3rd of April, 2024.
Hitchhiking in Thailand: Nui Beach and Kantiang Bay
A Muslin couple pass by in their pick-up but they return to take me. They are taking some stuff to her grill chicken stand, which is a bit before Nui Beach, so after dropping the stuff, they drop me off by the road which leads to the beach.
I go downhill, in a trail, through a small jungle. Nui Beach is small, but there is a huge and fancy Resort in the far east wing, uphill. By the beach, there are a few sheds, covered with straw, just to offer some protection from the sun. Even though the beach is not crowded or full, all the sheds (around 15 of them) are taken. When I start walking to the right side of the beach, to the rocks where it might be some shade, a woman who is alone in one of the sheds, invite me to join her. How kind of her!
Meredith (what a nice name!) is from the Netherlands, and she is spending about 3 weeks on holidays here in Thailand. We get along pretty well, and soon enough we are complaining about guys behaviour and how it is hard to be a woman in this patriarchal society. Laugh. She asks me if I didn’t encounter any monkeys when I was coming down the jungle. Apparently, when she was coming, a few of them intimidated her and some other girls. All of sudden, these same girls are about to leave and, by seen us, come to talk with Meredith about their incident. I explain to them what happened to me in Phi Phi Islands, and try to give them some advice of how to behave if they see some monkeys again. Meredih and I go to swim for a while and then spend some more time together until she has to leave.
I don’t stay much longer either, as I want to go camping in the next beach, called Kantiang.
Another pick-up stops, this time one Thai man says he can take me to Kantiang Bay. Again, it is a short drive, and in less than 10 minutes we are at an intersection where one of the small roads leads to the beach.
Kantiang Bay and Bakatiang Beach are a quite big combination. It might not be as long as Long Beach and Khlong Khong, but it is very wide, which none of the precious are. And it is not only because it is low tide now, being almost evening time, it is just that the sand line is, indeed, very wide. There are a few resorts and restaurants before the pier, and after there are only a few more. Between these two spots, and just before the pier, in a small area which slightly goes into the woods, being shaded from both sides by trees, I decide to make my camping. The many branches of large trees are great to hang my clothes and stuff, protecting it from the sand.
The pier is actually very simple, made mostly of plastic gallons. It is actually a surprise for me that, here, in this beach, there is a pier. It is, of course, only for small boats and yachts, from the guest of the resorts. Most likely, for a 5-star resort nearby.
I go for a quick swim. Apart from a lady reading at the beach, there’s nobody else around me. A few people are walking from one side to another, but here where I am, in between the resorts, there is nobody at all.
On my way to town, I ask to use the toilet in one of the fancy resorts. I can wash myself with fresh water, wash my hair and a bit of myself too. Finding an open place to get some cheap Thai food is not easy task though. The few restaurants which were open earlier are now closed. I manage to find a nice place down the road, after a bit of walking. Even though I ordered a Pad Thai, I asked if I could have some wonton chips, which I saw it around the counter. They are very kind and give me some. I also manage to charge my camera battery for a while, which is great.
When I am coming back to my tent, there isa “fire show” going on in one of the resorts. They are very popular in the islands but it was my first time watching and I think it was awesome!
Next morning, I will visit what I think it will be my last beach in Koh Lanta, Nui Bay, another tiny beach just nearby here, but which looks really cute. But I was wrong. I would not only visit two more beaches, as the reason for that would be an extremely incredible surprise. A cosmic surprise…
10 Years Around the World 