koh phayam. 2009.

so this is the new year.. and 2008 sure was a good one. last night the four of us sat out on a table on the beach with a little bat friend flapping low around us, and reflected on the last 365 days.. it was great to sit there, all with smiles on our faces, and talk about what we've experienced and how amazing it was. once it was dark, we all walked down to the shore and set off a few lanterns.. it was rather "symbolic".. and very personal, watching them float off over the ocean until it's just a spec that could be mistaken for a star.. afterwards it was on to "my BBQ bar" with a live band, flame throwers, a huge bonfire on the beach, followed by a dance party. we rang in '09 well if you ask me.

so we're here in koh phayam after a series of not-so-unfortunate events which meant that every place we intended to go for new years was booked up.. on a whim, we caught a bus going up to ranong and took a boat out to the island, which is right off the south tip of burma. we arrived with no accomodation just hoping it would work out. and of course, it did.

the place is paradise.. there are no roads on the island, and therefore no cars.. only little paved pathways for bikes and pedestrians.. everything is ran on solar energy, with a few backup generators, and there's even a few windmills on the beach. trees everywhere, a few hills, serene beaches, other islands spotting the horizon..

we taught ave and darryl how to play 'euchre' - a card game that has turned into so much more for us on this trip.. leading to a competitive tournament which resolved itself in india.. although, i'm not sure it will ever fully be 'resolved'.. [melissa took the crown, and the rest of us secretly resent her for it..] one evening after some cards, we grabbed the flashlights and walked down to the beach to check things out. the tide was way out, and we walked out on the damp sand checking for shells and crabs and whatnot.. christine was the first to find a sand dollar, and within a minute and a 2-foot radius we had found 5 of them. the tide started coming in so we were forced back to land, where we witnessed - and no word of a lie - at least 200 hermit crabs.. every single shell on the beach had legs. it was amazing.

we've since moved to another beach with more people, figured it would be the place to celebrate. the waves here are massive, the boys are so thrilled with that.. we've been body surfing every afternoon.. catch a wave and it bullets you out to shore, it's a helpless but entirely exhilirating experience..

happy 2009 everyone. i only hope it can show up my 2008, it's a tough act to follow..