Tag Archives: Travel Thailand

Travel and Traditions…The Land of Smiles.

Retired No One Told Me! (6)

When you travel to Thailand be ready to be truly amazed the minute you step off the plane.

One of the first places we visited on our travel and explorations around Phuket was Big Buddha one of the most famous landmarks on the island of Phuket.

Big Buddha

Big Buddha, I have lost count of how many times we have travelled up the mountain to Big Buddha and it is always a place we take our visitors… While work is still ongoing there is always something different and new to see… My favourite sight though will always be that huge Big Buddha sat atop the Nakkerd hills sparkling in the sunlight, made of white jade he just shimmers as the sunlight catches that beautiful white jade… An awesome sight… Remember to keep covered up no bare arms and legs. Then on the way down you can stop at one of the restaurants and enjoy some lovely Thai food and of course the spectacular views around the bay.

If you travel to Phuket then you must go and visit Big Buddha.

There are many beautiful beaches in Thailand, my favourites are the ones which are not so crowded…The lesser visited beaches which are so beautiful… How to pick a favourite? Click this link and you will see why I can’t make that choice they all have their own charm. All you need is a beach towel and a camera and don’t forget the sunscreen.

beach and chairs nice pic

You have of course got the very touristy beaches like Patong, in Phuket but if you visit some of the others you can see or do some silk printing, have your portrait painted or just relax at a reggae bar and watch the waves or if you are feeling particularly sporty there is paddle boarding for which you need a fair amount of balance and it is not as easy as it looks… But you can’t travel to Thailand and not do at least one of these.

Sea gipsy villages are so very beautiful…They have a life of their own..self contained and self-sufficient, some have a school and one even has its own floating football pitch. Very fresh seafood, some amazing Thai food can be tasted it is all authentic flavours no holds barred when it comes to chillies … Just browse the little stalls set up in front of homes selling anything from dried fish, honeyed nuts, local goods made of silk or bags made by the hill tribes from the North and of course the normal bits and bobs to take home as mementoes of your travels.

houses on stilts Koh Panyee

I just love Krabi...Taking a long-boat to visit all the little islands is a marvellous day out just be ready to get wet and having to wade out to sea a little to get onto the boat but so much better than the speedboats for me anyway…You see far more and the boatmen know the schedules of the big boats so you can see the islands and miss the crowds.

A Thai massage on the beach or some lovely wraps and wall hangings which the beach vendors will be trying to sell to you…Lovely handmade wooden goods … purses and key rings …all sorts for sale and remember Thais love to barter…

If you are hungry the food is fresh from the boats and cooked to order…

You can get the most wonderful Thai massage on the beach while laying and looking out to sea and letting your thoughts just wander and take you where they may …

I will tell you a funny story when we went to one of the small islands massages were not permitted on some of the beaches but you could see the police boat coming as obviously boat was the only form of  access so if the boat appeared everyone upped sticks and we sat and sipped our drinks  as if nothing was going on and when they went on their merry way massage continued it was quite funny really and made me wonder whether the police really knew anyway…

My masseur happened to be male as all the ladies were busy … My lucky day…apparently, I had that look on my face( according) to hubby…I think it is called a blissful look …That masseuse had the best hands…The rest I will leave to your very fertile imaginations..ladies…” smirk”

Temples or wats there are SO many here they range from the very old to the very new. From highly ornate to ones which need some TLC and to the quirky temples like this one which is made entirely out of Heineken and Chang bottles.Recycling at its best 🙂

Called Wat Pa Maha Kaew or the Temple of a Million Bottles it is a Buddhist temple in the Khun Han district of Sisaket province, Thailand. Made from over 1.5 million bottles it took two years to build the main temple.

Can you just imagine a temple built completely from bottles and beer bottles?

Wat Bang Riang

This one is Wat Bang Riang a little drive from Phuket but well worth the trip …

I can’t go without mentioning briefly the food of which there is so much to love…Those Thai flavours are so amazing…

My Favourite Khao Soi a yellow curry with crispy noodles which packs a fiery punch as well.

You can’t visit Thailand and not visit a market…They are many and varied from the huge markets which sell everything to the little local market with 10-15 stalls which sell the essentials and the fresh fruit and vegetables are so very fresh..just picked that morning… Not forgetting, of course, the floating markets.

