farewell, mermaid

It's time to move on.

My last four days in Thailand will be spent in Ao Nang, another area in Krabi Province also known for great beaches.  Instead of riding in a minivan, which was the miserable way by which I arrived on Koh Lanta four days ago, I will be going by boat, as advised by Chai, the manager of the guesthouse Lanta Mermaid.

One of the non-people I will miss on Koh Lanta is Buan.  Now, my knowledge of the different species of dogs limits me to identify them by their color, size, how cute they look, and whether they shed.  So I can tell you that Buan is a female black dog, medium size.  But, more importantly, she is gentle and friendly.  According to Chai, Buan was a stray dog who started coming to Lanta Mermaid to follow its staff around four years ago.  She had the habit of accompanying each tourist across the street to the beach, hence the multitude of auto accidents she has suffered as a pedestrian the past few years, the last of which leaving her with a lame leg.

Nowadays, due to her disability, she no longer crosses the street, although I have spotted her numerous times standing at the edge of the curb looking out toward the water.  She does, however, perk up her ebony head at the approach of each tourist then roll onto her back, hinting for a gentle belly rub.  Playing with her reminds me of an old friend.

In the afternoon, on the boat to Ao Nang, I tried my best to hide from the sun.  I know it's counterintuitive that a person visiting the beaches wants to avoid the sun.  The easy answer would simply be that I'm weird.  But alas, no.  I am not that weird.  The reason is that I overtanned the first couple of days on the beach and am now paying a painful and very red price.  For those of you familiar with the great American sitcom "I Love Lucy," you may remember the episode where she and the gang visit Hollywood and that she is about to model a dress for a great designer, only to get so severely sunburned that she can hardly work and no amount of make-up can cover her excessively rosy cheeks. 

Well, that's me now, sans make-up and sans dress to model.  I've attached a photo, but I warn you, it's ugly - look at it at your own risk.  I'll spare you the details and won't tell you what part of the body that is.  Where's my Ricky to take care of me?

me, michel, and maya

But I digress.  Back on the boat, as I dodge the unforgiving rays of the sun, I meet two Fraus from Germany named Michel and Maya.  They are at the very end of the two-week journey in Thailand and are heading back to Bangkok before their flight back to Germany tomorrow.  We have a nice chat about our observations of Thailand, as it is also Michel's first visit.  They're photo shy - I don't blame them for not wanting to be photographed by a strange man who tells them the photo will be displayed on a blog - so I come up with an alternative.  Vielleicht our paths will cross again someday.

If you read my entry from yesterday, you remember that I visited Maya Beach on Phi Phi Ley.  Meeting Maya today reminds me of a third Maya that I know.  This Maya and I are great friends, actually we're more like lovers - how else to explain why she licks my crotch every times we see each other.  Gosh I miss her.  She has beautiful blond hair and remains the only female with whom I have ever cuddled.  Maya, my friends Joe and Lorenzo's beautiful Labradoodle. 

I guess I can recognize one canine specie after all.