebb and flow with the tide. magical. carson loved them, it reminded him of growing up in olympia, and of home. hopefully the weather will clear up for us here so that we can enjoy some of the natural features here in krabi. our trusty lonely planet book (which we can almost sell back!) states that krabi is the most beautiful province of thailand, and railay beach is the most beautiful beach of thailand...we are in the right spot! krabi is known for it's towering sea cliffs and is a destination for rock climbers. we saw some as we came in today, though it was a bit cloudy, they are impressive. we also may rent a motorbike and cruise around.

the pictures above are all on ko lipe (obviously). the boat is like all the longtail boats that take you around the island, and to/from the ferries....and the other couple in the picture is rata and chino, of course :) we are excited to go to bali in a couple of days! our friend chloe wrote us a glowing email of her experience there thus far, it sounds idyllic! she's staying in a great guesthouse/retreat center type place that only costs $8.50 a night if you stay there for a month. we felt good about that right away and decided to stay there if we can. it has a beautiful wooden yoga room upstairs, a kitchen to share in cooking with the other residents, and is out of ubud (the town we'll be around) by just a few kilometers, out in the green green green nature. also, a big yoga/music/health festival is taking place while we are there, the bali spirit festival, and we are in contact with them to volunteer for 4 days or so! should be a great way to meet some inspiring people. perhaps that is all for now.... :)