 

That’s all for this post  I do hope you have enjoyed it. I am looking forward to your comments and if you also hit the share buttons I would love that ….Thanks, Carol xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a creative week ahead xx

 

Thailand…Travel and Traditions…

Thailand…The Land of Smiles and my home… For the next few months, I will take you to some special places and share with you the long-held traditions I have discovered which are passed down through the generations I do hope that you enjoy…

A young Thai monk sitting in Water

The North Eastern side of Phuket Island you will find Bang Rong pier from there you can catch a water taxi or a speed boat to several of the nearby islands. We ate fresh seafood and lovely fresh mango salad a virtual feast. Life so tranquil here, a world away from the hustle and bustle which is London or any other city.

This sea gipsy village is not one of the larger ones where you can walk through the village and shop this is quite basic by comparison but has a certain charm and you can see the men and women going about their daily work either fishing or driving the boats or water taxis back and forth or whittling away as they make wooden trinkets and ornaments for sale ..they may be mending nets or even sleeping in the sun or cooking the lovely seafood…

mending the wood boards koh panyee

The Sea Gypsy’s are said to be the oldest and most interesting inhabitants of Phuket Locally called  Chao Le in the Thai language. (Chao=people; Le=from thale=sea). They settle in one bay until all the resources there are finished and move on to another bay so giving nature time to recover. But there is no written history of their whereabouts and culture. The only thing we know is that they lived as nomads without a permanent residence and without writing utensils. Some say they come from former Malay colonies fleeing Burma from the Muslim invasion. Others say they were descended from the Indian Vedas. The Sea Gypsies are split into three ethnic groups – the Moken, Moklen and Urak Lawoi – which speak different languages. While the Moken still live as nomads, mostly in the northern islands of Phuket, the Moklen and Urak Lawoi settled down at the coastlines of Phuket. Until now they are still working as fisherman or pearl divers and some collect bird nests which are a delicacy for soup. Other income comes from the tourists which visit their villages daily.

Today they have their own language and own religion – the animism. The legends say they brought their dead people to so-called “death islands” where their souls live forever. Two times a year they celebrate the most important ritual in animism the “Loy Ruea” festival. Small wooden boats are released into the sea carrying presents, fingernails, hair and miniature weapons to please the ghosts of the sea and the souls of the dead so the Sea Gypsies can live in peace and happiness. Another highlight in their lives is the yearly hunting of sea turtles to eat their flesh. The legend says that a woman of the Sea Gypsies changed to a sea turtle but with a human face. Since then the Sea Gypsies worship the sea turtles as sisters of the humankind. Only for this festival is permission given to hunt and eat sea turtles. For their daily living, the Sea Gypsies barely use money – they just exchange minerals, shells, oysters, snake house and other things for what they need. If they get access to money they usually buy rice, eggs sweets or tobacco. The settlements of the Sea Gypsies give you an insight in an ancient culture – free, colourful, without crime and police – and everybody is very welcome to visit them for a chat, a game of pool or to buy a fish or some of their handicrafts.

Bang Phut Sea Gypsy Village Phuket

Surrounded by Mangrove swamps it is peaceful and although you do get tourists taking the boats to the outlying islands it isn’t that busy it is tranquil and rural a little off the beaten track …

The food here is Thai and not what you would find on the popular beaches which I hardly ever eat on as it isn’t authentic Thai it is dumbed down to cater for tourists taste…Something I have a hard job understanding as surely it is nice to have a taste of authentic food wherever you travel?

Close to here in the National park you will also find walkways into the jungle which means you can get a closer look quite safely without worry that you may inadvertently step on something or get too close to a crocodile.

Another lovely place to visit which is in the same proximity as Bang Rong pier is the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre...I love watching those little gibbons who are now happily swinging from tree to tree through the jungle….If you ever visit Phuket, The Gibbon Rehab centre is a must to visit and there is a beautiful restaurant next door…Yep…Food again!

If you make a visit you can see the gibbons who are receiving treatment …Many are rehabilitated and released back into the jungle the ones who cannot be released back into the jungle live a very happy, safe life…There is also the opportunity to sponsor your favourite gibbon…

Some are so tiny that they have to be hand reared and bottle fed and are so very cute…

Just about 0.2km from the Gibbon Sanctuary is Piang Pria a beautiful restaurant with food to match it overlooks the lake and is a nice place to stop if you have visited the waterfall and just want somewhere to relax and enjoy beautifully presented food…

It is rated very highly on trip advisor and has many certificates…The food is just a little step up from street food in so much as it is always beautifully presented.

