January 10, 2023 to January 12, 2023
Samit Resort to Chomlay Restaurant (and Bungalows)
Paradise
We really loved our unexpected breakfast with a bunch of ladies. I mean, it was an excellent breakfast they provided. I thought it was so sweet that the owner didn't think there was enough of a breakfast for us and went off on her motorbike before we even got to the table and then rushed back with some fried chicken! They were a lively bunch but they all scattered quickly after breakfast and, well, we needed to get going too because we had a long ride.......across the road.
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Yes, that was the extent of our riding for the day. Across the road and down the long driveway, through another oil palm grove, to Chomlay Restaurant where we had had dinner. The owner told us we could stay in one of his bungalows for 800 baht ($23) and that included breakfast. But, we had breakfast figured out for the next two days because we had wisely brought a couple of papayas with us and of course we always had muesli and other things to go into our bowls as well. We told him we didn't want breakfast. He seemed fine with that and told us through his phone translation app that there would be "discounts".
I think that since we were the only guests he didn't want his staff getting up earlier than they normally would just to fix breakfast for the two of us. I had the distinct feeling he was happy about the arrangement. I also got the impression he liked wheeling and dealing. He indicated that he needed us to promote his place, especially his bungalows. I started to see that he was a real businessman.
I think Google Maps will label a place as either "restaurant" or "resort" but not both. I'm not sure if that's how it works but as we stayed there and witnessed how popular his restaurant was we figured it was his cash cow and of course he would put "Chomlay Restaurant" on Google Maps. He probably had made such good money from his restaurant that he recently built the five bungalows. They seemed fairly new. We told him that we would be happy to write reviews for him and he was quite pleased at hearing that. He was a funny guy completely tied to his translation app on his phone. I don't know how many times his translator's voice (a woman) told us something about the "atmosphere." "The atmosphere is very good here." "There is no better atmosphere." "Wouldn't you agree that the atmosphere is very good?" We always agreed with smiles and thumbs up.
We moved into the bungalow with the best view (#2) and I immediately fell in love with it. Right away I figured we'd be staying awhile. The bungalow had everything we needed, nothing fantastic, but the view from our porch was spectacular, one of the best ocean views I've ever had from a room I was renting. The breeze was perfect. The sound of waves, perfect. Being the only ones there, perfect. We knew how good the restaurant was and it was just a short walk across the grass, also perfect because it meant we didn't ever have to think about where we were going to eat (and there weren't any other places to eat anywhere nearby). We never had to leave! The temperature was perfect but that view was the most perfect thing of all. And there was a palm tree that was in the exact spot it should be, in order to be admired 24/7. It was paradise. I wanted to tell the owner to call the place Chomlay Restaurant and Paradise Bungalows. I'm not sure what "Chom" means in Thai but "talay" means seafood so I imagine the name of the restaurant has something to do with seafood.
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From our bungalow there were stairs down to the beach which we didn't waste any time trying out. The beach was lovely - the swimming devine. We swam until our fingers were wrinkled. Then we climbed the stairs and laid around all day. The wifi was not so good at our bungalow nor was the data plans we had purchased for our phones. It was the first time of the trip that we were basically out of luck with the ability to hook into the world. But, what a place for it to happen! Actually over at the restaurant the wifi worked really well, better than most places we've stayed. I think this was by design by the owner. If we wanted to work on our journal, search the web, chat or FaceTime with the grandkids we had to go over to where all the food was and of course, eventually, we would order something. I knew he was a businessman.
Nevertheless we spent most of our time on the porch of our bungalow because when in paradise who needs the world wide web? This was one reason I always loved spending a month in Burma because there was no communication with anyone and unless a hotel had the BBC on their television in the lobby, there was no news of the outside world at all. I loved being in a blackout mode for a month. It was always very refreshing because then you immerse yourself in the culture to the max. Everyone should take a month break from everything in their lives every now and then. It is total freedom; a reset. It's like going somewhere so remote that there are more stars than you ever imagined and you can nearly touch them. Your mind is opened up and you can really think. Our Paradise Bungalow was a bit like that.
From the far corner of our deck we could see the Big Buddha way across the bay. Also over in that corner of the bay the squid boats tied up for the day. They only fished for squid at night with green lights to attract the squid. Straight across the bay were fairly large islands and to the right was open sea where we occasionally saw larger boats and even less often, long chains of barges going south. No idea what was in the barges. They were way out there and resembled trains - sea trains. The rest of what we saw out there was various shades of blue, beautiful blues.
