...are just some of the services offered by hawkers walking up and down Otres Beach. At first I called this blog entry 'Lobsters, Pedicures and Painful Leg Removals'- now THAT would bloody hurt!
All through our travels, Patrick has harboured a dream of staying in a wooden shack on the beach, eating lobster from the fishermen every day. We didn't find anywhere remote enough in Thailand, but Otres Beach is pretty damn close. Shack upon shack along crystal clear waters...walk a little way along the beach, and there is NO sign of tourism- yet. Watch this space, folks. Our $5 room at Davy's Beach Club consisted of little more than a mattress and mosquito net, but it was perfect. Today we're heading to a $7 ocean-facing shack further down the beach. Every time the lobster lady passes us, we end up getting 5 for $3...not bad really. With the salt, pepper and lime she adds onto them.....amazing!
I seem to have made myself unpopular with the other hawkers. One 17 year old girl gave me a lovely manicure and pedicure; her mother even made Pat pretty with a pedicure too, along with an oily massage. The problem is, once you give business to one hawker once a) other hawkers think you will buy something from them and swarm around like flies, and b) there seems to be an unwritten rule that you're not allowed to use the services of any other hawker. I understand the possessiveness; there are a lot of hawkers competing on that beach. It's just a LITTLE bit intense when a lady comes up to you with a face like you've insulted her mother, and asks 'Why do you do this to me? You promise!' I had made the grave error of using another girl to remove my leg hairs with cotton string. Why everybody was so keen to go near my legs, I'll never know. Anyway, the only reason I decided to have it done was because I liked the little girl so much. Her name was Noa, and she was probably one of the smartest, funniest 12-year-olds I've ever met. She'd been joking with us the day before, mock-threatening Patrick that if he didn't buy one of her bracelets, she was going to give him a 'blue eye'. Then, noting that he already has blue eyes, she corrected herself: 'I give you black eye'. Upon hearing my small yelps whilst she removed my hair legs with cotton (I'm not gonna lie- it stung like hell), she confidently told me 'no pain, no gain'. With her superb command of English, I can see her fulfilling her dream of becoming a tour guide. The best thing was, she never guilt-tripped me into giving her business, unlike the manicure-pedicure lady. Like I said before, I understand their desperation, but personality always impresses me over pity!
So, it's been all about chillaxing with mango shakes infused with rum and Mekong whiskey buckets (yep, still on the buckets). We also managed to be especially demanding first customers for a newly-opened cafe. Asking what size the noodles were in the noodle soup was probably not the best way to boost the confidence of a nervous first-time owner. I don't think they were expecting customers so quickly!
What's next for us? VIETNAM! Our original plan was to get the bus to Ho Chi Minh City. However, we made some very cool Finnish friends last night, and now we might be catching a ferry all the way with them! That is, if there's one running; we haven't figured it out yet. So, we're not sure how we're getting there, but the next place I'll be writing from will definitely be 'Nam! Internet-blocking permitting, of course- although if China's anything to go by, I'll find a way... Bye-bye, Cambodia- it's been short, but you've still had surprises tucked up your sleeve, like crazy-dancing-tuk-tuk drivers and untouched beaches with turquoise waters. All aboard for the final stop in our Asia adventure...
All through our travels, Patrick has harboured a dream of staying in a wooden shack on the beach, eating lobster from the fishermen every day. We didn't find anywhere remote enough in Thailand, but Otres Beach is pretty damn close. Shack upon shack along crystal clear waters...walk a little way along the beach, and there is NO sign of tourism- yet. Watch this space, folks. Our $5 room at Davy's Beach Club consisted of little more than a mattress and mosquito net, but it was perfect. Today we're heading to a $7 ocean-facing shack further down the beach. Every time the lobster lady passes us, we end up getting 5 for $3...not bad really. With the salt, pepper and lime she adds onto them.....amazing!
I seem to have made myself unpopular with the other hawkers. One 17 year old girl gave me a lovely manicure and pedicure; her mother even made Pat pretty with a pedicure too, along with an oily massage. The problem is, once you give business to one hawker once a) other hawkers think you will buy something from them and swarm around like flies, and b) there seems to be an unwritten rule that you're not allowed to use the services of any other hawker. I understand the possessiveness; there are a lot of hawkers competing on that beach. It's just a LITTLE bit intense when a lady comes up to you with a face like you've insulted her mother, and asks 'Why do you do this to me? You promise!' I had made the grave error of using another girl to remove my leg hairs with cotton string. Why everybody was so keen to go near my legs, I'll never know. Anyway, the only reason I decided to have it done was because I liked the little girl so much. Her name was Noa, and she was probably one of the smartest, funniest 12-year-olds I've ever met. She'd been joking with us the day before, mock-threatening Patrick that if he didn't buy one of her bracelets, she was going to give him a 'blue eye'. Then, noting that he already has blue eyes, she corrected herself: 'I give you black eye'. Upon hearing my small yelps whilst she removed my hair legs with cotton (I'm not gonna lie- it stung like hell), she confidently told me 'no pain, no gain'. With her superb command of English, I can see her fulfilling her dream of becoming a tour guide. The best thing was, she never guilt-tripped me into giving her business, unlike the manicure-pedicure lady. Like I said before, I understand their desperation, but personality always impresses me over pity!
So, it's been all about chillaxing with mango shakes infused with rum and Mekong whiskey buckets (yep, still on the buckets). We also managed to be especially demanding first customers for a newly-opened cafe. Asking what size the noodles were in the noodle soup was probably not the best way to boost the confidence of a nervous first-time owner. I don't think they were expecting customers so quickly!
What's next for us? VIETNAM! Our original plan was to get the bus to Ho Chi Minh City. However, we made some very cool Finnish friends last night, and now we might be catching a ferry all the way with them! That is, if there's one running; we haven't figured it out yet. So, we're not sure how we're getting there, but the next place I'll be writing from will definitely be 'Nam! Internet-blocking permitting, of course- although if China's anything to go by, I'll find a way... Bye-bye, Cambodia- it's been short, but you've still had surprises tucked up your sleeve, like crazy-dancing-tuk-tuk drivers and untouched beaches with turquoise waters. All aboard for the final stop in our Asia adventure...
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