Ko Pha Ngan

It's an island off the coast of southeastern Thailand... I think I already said that though.

Yesterday, I met two stranded-in-Thailand-since-airport-kaput German guys on the beach, Christian and Aheem, who were giving me tips on the best places to eat and things to do on the island. After tales of their bungalow accommodation with Mrs. Pooh, the owner, cooking them a BBQ on the beach, I was sold. (They also have another friend, Hans who's been living there for four months.) So this morning checked out of my foofy place and hauled myself across town to check into my simple aqua blue painted bungalow (seems like kismet to me). Christian had told Mrs. Pooh that I was coming, so she was excited when I arrived. She's a very sweet lady, about 35 probably with a 4 1/2 year old daughter. We sat outside and chatted a while. She said, "My sister's coming to help with Full Moon. We'll all have a BBQ fire on the beach and cook dinner." It sounded like home to me. After I settled in, Christian and Hans and I set off for town to find a chocolate and a fruit shake. We rounded the corner and ran into Hannah, a girl from Vancouver who I'd met at the retreat and then run into a few days earlier in Ko Pha Ngan. She was back in town and looking for a place to stay, so I invited her to move in with me at Mrs. Pooh's. It's a big happy family. It's just good to be around people and friends and a family.