News from Ko Lanta

Hey everyone,

Well, I've come to the edge and found my way back. Although I teetered over the edge and I'm still stumbling somewhat. Yesterday I made it over a threshold. I woke up with the intense need to come home as soon as possible. I spent the morning running around like a fool trying to contact Singapore Airlines to try and change my tickets to fly home at the end of March. Fortunately, I was unable to do it, due to the lack of fax machines on this little secluded beach. Thanks to that, and another traveler much more experienced than me, I've made peace with my backpack for the time being and have decided to carry on to Australia, at least for a bit.

We've been staying in a little bamboo bungalow overlooking a bay on Ko Lanta, one of the islands on the Andaman coast. The atmosphere here is really laid back and people are genuinely warm and friendly. It's quite a little community of locals and carefree travelers, where you soon get to know everyone. We're staying here for at least 3 more nights, maybe more. Neither of us feel any immediate desire to continue moving. If we're happy here, we'll finish our last week and a half of Thailand here. If we get bored, we'll move on.

After my little freak-out session yesterday, the day settled down and quickly filled itself with not much. I tought Chip (the owner of the resort), Corinne, Arron (from Australia), and Sarah (from California) how to play the card game Zap. It was an instant hit! After that, the five of us climbed down a steep slope to the rocky shore below to swim from the cliffs to the beach. We then slowly made our way back up the big hill to our resort. By the time we got to the top, we had a little thunder storm. Nothing too big, but really refreshing with some lovely lightening. The rain must have knocked out the power for a bit, because when we went back to our bungalows to shower and change, we found ourselves in the dark. I'm glad I brought my head lamp with me!

Us girls then made our way down to a little cafe called the Drunken Sailor for supper and to watch the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha". Although a little different from the book, the film was one of the most visually beautiful films I've seen. Really stunning! We then finished off the night at a local bar on the beach called the "Why Not Bar" (a very rastaferian feel), chatting, drinking cocktails, and (yes) singing. We stumbled home at 3 am and crashed. A very satisfying day.

So, I'm going to continue on to Australia. I'm looking forward to visiting with Angela and David in Canberra and with Falicity in Melbourne. That will take about 2 weeks. Around the time I'm in Canberra (first weekend in April), I'll take another look inward and decide if I want to continue on to Cairns or go back to Calgary. I think that the decision will be much easier at that time, regardless of what I choose. I'll have seen two countries and have visited with the people I wanted to see. It will be a 6 week trip by then. Okay to continue and equally okay to head home. The next time, I won't be in this place of panic and I won't feel any guilt or remose regardless of my decision.

Things are good. (despite my several dozen mosquito bites!)

P.S. I use the term "resort" very loosly in this posting, simply because that's what it's called: the Top View Resort. However, it's very basic accomodation, with it's fair share of dust and bugs. Still the people are taking very good care of us and the views from the place really are "tops". I would like to post some pictures for you, but internet is very slow here and I'm not sure that it would work. I'll have to wait until we get to a more urban area.