To be honest, we only came here as a quick stop-off before catching the early boat to Ko Tao. As soon as we found Mr. Tan's guesthouse, with the man himself waving us in dramatically as though we were ships lost at sea, we were made to feel right at home. It's the first time traveling that our questions have been answered, without actually having to ask anything. We walk in the door- he tells us about a discounted boat ticket to Ko Tao that we needed to book. We walk out for dinner- he thrusts a freshly highlighted map in our hands, and tells us the exact distance to the markets we'd just been on our way to find. It was just all so...easy! Usually its an uphill struggle trying to get You don't get service like that everyday! I even forgave him his blatant attempt to sell us a bag of coffee the next morning.
Anyway, as great as Mr. Tan was, the real highlight was the markets! The day market was a real treat- every kind of food you can imagine under one roof...fresh fruit, freshly made green and red curries, tempura prawns, spicy Thai salads...and yes, we tried all of those. Stuffed at lunchtime...for under 200B! I need to learn self-restraint at these markets if I don't want to be the size of a house by the time I leave...it's just so hard when it all looks so bloody delicious!
The feasting didn't stop there...we had a night market to attend! Dozens of stalls line Chumphon's main street, offering everything from popcorn to padthai. Your would follow your nose to a stall with barbecued fish, only to then be seduced by deep-fried chicken 5 metres down. We wandered the whole stretch and ended up going to the first stalls we came across. While Patrick for the very appetising pad-thai (if there's one thing Bangkok taught us, it's that you can't beat a street pad-thai), I was drawn to the stall next door, intrigued by the odd assortment of ingredients in front of me. Mussels, eggs, and spring onions were all laid out in front of me. Hmm, I thought, it can't be pad-thai, I thought- no noodles. It can't be tempura prawns, I thought- no prawns. I peered over, to see the chef pouring a mussel/egg mixture onto a huge oil-laden saucepan. He was making mussel omelettes! Well, it would be rude NOT to try it- I'd never heard of any kind of seafood omelette! The crazy thing was, I tried it as a kind of novelty...but it's been one of the best things I've tried in Thailand! Crispy, eggy, fishy, on a bed of spring onions...try it at home, folks! You won't be disappointed- trust me!
So! We're still on Ko Tao, and the weather's looking better these days...fingers crossed it will carry on this way! Unfortunately, we've had an attack from those dreaded beasts that come to suck on our blood at the dead of night...no, not vampires, BEDBUGS. Disgusting little specimens that deserve to all die! Poor Patrick has been eaten alive...I'd say at least 50 bites, but probably more. All the cats on the island seem to love him though, if that's any compensation for the bedbugs' nastiness...Anyway, enough of that- TMI, probably! Will write again in a few days...stay tuned!
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