little Miss Hap

the camping at Hatwanakon National park was amazing, and full of challenges and Rewards. i'm christening this leg of the trip Little Miss Hap Goes to Hatwanakorn National Park, as the first week was full of crazy things like stepping on black ants whose bite was brutal - like glass being wrenched into a small area of one's foot, or being bitten by little tiny red ants and the itch and pain lasting and lasting, or going swimming in the beckoning beautiful vast ocean and running into the sting of jelly fish (and then RUNNING out of the water in shock, even though it is only a temporary pain, it is an awful image to think of diving in the waves and coming up with a jellyfish on your face). needless to say, there was trepidation about swimming... we were then introduced to silent and sneaky mosquitos (silent because my hearing was very poor due to wax build up which the sea has since drained) - just one critter in the tent at a time can chew up your whole night. so if all those bites weren't enough, i got a heat rash on my stomach and just felt red and itchy all over.

it didn't help that when we came back into town to get more supplies (read: delicious fruits and veg) to cart back to the park, i was experiencing (UPS) Urgent Pee Syndrome. on our way to see Durian Man, i stopped to relieve myself at a little resto-shop, and wearing my Art of Living baseball cap to protect me from the sun, i walked toward the squat toilet and BANG! walked right into the concrete slant of the staircase above. (baseball hats DO NOT protect from overhanging structures). being the brave gal that i am, i squatted to pee and, oh yes, you guessed it, started crying. ah, the relief. jimmy was shocked to see my red face as i opened the door, and was thus duly warned of the imminent threat of a headbang.

i say all this because weren't these my very fears about coming to the HOT of the tropics, rather than running to the cool of the mountains? i simply hadn't expected to run into all my dislikes in a few short days, and in such an idyllic setting. but there it is. the universe provided me with a veritable menu of icks and yucks and offered me the perfect balance with:

stunning sunrises and sunsets; a full moon performance that lasted 3 full nights; warm days of sun and wind with the cleanest air imaginable; green and lush forest and the longest of creamy sand beaches for walking; relief from the jellyfish after the full moon passed; nice nice nice people; privacy and quiet; long yoga sessions facing the sea with the breeze on my face; spontaneous singing before yoga, after yoga, with jimmy; a good friend and companion in jimmy; and so many discoveries of foods (pomelo, a sweet and huge grapefruit-type fruit; durian, a little out of season but creamy and rich like custard; fresh coconuts chopped by jimmy that yielded the sweetest water...)

with my lack of sleep due to hard ground (i hadn't anticipated a camping trip), humidity and itch took a bit of a toll, so i rented one of the seaside cottages for a few nights, for respite and then rented my own tent for the last 2 nights... it gave me room and rest. with jimmy and his tent right next door and his small tent for all our food supplies, we were like a little community a deux. and our trips to town were total adventures, making many friends at the market as we walked in with our 4 cardboard boxes to fill. there is Pomelo Girl, Durian Man, Our Favourite Veg Guy, Sapodilla Lady, and Annoying Man who is Very Helpful...

so little Miss Hap made it through her first tropical camping experience, and is anticipating her trip to Kota Bharu in Malaysia and the Jungle ride ... i am so grateful for all the Time i had just to be and to think, and to breath, and finally, in the last few days to play in the healing salt water waves with abandon (No Fear! No jellyFish)...


อฟืหหฟ
(vanessa in thai script)