Popagandhi

Ao Toh Ko (Koh Phi Phi) was great — as it always is — but we decided we needed a change of scene. A boat ride back to Krabi, and a short taxi ride later, we landed ourselves in Haad Nopphara Thara, a quiet beach 18km from Krabi. From the moment we got to the Laughing Gecko we knew it was the place for us; a lovely Thai-Canadian couple runs this laidback, friendly place with their beautiful children (the nine year old girl is a guitar prodigy who loves Nirvana!!!)… good books, hammocks, drums and guitars abound in the cute communal area… I could be here for a week or more, I think.

Good things are happening out here: my wonderful friends are all here, my mother’s on her way here, my exam grades aren’t as shitty as I expected them to be (and actually pretty good in some quarters), I’ve received another editorial go-ahead for a story (making my frantic last minute pitchings a 100% success, I guess), and… Haad Nopphara Thara is just awesome. I’m going to chill out here for a couple of days before moving towards Sangkhlaburi, Bangkok and Chiang Rai. I’m alive, it’s fantastic.