Krabi, Day 4--Monkey mania — this encore life

Another fresh morning--at least early in the day. The cooling breeze off the water and the islands being more visible in the distance indicated the humidity was waning. Temporary or not, I loved it.

But what wasn’t waning was the monkey population. Upon our initial arrival, monkeys had scurried along the beach, but until this morning, we really hadn’t seen many. We’d been warned about monkeys being bold and curious--even to the point of entering our rooms. This morning they were everywhere--on the chairs by the pool, in the trees, climbing on balconies and hanging onto walls.

They sort of scrambled all through the resort this morning

I love how the honey drips from the honeycomb onto the chute, and into the bowl.  Delicious on my yogurt — I love how the honey drips from the honeycomb onto the chute, and into the bowl. Delicious on my yogurt

At breakfast Irene had another adventure to share: A monkey had visited their room--Dan had left for a boat trip and apparently the door hadn’t latched completely as he left. Exiting the bathroom, Irene saw one of the critters sitting on her bed. An expert at wildlife management (she’s a trained bat catcher--Birch Lake, snake catcher--Quail Creek, "Dan" tamer--home and abroad), Irene simply shooed the guy outside and latched the door.

I figured it was high time I took the Monkey Trail into town. Lee and Steve joined me. Some had said the trail was tricky, others scoffed at its difficulty. I can tell Shannon, Ellen, and Dacy (our instructors at the Y) that Lee and I performed admirably. Steep steps up, a sandy trail (above and along the water), and steep, sloping steps down into town. 12 minutes max. A lovely vantage point for photos. Sort of like hiking the Gunflint in the summer.

Could be somewhere on the Gunflint, right?

Once into town, I heard, “Hello, Madam. Message?” from nearly every vendor on the street. It looked like an hour massage cost less than $10 and a manicure or pedicure (with polish) was 200 Baht--about $7. Not bad. But I had a massage booked at the resort.

Lee and Steve stayed in town, while I meandered back along the trail, changed into my suit, jumped into the pool and...ahhh….cooled off. A great morning.

My afternoon massage was just what I needed--relaxing, yet soothing for my tense neck and shoulders. I was offered a cool blue tea, into which I was to spritz some lemon. The drink then changed from blue to a faint violet hue and tasted refreshing. My masseuse, Nim, offered me the spa’s flipflops and then accompanied me to her massage area.

Once in her room, I changed into a disposable panty, probably made of paper and cotton--never used one of these before. Ok, so my first thong ever. After my donning a robe, Nim first detoxed my feet with a water, tea, and salt wash. Then the massage.

Leave it to Thailand to place an orchid in a bowl, so that when facedown on the massage table, I saw the orchid beautifully smiling up at me. Nim’s nimble, yet firm, fingers found my knotted muscles, and for an hour I relaxed. I grinned at her antics to make sure all my muscles were worked over--even to the point of her kneeling up on the table and applying pressure. Whatever the method, it worked and I felt marvelous.

After cup of warm, spicy ginger tea and a sweet, I was off, relaxed and ready for more of what Thailand has to offer.

Sadly I took my last dip in the pool. After packing a bit and dressing for dinner, I discovered the sunset...the best one yet, given the haze was less. Had an Albert Lea dinner (Hellies--including Chris and nephews, Weises, and me) and headed back to finish packing. All has to be outside the door at 9 am. We leave around 10.