18 December.
Today we got up early and decided to travel a bit before breakfast, yesterday we had seen a restaurant at the top of a hill with a view and thought it would be good. The weather was dull, but not raining at the moment.
It did look like it was going to rain while we had breakfast but it blew over, so our plans were to go to Old Lanta town.
Old Lanta is on the coast, there were lots of tourists and shops to sell them things. We parked the bike and walked. We were invited to stop and buy by the locals on our way down the shops. There is a long pier at the end of the shops jutting out into the sea. Near the pier there was a market selling local produce.
After our coffee we thought we would try to find the waterfall that is marked on the map. This meant back tracking to the other side of the island.
We thought we had found the correct road to the waterfall, but instead found ourselves at the site of some big caves. We could only go in with a guide, torches etc. It was more than we wanted to do, so off we went again.
We were heading south when Cheryl shouted Stop!
I wondered what was the matter, ‘Baby Elephant ‘ she shouted.
At the side of the road in an enclosure was a mother elephant and her baby. For 100 Baht we could feed the mother. The baby was only 3 months old and was still having its mothers milk, topped up with a bottle.
We didn’t find the waterfall, but we did find an beautiful Bay to stop at for lunch right in the beach. We had to drive down a long ‘path’ to get there, a bit of ‘off roading’!
We finished lunch and were walking back to the bike when down flew a bird and landed on a fence. A bird of prey. I don’t yet know what sort but will update this blog when I find out.
Update; a Brahmins Kite.
I walked almost up to it and it just stayed there. It was beautiful.
Back on the road again heading back to out Green Chilli Bungalow.
All of a sudden Cheryl again shouted Stop!
At the side of the road there was a monkey. So I pulled into a driveway and we went back to look. It was not on its own, they were jumping about in the trees. We stayed and watched their antics for ages.
What an eventful day. As the day went on my motorbike skills improved, I hadn’t been on a bike since I was about 20! Some 46 years ago. And even then I didn’t have anyone on behind me. At the start of the day my going straight skills were ok, but stopping and starting took a bit of thinking about. A lot of ‘opps’ and other verbal expressions were to be heard. Cheryl just said nothing and held on! (For grim death, cheryl)