Crouching Tiger Squatting Shannon
Well you all should be glad that there are only 3 computers in this town and that I can’ t upload pictures on any of them because they would really just piss you off. Empty beaches, beautiful sunrises, and it would really be quite romantic if I wasn’t traveling with the beaner. I’ve taken some great pics but you’ll just have to wait until we’re back in civilization to see them.
I started taking kiteboarding lessons the other day. My instructor is this French guy who is pretty cool, and pretty badass at all the kiting stuff. I think I’ve finally placed why I want to learn this sport after thinking about it for a while. After you’ve hit the intermediate level is when you start jumping. But not like snowboarding or wakeboarding where you are launching and crashing back down. It’s more like crouching tiger hidden dragon where they are flying from bamboo to bamboo. Slower, graceful launches and landings. So I think the appeal of the sport is this crazy flying fetish I have or something. We’ll see if it sticks after I swallow a couple more gallons of salt water. If you’re not into the kite thing then there is not much else to do in this little town. I guess if you were a girl you could just lay out all day, reading and watching all the buff kiter dudes, like my French instructor who I’m sure is a lady-killer in civilization. We’ve already eaten at all 8 restaurants, and have met pretty much everybody that lives in the town. And have met some other travellers as well, including the terrible Canadian girls, and the obnoxious old scotch drinker. I’ve been taking the kiting lessons with the Dutch sisters but I think they left today. Michael has been under the weather for a couple days with some sort of flu, and I almost vomited the other night after dinner. Both of us have been physically exerting ourselves, getting sunburned bad, not drinking enough water, and eating ridiculously spicy food. But now we’re feeling healthy and adventurous again and will resume our crazy Asian bamboo flying. In other news, we finally got separate rooms so you guys can stop with the brokeback jokes. The new rooms lack the amenities of the cottage we were in before like a mini-fridge and hot shower, but do include a feature that the more expensive room didn’t have. That’s right – a traditional Thai squat toilet. It is amazing that I have avoided them for this long, but the inevitable came today after 2 cups of coffee at breakfast. I won’t gross you out with the details, but if you were a fly on the wall you would’ve been amused. The dirty beaner certainly got a laugh or two out of it.
Not much else to report. Life is simple, the food is good. We found some pizza last night for dinner. We’ve been going to bed early, and really relaxing when we’re not out on the water. It is very easy to pass the time here and I can really see how some people get stuck here for months. Like our Dutch neighbor Tony. What more do you really need than a beautiful beach, a sport you’re into, good food, and your Thai girlfriend to launch your kite for you.
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