Surin to Khao Lak

Our taxi driver was right on time, and swiftly dropped us off at gas station that was to be our meeting point for our mini bus that would take us up to Khao Lak. We got there way earlier than we anticipated, so in the interim needed to use there washroom facitilites....LOL!!! My first traditional public washroom toilet.... Cassidy warned me about these...but I had a chuckle none the less!!! If you can imagine a sawed off toilet no seat, rather ridges running down the sides...place for your feet...and then yes..you get the picture...you squat, and balance precariously on top.... It is at times like these, you are so eternally grateful for all that you have, for the country you live in and all its wonderful emenities!!!
Mini bus did not show up, so after phone calls etc...a elderly gentlemen walks into the gas station yelling our names...lol and then gesture soft us to follow him...and we are thinking where, the heck is this guy taking us... Every now and then he checks to see we are still behind and motions again, just incase we had any idea of stopping...we end up down the road, now apparently we are waiting on a large bus! Lol the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, and in the process you are robbed blind, :( told one thing, given something else...lesson learnt!!! Met two young people from Germany, that have been travelling for 8 months, so waited with them and chatted about their adventures, before boarding the bus. Air conditioned , thank goodness!!! Beautiful blue satin frilly, scooped, curtains, with gold guilded everything inside! Lol and we're off! We got to listen to some Thai music as we watched the landscape go by... Very poor, but everyone has either a fancy pickup truck with raised wheel base, a few cars, but mostly mopeds....hundreds of them!!! And already seen two accidents with them. They have no regard for safety...no helmets needed, three to a scooter...no problem!!! Babies in front, child clinging on at the back...scary to see!!
It wasn't long, just under 2 hours , before we arrived in Khao Lak. We already liked it!! So much quieter, less people, an even slower pace to things. Found a lovely restaurant, where everything was made from bamboo , the chairs and tables, the walls were even covered! The food presentation was soo pretty, flowers made out of radish.

Took a tuk tuk, and open air taxi, to our next resort, called Briza on Merlin Beach. Did we hit the jackpot here...it is stunning!!! We put our luggage away and went for a nice long walk along the beach and back past the hotels. To the one side is an estuary of sorts meeting up at the ocean, huge rocks set the backdrop. The other side goes on forever, around a corner and more beach. On our walk back, Douglas spotted two guys playing table tennis...so he waited for a game...unfortunately Germany beat Canada in a very tight game! Then to add insult to injury..he was bitten by a fire ant.... A painful sting....swollen ankle, bite marks , a horrible headache and a swollen lymph gland the following day! From an ant!!! Nasty little suckers!!!
Walked around the little centre of shops, before swimming and bed! :)