If you visit this beautiful part of Phuket it makes a lovely day out you can opt to take a trip to one of the islands enjoy some seafood on your return have a wander around the walkways then meander over to see the Gibbons which although you cannot get too close you can speak with the staff and volunteers who love to chat…Visit the waterful and if you don’t take the scenic route to its sister waterfall Ton Sai then you can sit by the lake and enjoy some beautiful food…

I hope you enjoy exploring with me on my travels xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a creative week ahead xx

I am off to Bangkok for the weekend and I am sure I will try some awesome street food so to get your tastebuds zinging I have reposted an older post …Enjoy

Thai Street Food

via Travel Thailand… Street Food and Markets…

Thank you so much for reading this post If you have any thoughts please add a comment I always respond xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great weekend xx

Travel Thailand; The Land of Smiles.

Retired No One Told Me! (6)

When you travel to Thailand be ready to be truly amazed the minute you step off the plane.

One of the first places we visited on our travel and explorations around Phuket was Big Buddha one of the most famous landmarks on the island of Phuket.

Big Buddha

Big Buddha, I have lost count of how many times we have travelled up the mountain to Big Buddha and it is always a place we take our visitors… While work is still ongoing there is always something different and new to see… My favourite sight though will always be that huge Big Buddha sat atop the Nakkerd hills sparkling in the sunlight, made of white jade he just shimmers as the sunlight catches that beautiful white jade… An awesome sight… Remember to keep covered up no bare arms and legs. Then on the way down you can stop at one of the restaurants and enjoy some lovely Thai food and of course the spectacular views around the bay.

If you travel to Phuket then you must go and visit Big Buddha.

There are many beautiful beaches in Thailand, my favourites are the ones which are not so crowded…The lesser visited beaches which are so beautiful… How to pick a favourite? Click this link and you will see why I can’t make that choice they all have their own charm. All you need is a beach towel and a camera and don’t forget the sunscreen.

beach and chairs nice pic

You have of course got the very touristy beaches like Patong, in Phuket but if you visit some of the others you can see or do some silk printing, have your portrait painted or just relax at a reggae bar and watch the waves or if you are feeling particularly sporty there is paddle boarding for which you need a fair amount of balance and it is not as easy as it looks… But you can’t travel to Thailand and not do at least one of these.

 

Sea gypsy villages are so very beautiful…They have a life of their own..self contained and self-sufficient, some have a school and one even has its own floating football pitch. Very fresh seafood, some amazing Thai food can be tasted it is all authentic flavours no holds barred when it comes to chillies … Just browse the little stalls set up in front of homes selling anything from dried fish, honeyed nuts, local goods made of silk or bags made by the hill tribes from the North and of course the normal bits and bobs to take home as mementoes of your travels.

houses on stilts Koh Panyee

I just love Krabi...Taking a long-boat to visit all the little islands is a marvellous day out just be ready to get wet and having to wade out to sea a little to get onto the boat but so much better than the speedboats for me anyway…You see far more and the boatmen know the schedules of the big boats so you can see the islands and miss the crowds.

A Thai massage on the beach or some lovely wraps and wall hangings which the beach vendors will be trying to sell to you…Lovely handmade wooden goods … purses and key rings …all sorts for sale and remember Thais love to barter…

If you are hungry the food is fresh from the boats and cooked to order…

You can get the most wonderful Thai massage on the beach while laying and looking out to sea and letting your thoughts just wander and take you where they may …

I will tell you a funny story when we went to one of the small islands massage was not permitted on some of the beaches but you could see the police boat coming as obviously boat was the only form of  access so if the boat appeared everyone upped sticks and we sat and sipped our drinks  as if nothing was going on and when they went on their merry way massage continued it was quite funny really and made me wonder whether the police really knew anyway…

My masseur happened to be male as all the ladies were busy … My lucky day…apparently, I had that look on my face( according) to hubby…I think it is called a blissful look …That massuer had the best hands…The rest I will leave to your very fertile imaginations..ladies…”smirk”

Temples or wats there are SO many here they range from the very old to the very new. From highly ornate to ones which need some TLC and to the quirky temples like this one which is made entirely out of Heineken and Chang bottles.

Called Wat Pa Maha Kaew or the Temple of a Million Bottles it is a Buddhist temple in the Khun Han district of Sisaket province, Thailand. Made from over 1.5 million bottles it took two years to build the main temple.

Can you just imagine a temple built completely from bottles and beer bottles?

Wat Bang Riang

This one is Wat Bang Riang a little drive from Phuket but well worth the trip …

I can’t go without mentioning briefly the food of which there is so much to love…Those Thai flavours are so amazing…

My Favourite Khao Soi a yellow curry with crispy noodles which packs a fiery punch as well.

