Swimming with Monks

Just a quick little update. I've managed to escape from Koh Tao and I'm now on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand, near Krabi. I'm "meeting" with a few volunteer organizations here, most Tsunami related, not really to do much volunteering right now but to get a sense of the different ways they work. All in all, they don't work, but interesting to meet all the people. And I still spend a lot of time with kids, but mostly just because they like that I know how to ask their name. And I still attract monks like flies to honey. Why is that?

I took a break yesterday morning to go on a little hike, something the sign called a nature trail. Three kilometers straight up and I was dripping in sweat. At least 2 of those three kilometers were through spiderwebs -- I was plastered with webs -- and surrounded by ants that looked like three black kiwi fruits strung together. A yorkie is a small dog but a mighty big ant. Anyway, I'm starting to seriously consider that I might not be able to make it, or that I might be eaten by a jaguar, when I finally reach the top and start coming down the other side and discover this 11-tier waterfall. Beautiful. And of course as soon as I'm stripped down to my underwear and going for a swim: monks. Lots and lots of monks. Little monks, big monks, and one particular monk that was definitely in between....

Koh Tao was great. I wish I could have spent a little more time diving but the doctor recommended against it when she put me on antibiotics. I spent quite a bit of time with a nice German couple on a month long honeymoon. Tom and Teda? And then I hopped a boat Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, and then Surat Thani, where I took a bus to Krabi, spent the night, and another boat to Railey. I'm back near Krabi now, because here is where the volunteer groups are, but I'll catch a long boat back to Railey this evening because I left my stuff there.

Another trip, to Ao Nang, tomorrow for someone else I want to meet, and hopefully a bit of kayaking in the afternoon. I'm too exhausted to regail you with funny tales today, so you'll have to do without.

I hope all is well with everyone!