We awake to banging around and loud music from across the road and it's only 08:15! The banging can be put down to other backpackers in the hostel.
We got up and made it downstairs to breakfast where we also caught up with our journals of yesterday.
Ian struggled with the language barrier to arrange transport to Phang-Nga and his perseverance paid off. At 11:15 we were collected from our hostel and following the usual half and hour collecting other passengers we departed from Krabi, Ian delighted to be away from the washbasinless hostel. We dozed through the journey. There is little else to do.
At 13:00 Ian and I and our luggage were turfed out of the minibus and transferred to a utility vehicle, which was very flush, and driven the few remaining kilometres into Phang-Nga. When we arrived we arranged accommodation where we get a clean room and flushing toilet with a shower for TBT 300. It turns out that all the hotels offer cold water only so we resign to the fact that it's cold showers only for the next fortnight. We also booked ourselves onto a tour of Sayan tomorrow which will include a visit to Kao Pingkan, James Bond Island, where 'The Man With The Golden Gun' was filmed.
After wandering about Phang-Nga and almost melting we drank coke, ate ice-creams and bought beer. Ian had to eat his ice-cream with a very thin straw as it came in a pot without a spoon. It caused me much amusement. I enjoyed a cold shower...at least I feel a bit cleaner.
While we ate dinner in a local food stall we were accompanied by a tiny gecko who was barely 3 centimetres long. He had big black eyes popping out of his head and a lovely little face and body. He frequented our table and spent his time hiding in the shadows of the banana plate and making daring quick movements to catch flies and small bugs for dinner. He didn't seem perturbed by our loving gazes and remained at our table for the duration of our meal. His raised his little tail up like a scorpion would raise his tail.
On the way back to the guesthouse the skies opened up and we took cover while the heavy shower diminished. As we emerged from our shelter a frog hopped from the road across the path.
Copyright 2003 Helen Fuller. All rights reserved.