You can’t visit Thailand and not visit a market…They are many and varied from the huge markets which sell everything to the little local market with 10-15 stalls which sell the essentials and the fresh fruit and vegetables are so very fresh..just picked that morning… Not forgetting, of course, the floating markets.

 

That’s all for this post  I do hope you have enjoyed it. I am looking forward to your comments and if you also hit the share buttons I would love that ….Thanks, Carol xxx

Connect to Carol( Moi)

Blog:https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Enjoy the rest of your weekend I hope you have a lovely Sunday and the weather is kind to you xxx

 

Travel Thailand…Ton Thai Waterfall,Thalang, Phuket…

Retired No One Told Me! Ton Tai Waterfall

Thailand has many beautiful waterfalls and this one is not a big one by any standards but lovely and one of my favourites.

Ton Tai( Sai) Waterfall is on the north-eastern side of Phuket island… It is inland and fairly far some would say from the beaches of Phuket, although having lived in Phuket it is at most 15 minutes from the closest beach so not a major trip out if you are on holiday and your time is limited.

To access the waterfall from  Thalang Town’s junction headed to the fall it is a straight road about three kilometres in length through rural countryside and farmland which then progresses into the lush green jungle and it is very peaceful with a smattering of simple Thai homes…

Ton tai waterfall

It is not the largest of waterfalls but easily accessed and it is peaceful and quiet. We actually lived along this road and often just took a stroll up to the waterfall and indeed our terrapins are still living with the other terrapins in the waterfall pool as we released them back into the wild.

Ton tai waterfall the bottom pool

Ton Tai waterfall is on the western side os the Khao Phra National Park and there is a path from Tonsai to Bang Pae Waterfall where the gibbon rehabilitation centre is situated.

You can either take a guide and walk through to Bang Pae waterfall or you can negotiate the tail yourself. Personally, I think if you take the guide unless of course, you have good knowledge of the local flora and fauna you will learn more and the guides know where everything is growing and can give you the correct Thai names.

If you have an interest in tropical plants then the rare white backed palms ( kerriodoxa elegans) can be found here growing quite freely. The leaves are beautiful and huge and can be up to two metres across, big and circular shaped like a fan with a green upper surface and white underneath.

Tonsai is a haven for wildlife and birds and if you are lucky you may see the red-billed malkoha or red-backed sea eagle the Siberian blue and forest wagtail also migrate here every year…All I managed to snap was a lizard basking in the sun.

Ton tai waterfall lizard basking in the sun

There is also a small restaurant where you can get food which I haven’t eaten in so I can’t give a review we used to eat in a small restaurant on the right-hand side of the road coming away from the waterfall about halfway down the long road…It is a popular stop for tour minibuses and generally, I would steer clear of any restaurant who catered for tours. Not so with this one, the food is excellent, the place clean and the prices very reasonable.

Also if you are very adventurous and you are in the area…I am not I don’t do heights and zip wires…I keep my feet on terra firma…This cable Jungle adventure is so I am told awesome and I am in doubt that it is… https://cablejunglephuket.com/

Just not for me but everyone who has been had so much fun…

If you enjoyed this post then please reblog  or share on your social media x

If you still want to see even more from me???? Although I am a crazy English lady with a quirky sense of humour…Then I have added some links below xx Come and say hello x

Connect to Carol( Moi)

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest ( 1): https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Until  next time I hope you all have a fabulous weekend  x

 

 

 

Travel Thailand…The beautiful sea gypsy village of Koh Panyee

Sea Gypsy Village Koh Panyee

Koh Panyee a sea gypsy fishing village in Phang Nga Province, Thailand. It was built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen some 200 years ago, although it is quite isolated this thriving fishing village is a popular tourist attraction.

The population of about 360 families or approx 1,685 people are all descendants of 2 seafaring Muslim families from Java, Indonesia.

Descendants, directly or indirectly, of a man called Toh Baboo, his family and friends. They were the first people to settle on Koh Panyee over 200 years ago.

Toh Baboo and two other families left their homeland in Indonesia by boat, looking for a new place to live. The three families made a vow to each other. They said if one of them found a place where there were lots of fish and where everyone could live, that they would signal the others. They would do so by raising a flag on a mountain as high as possible so that the others could see it and join them.

Toh Baboo discovered the island with its abundance of fish and, true to his promise, raised a flag atop its soaring cliff. That is how the island got its name, Koh Panyee – the Island of the Flag.

Koh Panyee is about 20 minutes by long-tail boat from Surakul pier in Phang Nga province.

