This morning had hints of strangeness and unusualness. At our Air BnB, our host came by to clean the place and do some basic housekeeping. Every other Air BnB I’ve stayed at (with exceptions of hotels) have never had the host come and clean or do housekeeping while guests were staying. Having clean sheets and towels was nice, but I didn’t think it was necessary. Perhaps he was just checking on the place to see if we were throwing parties or trashing it, as he repeatedly asked us to please not bring afterparties back to the house. Also, while eating breakfast on our patio, we heard the continuous thud of coconuts falling to the ground. Upon looking, to my surprise I saw a man with a monkey leashed by a long string of rope, trained to climb trees and knock down coconuts. What a smart creature! I only can hope that it is well treated and not solely used as this man’s coconut slave.
For the first time since arriving in Thailand, the forecast called for rain. I intentionally planned my visit to SE Asia timed around the dry season (Nov-Mar). With the day well positioned for a good opportunity to catch up on work, we were heading towards ODT bar, a nearby restaurant with a pool and beach front and adequate working space, when it began to rain. Driving a motorbike with my limited experience was already challenging enough (especially on the very winding and hilly roads), but driving in the rain with droplets constantly splashing against my face made even keeping my eyes open and seeing the road difficult. Thankfully we weren’t going far, and after we arrived, we ordered pina coladas because it felt appropriate after getting caught in the rain.
Over the next 4 hours, we got much work done while also eating some tasty Thai food and enjoying a few beverages. The rain had stopped so we returned back to our Air BnB where we did a group yoga flow by the pool. Then, we went to a nearby Indian restaurant called Namaskar and had some incredible Indian food. Garlic naan bread and chicken tikka masala are my go-to’s, and they were the best I’ve ever had at Namaskar. Also, the videos of Nepalese mountain trekking on the TVs piqued excitement for Nepal in a few weeks.
After dinner, Morgan, Joseph, and I caught a Tuk-Tuk to a party at Waterfall Party, a venue close to where we were staying. The placewas really cool, with a large dancing area with swings and hoops for performers, a large sign that was lit on fire, and multiple drink and food vendors. As for the waterfall, I didn’t see one but there was a stream cutting through the middle of the space with bridges to pass over. The music wasn’t the best, as every DJ played mostly EDM, which is not as tasteful to my ears as house, techno, or bass music. Still, we stayed at the party for about 4/5 hours, making some friends, moving on the dance floor, and sharing many laughs. Being close to our Air BnB, we walked home around 2:30AM.