Ban Phra Ae

Started the morning with a sugar rush. We went native & ordered iced coffees from a roadside shack opposite Lanta Happy Hills. Jackie had an iced latte & I, an iced caramel, both made fresh to order with mainly sugar & carnation milk, making them ultra sweet.

With breakfast done, it was then back to the beach for ant-free sunshine. At lunch we had Pad Thai & pineapple fried rice with a couple of Changs, then back to the sunshine.

Now, over the last week we had noticed that in the afternoon young lads had come to the beach & handed out flyers for Beach Parties & Clubs, but they swerved around us. We presume we sadly look too old in their eyes to party. Well, it happened again but as the lad passed us, I guilt tripped him into giving us a flyer for tonight’s party at ‘Fusion Club Thailand’. Funky Tech House Music - we won’t be going!!

We stayed for the last sunset of 2019, with a Chang & some selfies AND slow-mo Hoff impersonations.

After walking home, we met Ling at reception without her hijab 🧕. She was on her hands & knees, not praying, but wrapping up a paper lantern which she presented to us as a gift. We enquired about where she would recommend we go for New Years Eve & she gave us a couple of options, but she was having an early night.

We had dinner at Ni Restaurant, sat at the best table (for 4) in the house & had chilli chicken & a superb Massaman. A group, in just bras on their tops I hasten to add, were waiting for a table, but my thug face seems to have some benefits, because the owner asked another couple to move to a smaller table, instead of us.

After dinner Jackie went to loo & was gone ages, other customers were waiting to go in. Eventually Jackie came back out with her trousers on back to front!! Yes I did just say that. Apparently her snazzy pantaloons fell to the soggy floor when she undid them, then she couldn’t remember how to put them back on. She tried several times to get them
the right way round then gave up.

Now 10pm, we walked a mile along to Phra Ae Beach to sus it out. It was full of locals waiting for midnight. We decided it wasn’t for us, so left straight away. I could hear a lot of chanting coming out of speakers within a market. I had to investigate, but Jackie wasn’t having any of it, so we agreed to meet up in Funky Monkey.

I trotted into the market to discover it was very Muslim & I was the only westerner, but undeterred I found the source of the chanting. It was what looked like a prayer meeting (hopefully) led by an Imam sat on a stage & talking into a microphone to his worshippers or followers. I took a sneaky photo & got myself out of there.

Jackie wasn’t in the Funky Monkey, she had gone shopping instead, but we luckily reunited, then walked home for a Hong Thong. At 11.30pm, armed with our paper lantern we headed for Relax Bay Beach. We based ourselves at the front of Blue Wave Bar with a Chang, then lit our lantern at 5 minutes to midnight. Our lantern set off into the night sky at the 1st time of asking & without disaster. That couldn’t be said for another hapless halfwit near us who managed to set light to the paper of his lantern & had to take a walk of shame back to the bar with just the circular metal frame & a still burning ring in the middle.

At midnight we were treated to a decent firework display & a couple next to us even offered us a glass of their champagne 🍾 🥂, but Jackie declined before I could say anything. It was a lovely end to the year.

Song of the Day - Lanterns by Passenger.

Alternative Song of the Day - Back To Front by Stiff Little Fingers.Read more