Sand between our toes again (Feb. 17/09 - Khao Lak, Thailand)

Eager to get our butts down to the beach, we had a couple things to get out of the way first. We found an equally nice hotel at half the price of last night's (mind you, without the towel swans!), then tracked down a new pair of board shorts for Ken - white 'camo' Billabong shorts with a price tag of $80 US - for $11! On the way down to the beach, we tracked down the dive shop we've signed up with for our liveaboard trip that leaves tomorrow, filled out some paperwork, and drooled over the photos and brochures that showed the exotic fish, soft coral, manta rays, whale sharks, and electric blue water that await us.

The beach skirts along Khao Lak, fringed with a row of trees and bungalows, restaurants, and massage huts. Granite boulders break up the waves rolling in, and tourists wander up and down the beach and laze in the sand. 90% of the tourists appear to be European, based on the languages overheard and the size of swimsuits that strolled by. We claimed a patch of sand and lazed away the afternoon, swimming, reading, wandering, and people watching. (The winner was a huge old guy with a huge pot belly, tiny speedo, and sandals with socks up to his knees!) When we were sufficiently fried and waterlogged, we went back to freshen up and then had a fantastic dinner at a nice Thai place. I spent the whole time laughing at Ken, who inadvertantly ordered a super spicy curry dish that had sweat pouring down his face the entire time. Maybe one of these days he'll remember to specify "not spicy" since this has happened several times before!