Krabi Getaways
many episodes of beautiful moments happened during this trip. it's the best and most memorable getaways this year before the year comes to a closing. yes, the sun, the powdery sand, the sea and the breeze gave serenity to the place. this trip has allowed me to see what simple living by the beach is all about. the authenticity and the exotic aura was in the air. the locals were friendly and were great to talk to. perhaps it was their welcoming smiles that drew our hearts to this place. many of them thought i was a thai. was it a compliment? *shrug* maybe. they went on asking where sheryl and i were from. and when we did tell them we were from singapore, they responded: "yes, a beautiful land with beautiful people!" :)

SHOPPING was good. what was more engaging was the bargaining process. going out with sheryl -my 'kiasu-nana'cuzzie [she calls herself]- was made embarrassing at times when she attempted to slash prices so low that locals couldn't breathe when she gave them her quotes. it's funny to bargain with some of them, tapping on the calculators and insisting on low prices. some of them became 'good friends' with us after awhile. one of the guys came around and shook our hands as we bid goodbye. some sadness came to me when they said, 'we hope to see you again here. come back soon.' it's just heartwarming to know that you have made friends there during this short trip and it's time to say goodbye.

SIGHTSEEING and island hopping was the 'funnest'! the thrills of getting somewhere else and to explore the forboding cliffs, clear waters and interesting islands were great. it's going on interesting rides on the long tail boats, tuk tuks and open air 4WDs that made it unforgetable. maybe i've been too protected here in Singapore. everywhere here is air conditioned, sheltered away from the sun and away from the pollution. there in krabi was fun, because it was going back to Mother Nature and enjoying every moment of 'kampung' life.

SNOKELLING brought lots of smiles and laughters to sheryl and the cruise driver. why? thanks to my animated actions at sea. there were times i wanted to stand in waters, but ended up floating on waters. drank lots of sea water and according to sheryl, i looked simply hilarious. fishes and corals underwater were beautiful. i came out of waters wondering where i was!? being a natural sinker, it took me a long while to finally pull myself up that long tail boat. the driver stood there laughing so hard that he forgot to lend his hand to me. well finally with much strength and help, i got on the boat. fun and rewarding.

SUNSETS at Ko Lanta beach was just spectacular. lazing on the viewing decks overlooking the sea was amazingly soothing to the soul. God has great taste and is a great painter! His creation is so beautiful that you wished it was neverending. had long chats with sheryl at the beach and truly enjoyed the moments. every sunset was great.

SEASHELLS at Ko Lanta beach were pretty. we spent time just pickin sea shells. thoughts of special people came to mind. i remembered the special birthday surprise donny threw me and his birthday gift to me was a bag of seashells. and yeah, i chose to pick up orangy and bright coloured shells which were unique to this beach. sheryl picked up the pearly white ones. shells come in various shapes and sizes, colours and designs. there are thousands of shells on the beach, but we choose to pick some for keeps. like friendships, we choose some to be our friends. they become special people in our lives who bring unique colours to our souls. have you found your special seashell yet? heya i've picked up seashells for friends - i'm thinking of you as i picked them up ;)

SHERYL is a great travel partner. perhaps we are so similar that it's easier to understand a lot of each other's unspoken inhibitions. we realised we haven't changed much since childhood. i've ever always grown up yakking a lot. and yes, through this trip, i still yakked a lot :) and we do realise from this trip that we come from a very big close-knitted extended family. amongst the 30++ cousins and our 14 uncles and aunties, we maintain very intimate bonds. travelling with a cousin has been a very heartwarming experience, as our lives drew closer in blood ties and bonding. we shared about our families, our grandparents, our childhood past, our present lives and of cos, our goals for the future.