The Last few days on the island...and a bit of recapping

Well, after the detox we had to leave The Sanctuary as it was quite a lot for the accommodation there, by local standards however,  absolutely worth it as our hut was lovely, and way beyond local standards with a huge bed, mosquito net, lovely bathroom, totally secluded balcony with sea view.... sigh.... it was soooo hard to leave. 

We just moved over to the next bay, to Had Juan which is probably the best beach on the entire island,  is again, only accessible by boat, or hard trek on foot. Like Haad Tien, where the Sanctuary was, there is no traffic noise, just the occasional shout of “Haad rin, Haad Rin” from the longtail boat taxi men). 

The beach is quiet and clean; and on these beaches, with oh! such perfect sand... the kind that is so soft on the feet and so easy to walk on it doesn’t slip out from underneath your feet or swallow them up; white and clean and beautiful next to the turquoise sea, the palm trees and rounded rocks that frame the view complete the scene in a view so perfect it makes you feel that your eyes can’t possibly drink in all this perfection, and your brain can’t adequately describe it.

is even a parrot who is one of the local residents here in Had Juan.  He is green with blue head, red belly and beak, wth a yellow neck band  and he visits your table for food when you are eating adn will sit on your hand, or shoulder, or particularly likes to perch on sunglasses if they are up on your head when you are sitting on the beach.  He’s a bit of a celebrity here I understand.  I met him again today and was able to take a photo.  He is a total poseur and looks great in this picture... where as i look dreadful.

We trekked over the rocks (the fabulous Kerim even carried my backpack for the hardest bit) we decided to stay at Bamboo Hut, a lovely little group of good solid huts set on the rocks overlooking the bay, and accessible from the beach by a great little bamboo walkway and rocky path around the edge and over the rocks.  It’s very relaxed and chilled and tolerant and has the best restaurant, (not cordon bleu, but good food nevertheless) over looking the bay. Definitely worth staying at.

Next door .. just on the tippiest tip of the rocks on the bay is Eden Bar, probably one of the coolest bars on the island.  With the greatest views, and superb artificial beach attached to the bar,TV room with sofas and pool table and absolutely great Sunday night parties with a really friendly crowd it’s and accommodation is excellently priced.

Realisation of Kerim’s going to Cambodia the next day kicked in and we had our last dinner and went to Eden bar for a few more beers, our first since Full moon, and the detox. The next morning I went with Kerim to Haad Rin to see him off on his journey, after eating breakfast like it was a last supper... slowly ( eating enormous bacon sandwiches becomes more difficult when reluctant to stop holding hands )

Waved until I couldn’t see him any more then cried pathetically for about two hours whilst trying to blog and answer emails in a webcafe. Went and sat under our full moon dragon tree and looked at the beach and the turquoise sea, marvelled at the beauty and berated myself for getting swept away in things, and that I was sat in paradise crying and I should jolly well pull myself together.

Decided to go to the party at Eden bar tonight to sort myself out and cheer up.

Eventually got a boat back, chilled on the beach, watched a girl who was hula hooping badly but seemingly tirelessly on the beach... at first it was mildly mesmerising for the first hour, until she started to try and walk whilst doing it, which forced her into stupid body contortions that began to really annoy me until i wanted run over, shake her violently by the shoulders, break her hulahoop, slap her round the face and to scream “Stop fucking hoola Hooping You look like an idiot”

Realised I was probably churlish and over reacting  and so went for dinner and over to Eden for the party.

Friendly crowd, lots of UV body paint and great music... and despite the empty seat I kept noticing next to me, I finally negotiated my way back over the rocks at about 4 or 5am. 

Dragged myself out to eat at about 3 in the afternoon when someone from the hotel staff knocked on my door to check I was ok... they noticed I slept all day and were worried that I was ill an came to check on me!  How lovely is that?!!

Went and lay on the perfect beach, swam in the perfect sea, watching perfectly tanned and lithe 25 year old boys playing volleyball and football together on the beach, (such a chore) as the perfect breeze fanned me and got massaged by a mad Californian hippy, and tried come to terms with why I felt totally dismal at the loss of my compadre, and also justfiably annoyed with myself that the very second  the skankles had finally stopped looking like I’d been staked out on an anthill with my legs smeared in honey, I fell down the stairs last night and grazed my foot, ankle, shin and knee.

Today i must go to Haad Rin to get more batteries for my camera, more elastoplasts for my knees, and more credit for my phone, and to put all this on my blog.