Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Krabi, Thailand, in the rain

One of the things that I continually try and learn while I am travelling is the idea that no matter how well you plan out something, nature always can create another plan without any warning, and without any forgiveness.  One of the joys of traveling with someone who is like-minded is that when the plans change, you can just evolve and change with them.  Krabi and the coasts of Southern Thailand are known for their beautiful coastlines, islands, lush mountains, and as of the past few days, the start of the rainy season.  
It seems like the start of the monsoon season has finally reached Southern Thailand, just in time for my planned adventure with my friend Melissa.  Today started with a bit of an overcast day and a trip through the airport, and has ended after quite a few impromptu trips, with an incredible rainstorm.
The rain has been thundering down for close to three or four hours now, and only growing more and more intense.  It has started to remind me of the weather in Hilo, Hawaii, where the smell of the rain would mix with the ocean water and create the very unique stormy scent.  The open air sitting area we are in is covered well enough that the neighborhood cat has taken refuge along with the trust-fund backpacker who is complaining about having to make his 90-day visa run while smoking cheap cigarettes.  
The cat has taken refuge near my chair and continues to meow and clean her very pregnant belly while Melissa has had to move a few times to avoid the drips in the semi-solid roof.
All-in-all, quite a good day, While it is not the trip that was planned, I don't think I would ever truly complain about being able to sit and listen to the pounding rain while fending off the advances of a very mouthy cat and having to debate between ordering a glass of wine, or enjoying a warm drink of some kind.  Today has been an adventure of hurry and wait, one where we enjoyed scenery and then had to run for shelter.  We found that 7-11 pop-up umbrellas were quite worthless in the face of the monsoon downpour, and we learned that the wonderful curries of the south really warm the body after coming face-to-face with the haphazardly built umbrellas.
In the end, I will probably chose the wine, and sit back with a pilfered book from the hotel mini-library, and appease the very mouthy cat.  This is of course if I can keep avoiding the dripping spots in the roof, and not get lulled to sleep by the mesmerizing and cathartic Krabi rain.










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