I have shown you the trees that seem to live in the middle of the ocean during high tide.  Here is another picture of the trees during low tide.



You see how shallow the water is and how many rocks there are everywhere along the coast.  During low tide one day I decided to walk throught the trees.  Doing so I found the little island to be filled with these guys.



These little crabs were everywhere on the island and that is an understatement.  Whenever I moved near them they ducked into their holes, but if I stood still or looked up ahead it looked like the ground was moving there was so many of them.  While on the island I looked to my usual spot to see what kind of weather was headed my way.  The clouds and therefore storms usually move from the north to the south.  So I just look north at the clouds and I can tell what the weather will be like in the next 10 minutes.  So looking to the north this is what I saw.



I didn't like the look of those clouds so I started to head back to the hotel.  As I got back closer to the hotel my concerns were confirmed.  Rain was on it's way.



You see the hazy background that is the rain coming my way.  Luckily I got back to the hotel just in time.  I jumped into the doorway just as the rain started to come down heavy.  After the rain went away I was treated to a beautiful sunset behind the karst mountains of Ao Namao.



The next day was very low tide (although I have seen it a bit lower still).



Because the tide was so low I decided to walk down to the little beach that I always kayak too when it is low tide.  The beach is only there when it is low tide.  During high tide the beach is covered with water.  The beach is nothing fancy, but it is a good distance to kayak to.  It is not too far or too close and I like to walk around the beach looking at shells and whatever tidal life is around at the time.



On my way back from the low tide beach I had a little too much excitement.  On the way there I came across a not too happy dog.  So the whole way back I feared I would have to go by the dog again and maybe this time I would not get away so easy.  Last time I just kept a good distance, but with the tide coming in I would be forced closer to the dog.  So as I neared the spot where the dog was just an hour ago I walked by very cautiously.  As I was passing the spot I felt very relieved.  The dog was not there this time.  But then I looked up ahead and saw an even worse sight.  A pack of 4 dogs.  As I got near them them didn't seem too please with me being around.  They kept coming closer and closer all the while barking like crazy.  I finally moved into the water to create some space between us, but they kept coming.  The owner (a white lady) got up finally and came over.  She assured me the dogs would not bite, but the dogs were not happy at all and they were not listening to the lady.  They kept charging closer and closer to me.  By now I am up to my knees in the water trying to avoid them.  The owner was absolutely useless.  I have been around dogs long enough to know when a dog is capable if biting or attacking.  These dogs would attack me with any hesitation.  Sure maybe they have never biten before, but I don't feel like being the first.  So I kept walking very slowly through the water while the owner and her daughters were trying to grab the dogs.  At one point the dogs were within a few feet of me and I had to jump deeper into the water hitting a rock and almost falling in taking my camera with me.  Finally they got a hold of the dogs and I continued to walk pass them through the water.  Luckily I don't think the dogs liked the water.  I think that is what saved me from having to fight off the dogs.  I couldn't believe how calm the owner was during the whole thing.  I mean anyone could see how aggressive those dogs were towards me.  I was glad to get out of their in one piece.  But then I noticed that my toe was throbbing and burning.  So naturally I looked down.



I was bleeding all over the place.  I must have hit my toe on the sharp rock that I almost tripped over.  This picture is after I rinsed the blood off.  It was bleeding quite a bit.  So here I am limping back to the hotel with a bloody toe.  As soon as I got back I showered and clean the cut off with some first aid stuff.  My toe still hurts at this moment.  I like adventure and all, but that was a little more adventure than I like.  In addition to getting hurt I went to the local market here in Ao Namao.



Sometimes I forget I am in a different country and then I go somewhere like the market and it brings me back to reality.  Another thing that reminds me that I am on the other side of the world is the hotel's shrine.



It is located right under my balcony so I see it everyday and at night they light it up.  It is really beautiful.  Everyday they bring offerings to the shrine such as water, fruit, or lit candles.  I have also been bonding with my friends a lot lately.



Like this cute little kitty.  The other day during the storm she tried to hide on my lap for security from the rain and wind.  Last night she fell asleep on my lap.  In the morning she is very playful.  I have also been getting to know some of the my human friends better too.  The other night at dinner I was watching the geckos hunt for food by the lights and I saw this one in a very good hiding spot.



Finally we have the new food of the last few days.  I had Thai chicken satay with peanut sauce, rice, and cucumber salad.



I like to take the chicken and the peanut sauce and mix it with the rice.



The satay is really good, but the cucumber salad is incredible.



It has cucumbers, onions, peppers, and sweetened vinegar.  I also had pork with basil and peppers.



The pork was cut up into tiny little pieces and this dish was very spicy.  Finally, I also had a sweet soup made with coconut milk, sugar, and some kind of Thai Barley (they didn't know the English name for it, but it reminded me of barley).



All the new foods I had were delicious.  The sweet soup makes for a good dessert.  Well sorry this blog was a little choatic, but that was because it covered the last few days in random order.  I had a lot to write about, but didn't feel like making it all chronological like usual.  I hope it wasn't too random for you.