Greetings From Koh Phangan

Blessings! After a few days in Bangkok taking spa treatments and working all the dust of Mysore out of our pores, we made our way out to the island and started getting ready for the big day. The resort, Salad Beach Resort, is very nice and a little odd. We were so spoiled last year at Koh Whynam, this is much bigger and not quite as personal, but so beautiful and amazing sunsets. We have been making friends and connections, and getting things arranged. Dinners, beach bon fire, hired a big boat for snorkel/dive trip, and rented out the most amazing zen restaurant over the water with a dj for a wedding party. We found a bar you have to walk to at low tide, lashed to some rocks and trees, and an amazing yoga shala over-looking the jungle that we can use every morning for our practice. Hatha yoga starts at 9am and we just have to be out by then. It is about a 10 minute walk from our bungalows. Today I met some men who were harvesting coconuts in a big coconut grove with their trained monkeys. Big monkeys. And when they were done, one man asked me with sign if I had my camera. Oh, of course not! The biggest monkey got on his motorscooter and started pretending to drive. It was kind of funny except this monkey was so serious, and could of kicked my ass. But he was working the throttle and had his other hand on the handle bar. Then two men got on, and the monkey kind of pretended to drive, just like a kid, and the other monkey held on the back behind the second man and off they went down the road! It was amazing! I love monkeys and it was so cool. So all is well, we have been eating lots of hot Thai curry with tofu and doing lots of swimming and wonderful snorkeling at the reef right out from the resort. We go back to Bangkok in two days to pick up family and friends and then we come back to the island on the 17th. Oh yeah, I rented a "SWAT" jeep, so we can get around easy and get things done. Like one cool cat told me, "You're making me kind of paranoid..." Wishing you were here too, frank