Does it look like I want you here!

After a bit of a lie in following our Top Secret night, I start the day once again with a dip in the pool and some more reading of Machiavelli – not a bad way to start the day. Feeling refreshed some of us make our way out for lunch. We find a nice little spot where Erin and I split a veggie pizza and an egg Kottu. This is my first Kottu of the trip and I very much regret only getting it now as it was lovely. Definitely could of done with a little more spice, but this pasta-like dish made from a rotti sliced into strips mixed with scrambled eggs, shredded carrots and cabbage came in a Thai green curry type sauce. I am also taught a new card game by Tuva, another of the friends I have made on this trip, called King to Ace, it is a lot of fun but more entertaining than the game is Jess. Jess despises onions, which normally wouldn’t be a problem when you order a sausage pizza, but this place, to my happiness and Jess’s anger, make their sauce with diced onion. So while the rest of the group tuck in, I enjoy sitting next to Jess as she progressively gets more and more impatient and angry about picking out every bit of onion, as well as olive and pepper, she can find on her pizza. This anger is only exasperated by the increasing number of flies she is having to swat away from her banana smoothie. As I am next to her I get the pure pleasure of hearing her mutter under her breath for the whole meal, phrases such as “I am getting really tired of this”, “does it look like I want you here, flies” and my personal favourite “Oh just fuck off flies”.

Once full the group decide to walk down the beach to a spot Jordan has just messaged the group about where we can paddle with turtles. We start walking along the beach somewhat misjudging the current. I get soaked before having to scramble up a wall into what looks like a work site for a new hotel being built. We then have to find our way back to the road after coming across the mouth of a river emptying its very very dark brown waters into the sea which we, unsurprisingly, don’t want to walk through. Finally we reach the spot and I feel a little uncomfortable.

Kottu

A Green Sea turtle knows how Jess feels!

Morning

These are beautiful creatures, massive, clearly very old and I understand why they are here with locals desperately trying to sell seaweed to tourists so they can feed the turtles. But many of the tourists here are touching, pulling, even one trying to sit on top of these creatures. I understand that a turtle’s shell can be handled in a certain manner without causing any stress or damage. But in these scenarios, with unregulated tourists, I can’t help but wonder if the turtle’s natural instinct to stay for food is causing it undue stress and damage from having to put up with ignorant tourists desperate to get the perfect picture. I am happy to say no one in my group does anything other than show respect for these elegant creatures.

After getting some pics of the turtles Ali, Erin, Amy and I decide we want another go at surfing – this time on our own, so we get a tuk-tuk to a beach front hotel that online says it does surfboard rentals. As we arrive we are met by happy hosts of this otherwise empty restaurant/hotel. They are quickly saddened to see us just walk on through after hearing there are no surf shops. We follow the beach round for a bit and see no where on the front where we would be able to rent a surf board. But we do see Top Secret, the bar we had left less than 12 hours earlier, and we decide, having tried our hardest to surf, maybe it is time for a nice cup of tea and few more card games. Erin and I battle out our second game of cribbage and once again I walk away victorious with a 121 to 120 win. I know, the second game in a row I win by literally one point – I am enthralled, Erin is not, understandably. But it was nice to be able to just chill for a bit and have a nice chat!

The day ends with the group heading back to the hotel that me and the wannabe surfers walked through earlier for dinner. It is one of the last chances to have dinner all together as a group so everyone turns up. Unfortunately the food and service is a little lacking on this day but to keep the spirits up a group of us decide to go for another final drink at Top Secret to end the night. I opt for another cup of tea, still feeling tired from the late night before. Ali and I, accompanied by another member of our group, James, decide to wander back to the hotel along the busy streets before heading for an early night.

Erin, Jordan & Celine chilling at Top Secret