Breakfast at 8am today, we were first, followed by Mike & Cece ,the Gilveys joined just as we left. Just got back to our bungalow when it started to pour with rain. I used the poor weather to do work emails and pay the Ribs staff. Roger and Mike go off to reception to pay for our accommodation for the two weeks. Embarrassing as neither of our credit cards will work. I get a text from one card company asking if this is us so all is well and Roger goes back to settle the bill. Gary hires a canoe and disappears around the bay. After that he returns and goes off snorkelling. We watch him in the bay and slightly alarmed when a speedboat appears at speed. Fortunately Gary has seen it and is clear. Joolia sleeps for two more hours, waking she complains she doesn’t understand why she is so sleepy. Celia and Mike find a massage lady along the beach and disappears for a couple of hours and return singing her praises, it was 500 thai Baht ( £11) worth every Penny. Roger & I walk around the village and end up in a beach bar next to us called Penns having a beer and salad. An early G & T on the deck with Celia, I decided I can’t be bothered to dress so Roger walks to the Flip Flop bar and gets a pizza for us to share, has a quick beer with M & S who are having burgers. We zonk very early.
Thursday 23rd December. 2021. 29cSun.
It’s our bother Murray’s birthday so I text him and put a message on Facebook. Breakfast at 8am. Mike pops along for another massage and books me in for one at lunchtime. Gary leaves for a days deep sea diving. The Gilvey girls sunbathe, Aspen already the colour of her father, deep bronze. Meanwhile I contact Gary’s friend Dong who arranges a trip for us to Ko Samui later in the week to visit Robin in Bo Phut. I finish processing the wages which wouldn’t go through the day before and settle down to continue this blog. A wonderful swim today, the sea is very calm. I take my massage by what feels like a sumo wrestler who batters me black and blue, does she not realise my tender age!!!Afterwards the sweet little thing gives me a lemongrass tea and biscuits, by way of apologies I guess? Joolia & the girls try and get Roger drunk on Rum & cokes in the middle of the day….More swimming and sunbathing. A little G & T at sunset for sister and me. Gary returns around 4.30 having had an epic day. Did a depth of around 25 meters – spotted rare lion fish and barracuda. We look forward to the photos. Shower and change and the four of us Mike, Celia, me & Roger get a taxi to Thong Nai Pan Noi and dine on the beach in a very nice restaurant, the sea lapping near our feet. We enjoyed three very nice bottles of unoaked Chardonnay @ £30 per bottle (wine is quite expensive here as most imported) accompanied by four large lobsters with the total bill coming to 9000 Baht (£200) at this rate we will run out of money !!! Well we did share a pizza last night 200 Baht (£4.50). Gilveys dine with P-Kom and her family in their road side restaurant. Meanwhile I’m anxiously waiting to see if James, Leslie’s & Alexander’s plane has landed safely in West Palm Beach for their Christmas break.
Friday 24th December 2021. 29c Sun.
We all wake excited as this is Christmas Eve. We are to party in a restaurant on the beach tonight. I packed plenty of Christmas hats and my Christmas earrings. It’s really hot today and I need to take shade for breakfast, not like me. Mike has a massage & Cece and I have a reflexology massage. This is not what I expected! Having only ever had Sharon Grady’s delicate hands on my feet I am horrified at the positions Thai girl gets my feet and ankles into and the pressure she puts on toes, soles and balls of my feet. She proceeds to massage my legs quite forcefully and then starts to bend my knees up and out in a position only normally achieved for Roger! However she finished with a shoulder and head massage and all for 375 Bhat plus a tip. I floated out of the parlour and on to the beach where Celia and Mike were waiting with a welcome cold beer! I shall probably return, sucker that I am for punishment! Walking back to the bungalow it is clear the beach is much cleaner and livening up. Workmen are repairing the fronts of the bars and restaurants, we dont venture behind the scenes as we did this earlier in the week and were surprised at how these people live in quite primitive conditions. Tonight we have a double celebration as we just heard granddaughter Aspen passed her latest nursing exams at uni.
Liquid Tales 