We set out on the calm sunny morning from our hotel and travelled over the Saracen Bridge, which is the gateway in and out of Phuket Island. As we drove over the bridge the tour guide told us of the story of two young people from different backgrounds. The boy from a poor family and the girl from a well to do family who fell in love and how they were forbidden to meet again by their families…

Heartbroken they tied themselves together with a loincloth and jumped to their deaths… Together forever… A bit like Romeo and Juliet and this story is still being told and is what has made the Saracen bridge so famous.

View of bridge from Thanoon Seafood

There is a beautiful riverside restaurant at Saracen bridge which we have been to many times… It offers all types of very fresh Seafood.

Alongside the road from the restaurant, running parallel to the main road are many stalls which sell dried fish of all sorts and pineapples by the truckload. It is a popular venue for shops and market traders as they can just pull up and load their trucks with fresh produce and then carry on into Phuket.

It wasn’t long before we arrived where the long tail boats leave to Koh Panyee. After a  whistle-stop tour of the little shop a visit the ladies restroom we just had time to try on a few sun hats so many to choose from.. before we were on the long tail boat to Koh Panyee.

sun-hat-2428843_640

The ride which takes you passed spooky mangroves and amazing Limestone Karst’s rising majestically out of the sea is a wonder in itself. It is absolutely beautiful … Soon the sea gypsy village of Koh Panyee came into view… I was expecting a small village with a few houses on stilts but no this is a large, thriving community and quite charming.

houses on stilts Koh Panyee

This fishing village has a school, a mosque, a health centre and even a football pitch. The team is noted for beating teams from the mainland. Who would have known that from a makeshift pitch made from old boards, that this state of the art football pitch would be born? It is an amazing story as this little video shows…

I would say that you would become pretty good at ball control if you knew if it was kicked off the pitch. Then it landed in the surrounding sea and the only way to retrieve it was to get wet. Wouldn’t you?

The original pitch was built by a few lads who used driftwood, in fact, any wood they lay their hands on… They played in bare feet on a slippery surface. The one they have now is somewhat different to that first pitch but it is thanks to those boys that they have the one they have today.

There are also a few seafood restaurants and the food looked pretty good. The fish is all freshly caught. A thriving little market with local crafts, we were soon soaking up the atmosphere and charm. We were looking for that special gift to take away.. Beautiful silks and lovely local handmade foods, dried fruits of all sorts and nuts cooked in honey and all sorts, dried fish …

koh panyee washing

A treasure trove it was like Aladdin’s cave so colourful and busy, bustling with everyday life and no frills. When you see how basic some of the accommodation is but many smiling faces and happy children.

With fishing still being a large source of income, men and women are going about their day-to-day life as we arrive. Women sitting in doorways chatting, babies asleep in little makeshift hammocks, men mending their fishing nets, old men asleep. Thais sleep anywhere… No comfy beds with feather pillows here… A chair, a doorway, curled up on their shop counter or underneath it… When you call a tousled head pops up with a beaming smile of welcome. Eager to sell their wares…

mending the wood boards koh panyee

Children running or swimming in the murky water with no fear… and very eager to get their photo taken so lovely and happy…

Our precious gifts bought and wrapped we headed to a restaurant for some food while we waited for our boat ride back to terra firma…

We were served some lovely soft-shelled crab curry… It was beautiful and there was only one way to eat it… We were left with fingers smelling of curry and fish but it was the best food and so fresh…

chilli- crab curry 563175_640

After our trip back on the long tail boat, we were both tired but happy… It was a lovely trip through the mangroves to the Sea Gypsy village but so worth it…

I hope you have enjoyed this trip and if you are ever that way hop on a long tail boat and prepare to be amazed.

This trip was part of the writers retreat I was on and we were given a task prior to this trip…We had a lucky dip and had to pick three whatever was written on those three pieces of paper was what our story should be based on…We also had  25 minutes to write:  My first prompts were Uruguay, Retired Prostitute and Gracious. the second prompt I  chose was “Who is that colourful character.” 

My first story was written  and it was then our trip to Koh Panyee and another story and the prompt was as above ” Who is that colourful character”

I decided to add to the first story as the second prompt fitted in very well with what I had already written… Interested???

Well, you will have to wait until tomorrow when all will be revealed…x

I hope you have enjoyed this trip to Koh Panyee and that I have piqued your interest just enough to want to come back tomorrow.

If you still want to see even more from me???? Although I am a crazy English lady with a quirky sense of humour…Then I have added some links below xx

Connect to Carol( Moi)

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest ( 1): https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Until  next time x

 

 

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