Another Magical Day In A Magical Place
Posted by Scott Calderon on Monday, September 13, 2010
I think the title says it all. I had another magical day in a magical place. Each day I fall in love with this place more and more. This place reminds me a lot of Hawaii, but the locals might be nicer and better looking (on average). I already told you about my perfect breakfast. Well after that I went to the town of Ao Nang. I hung out at the beach for a little over an hour.
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I just sat there taking in the breathtaking scenery and the sounds of the ocean with the occasional motoscooter passing by. I watched a few of the longtailed boats come to shore to drop off passengers or pick up passengers and take off for some nearby island.
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After that I started to walk the main street of Ao Nang. I ran into this sign.
I had totally forgot about the tsunami and what it did to Thailand. I am actually staying in an area that was affected by the tsunami. I will have to talk to some of the locals to hear their stories. I think that a couple hundred people died in this area (keep in mind that this is not a highly populated place). I am very interested to hear some of the stories. So I continued to walk until I stopped at a store and bought some snacks for the week and for my upcoming train ride to Penang, Malaysia. Then I started walking in search of a local fruit stand. I had to walk for about 10 to 15 minutes before I finally stumbled upon a fruit stand with the fruit I was looking for, but in the process I was able to see how local life is in Ao Nang. I was many blocks away from the touristy area of Ao Nang and was in a typical local area of Ao Nang. I saw restaurants preparing to open up. I saw many locals at work. I saw kids going home from school. For example, I found this typical local restaurant and just had to take a picture. You eat in the bamboo huts. Those are the tables.
I was able to see what everyday life in Ao Nang looks like. Something that most tourist do not get to see. Something that most tourist don't care to see. I found it fascinated. I thought to myself I could live like this. Anyways, back to the fruit. I was searching for the brown fruit on the right and the red one caught my eye so I thought I would try it.
Both of these fruit are delicious. You have to peel them both. The red one has a big seed in the middle and the brown one is in pieces like an orange. Unfortunately I don't remember their names, but they are good. After buying some fruit I started to walk in the direction of my hotel. I was keeping my eye on the road so I could stop a pickup taxi to take me back. After a few minutes I started to worry beacause I hadn't seen any since I left the touristy area. Then all of a sudden a truck honks at me. I turn around and it is some of the hotel staff. They were on their way back to the hotel and saw me walking so they stopped and gave me a ride back. Just another example of how well they treat you here. I got back to the hotel to find that the power was out, but no big deal I just went to the jacuzzi and relaxed with the ocean views. I just sat there and watched the tide go out. It was interesting to watch because when I first got here I looked around at the beach and I noticed some trees in the middle of the ocean. I thought it was a little weird. Well today as the tide went out the low tide exposed an entire island that supports the trees.
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All the ground you see above is covered with water when the tide comes in. The water goes up to the point where you can't see any of the land and all you see are the tops of trees sticking out of the water. So after watching the scenery change right in front of me I came inside and cleaned up for dinner. As I sat down to eat dinner I noticed the french couple from yesterday making their way towards the restaurant. I invited them to join me and we had a wonderful dinner together. We had some interesting conversation all while eating delicious Thai food. I had fried chicken with garlic and peppers and a strawberry lassi (an indian drink made of yogurt and fruit). Then the waiter came over and we all started talking. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day. I just don't know what to say about this place. It is just magical.
I just sat there taking in the breathtaking scenery and the sounds of the ocean with the occasional motoscooter passing by. I watched a few of the longtailed boats come to shore to drop off passengers or pick up passengers and take off for some nearby island.
After that I started to walk the main street of Ao Nang. I ran into this sign.
I had totally forgot about the tsunami and what it did to Thailand. I am actually staying in an area that was affected by the tsunami. I will have to talk to some of the locals to hear their stories. I think that a couple hundred people died in this area (keep in mind that this is not a highly populated place). I am very interested to hear some of the stories. So I continued to walk until I stopped at a store and bought some snacks for the week and for my upcoming train ride to Penang, Malaysia. Then I started walking in search of a local fruit stand. I had to walk for about 10 to 15 minutes before I finally stumbled upon a fruit stand with the fruit I was looking for, but in the process I was able to see how local life is in Ao Nang. I was many blocks away from the touristy area of Ao Nang and was in a typical local area of Ao Nang. I saw restaurants preparing to open up. I saw many locals at work. I saw kids going home from school. For example, I found this typical local restaurant and just had to take a picture. You eat in the bamboo huts. Those are the tables.
I was able to see what everyday life in Ao Nang looks like. Something that most tourist do not get to see. Something that most tourist don't care to see. I found it fascinated. I thought to myself I could live like this. Anyways, back to the fruit. I was searching for the brown fruit on the right and the red one caught my eye so I thought I would try it.
Both of these fruit are delicious. You have to peel them both. The red one has a big seed in the middle and the brown one is in pieces like an orange. Unfortunately I don't remember their names, but they are good. After buying some fruit I started to walk in the direction of my hotel. I was keeping my eye on the road so I could stop a pickup taxi to take me back. After a few minutes I started to worry beacause I hadn't seen any since I left the touristy area. Then all of a sudden a truck honks at me. I turn around and it is some of the hotel staff. They were on their way back to the hotel and saw me walking so they stopped and gave me a ride back. Just another example of how well they treat you here. I got back to the hotel to find that the power was out, but no big deal I just went to the jacuzzi and relaxed with the ocean views. I just sat there and watched the tide go out. It was interesting to watch because when I first got here I looked around at the beach and I noticed some trees in the middle of the ocean. I thought it was a little weird. Well today as the tide went out the low tide exposed an entire island that supports the trees.
All the ground you see above is covered with water when the tide comes in. The water goes up to the point where you can't see any of the land and all you see are the tops of trees sticking out of the water. So after watching the scenery change right in front of me I came inside and cleaned up for dinner. As I sat down to eat dinner I noticed the french couple from yesterday making their way towards the restaurant. I invited them to join me and we had a wonderful dinner together. We had some interesting conversation all while eating delicious Thai food. I had fried chicken with garlic and peppers and a strawberry lassi (an indian drink made of yogurt and fruit). Then the waiter came over and we all started talking. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day. I just don't know what to say about this place. It is just magical.