Pranang Beach

Today we went on a hike to a beach on the other side of the peninsula (I still think of it as an island). Getting there required going back to the pier we first landed at, and then skirting around the mountains to the side opposite our beach.

Along the way, we had to walk past a group of these guys, which were hanging around on the fence and the vines above our heads. A nearby sign identified them as "crab eating macaques" and a lady on the trail warned us to guard our sunglasses because the monkeys had just stolen a pair from someone. Monkeys are the worst.

There were some really cool rock formations and the waves were more violent on this side. There was a belt of what felt like sharp gravel just below the shore line, and when Ella scooped a handful she found that is was composed of fragments of coral skeletons.

This beach is also the location of "Princess Cave", an area attraction that is a shrine dedicated to a pretty weird subject. I can't even post a photo of the shrine because this is a family blog.

I took this photo because the sky was starting to look more interesting. In this case, interesting means monsoon rain storm and we ended up walking back in the rain while everyone we passed huddled under whatever shelter they could find. We were already wet from swimming and it was nice to get back to the house as quick as we could. We took turns having warm showers, then put on some bug spray and 'prickly heat' powder before laying down with a book for a while.

At supper time, our friends at Wan-A-Rouy restaurant recommended plates of seafood fried rice and chicken and beef fried rice (you can't even buy pork here due to the muslim influence), and a bowl of hot and sour soup. We got a mango lassi, strawberry lassi, and a nampaan made with both strawberry and lime. Because we were eating them in the restaurant, they were served in these fun glasses.

Tomorrow's Sunday so we are planning to take a break from our busy schedule and maybe just take it easy for one day.

- C