Did It Anyway

We just extended our stay on Koh Pha-ngan for 2 more days.

The trip here has been a sigh of relief. Why? Hardly any sea lice to sting and leave a rashy reaction known as “Hell Itch.” It’s a real thing. Basically you go for a swim, encounter a floating armada of various, nearly-invisible, nascent, stinging sea creatures, and they leave you with an itchy, maddening hot rash that is unquenchable by any mortal means. It’s a massive bummer. Show up at your idyllic island vacation and wind up in a crazy purgatory that can last weeks.

No so here. We are cautiously optimistic, because we have been stung, but not in the numbers required to trigger hell itch. I swim first for the day, testing the waters, then Lindsay follows if I give a good report. It’s not always good, I had an especially sensitive place stung, but it never developed into anything troubling. We feel so lucky to have a good swimming scenario that we’re staying to enjoy it. This trip has helped us just recognize a good thing, and enjoy it, instead of dutifully marching on.

It also helps that we met up with friends who were already headed here before we planned our trip. It’s been lovely to catch up and see overworked friends getting a chance to unwind. We even got to enjoy some beautiful birthday times together at a wonderful hillside bar/restaurant!

The other reason to stay longer is just that this beach is so dang wonderful. Our comfortable bungalow is a ludicrously short walk from the beach. The water is a gorgeous (but not clear) turquoise. The food, both on main street and at tourist places, has been consistently well-made and delicious. There is a reef a few hundred metres off shore that blocks the heaviest surf and turns the bay into a bathtub, so warm, so gentle. Resting here is a far cry from the last few weeks of travel, motorbiking, and sightseeing.

So between relatively friendly waters, and friend-y days, how can we leave now?