Around 5PM we ambled over to the restaurant where a large group of Thais were having a special get together meal at a long table. The owner immediately brought us two, no three, bottles of water and excitedly waved his hand, "No money", he said. We ordered a couple of the cheapest dishes with seafood (mostly squid) and rice which all tasted fresh and delicious and we sat and watched as it grew dark and the squid boats took their places all lined up along the horizon, but still inside the bay, and their green lights popped on, one boat at a time. The breeze died and we pinched ourselves to find out if it was all for real. When it came time to pay the owner, who had been hovering, he told us there was no charge. I think he always had an abundance of squid which meant that it worked out for everyone. All three of us were very happy. We got breakfast-for-dinner, paymentwise, which I thought was a pretty good deal.
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And this is how we spent three days. We ate, we swam, we wrote a little, we Facetimed with our two-year old twins, we starred at the water a lot, we each wrote a review and we walked on the beach. One day a tiny school of tiny green fish made their way in the waves very near to the shore. Oh, and one day we rode our bikes the two kilometers into the small town of Pak Klong just to get another small container of soy milk called Lactasoy for the next morning's breakfast. The town is really nothing much but completed only a month or so ago is a new pier and it's the nicest pier I've ever seen! So strange that way out in the remotest of places there would be money for such a nice modern pier. Squid money, possibly. We rode to the end of it and noticed a temple on a hill that we didn't know was there because it can't be seen from very many vantage points.
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On the way back I saw the driveway to that temple we had seen. It was super steep up the hill but since I was not loaded I figured I could make it. Andrea continued on back to our resort. I stopped not far into the temple driveway to photograph a statue of a forest monk with his large umbrella which all forest monks carry. They stick them in the ground for the night and there is a mosquito net attached to the entire edge of the umbrella which falls down to the ground and the monk sleeps under it all. I've seen the same statue at the entrance to other temples. It must be like a signpost for wandering forest monks that that temple is welcoming them to stay the night.
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As I was photographing the statue, suddenly red ants were attacking my feet. The bite of a red ant is not something you will ever forget. I got out of there fast and started riding up the very steep incline. Then I felt something inside my Keens sandal. It was a red ant!! I was well into the steepness and didn't want to stop so as I rode I moved my foot around inside the sandal as much as I could thinking that maybe I could squash the red ant before it bit me. I also thought about the statue I had just come from and Buddhism and how I was actually trying to kill a red ant. I was on my way to a temple = GOOD, but I was trying to kill an ant on my way = BAD. I wondered what a forest monk would do but of course he wouldn't know because he would be walking, not riding a bike.
I made it to the top without the ant biting me but at the top, in front of the temple, two dogs were barking as they ran towards me. One dog looked very nice and was wagging his tail. The other dog made me think a red ant bite would be preferable to his. I didn't want to let that dog anywhere near me. But the first thing I had to deal with was getting my sandal off immediately because the ant was biting my toes. The mean looking dog was approaching quickly and I was trying to hold my bike upright at the same time as trying to get my sandal off and also trying to position the bike so as to block the imminent dog attack. I was certainly not in a good position even if I was right in front of a temple but the one dog was wagging his tail. The wagging-tail dog was looking like he wanted to live in my house, sight unseen, back in America because he was sick of being stuck with the mean dog. I just wanted the pain on my toes to stop! Then a miraculous thing happened. It was as if the mean dog knew I was in a lot of pain already and he stopped a meter away from me. I tore off my sandal and found the ant wedged between two toes biting me. He was attached and not coming off so I crushed him with my fingers. I didn't care if I was directly in front of a temple. OK, so I'm a murderer. Now what? Forest monks must spend a lot of time pondering these and other questions about, say, mosquitoes, snakes, other biting insects and even dogs.
I rode quickly down the hill, blurred past the statue of the smiling forest monk, briefly thought he very much resembled The Buddha himself, on down the road and back to our Paradise Bungalow where the sky was the same color as the water, the palm tree was still in the most perfect spot and the sound of waves lulled me on the bed as my toes throbbed in pain. Why did I ever think that going to that temple on the hill would be a good idea? The temple wasn't finished and the doors were locked. I wonder if the townspeople decided that their money would be better spent on a really nice pier instead. You can always go back and finish a temple anytime. Temples are timeless but bringing in the squid catch is now. Soon the red ant pain subsided and thinking that the atmosphere was very good indeed, I fell asleep..
lovebruce
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1 year ago
I was going to say, "If only you could put that feeling of freedom and openness in a bottle ..."
And that's just what you did with your beautiful description!
Thank you. 🙂
1 year ago