The Coconut Telegraph, Volume 12

April Fool's Day seemed an appropriate day for a new edition. This is no joke, however, this is very real. Enjoy.

Once again, The Coconut Telegraph has the pleasure of returning to Sangkhlaburi. This time, Jay "The Man" Flesher and Bruce "Broo" Hamelin joined me for the journey. Neither had the pleasure of visiting this scenic pocket of Thailand previously and they were both excited for the adventure.

We left Koh Phayam and Jayman and I did a visa-run before getting on our way. A short minibus across the Isthmus of Kra to Chumphon and a glorious ride to Bangkok on the sleeper train. Nothing compares with a good sleep on the way to Bangkok. The minivan to Kanchanaburi crawled around the road blocks and zig-zagged through the closures in Bangkok due to the Red Shirt protests. It took 35 minutes to wend our way to the bridge over the Chao Phaya River, but as soon as we crossed the water it was clear sailing. Another minivan to Sangkhlaburi arrived at our final destination 28 hours after setting foot on the speedboat.

Jayman and Broo were instantly enthralled with the town. After unpacking, they met Daisy Dwe, Programme Director for Weaving for Women. As the newly relocated loom clicked and clacked the boys were inspired to do a little shopping. Broo ordered a special bed sheet and a custom designed duvet cover - a first for the WFW weavers and tailors. Jayman bought a large stack of goods as well and the ladies had some work ahead to fill the orders before we left town. They succeeded and we departed five days later with more in our bags then when we arrived.

We paddled to the old Sangkhlaburi Temple which was flooded when the Vajiralongkorn Dam was constructed. At low water, the temple emerges from the water and we were able to walk about some of the structures.

I tour guided the boys to all the standard stops on my orientation tour: Wat Wangwiwekaram, the Mon Temple and the border at Three Pagodas Pass. We stopped at the Sanghalei River for a snack and a cold beverage and shopped like demons in the Mon market. Broo purchased a large and impressive wood carving made from a single piece of teak. We also had the pleasure of visiting the more remote Karen village of Ban Sane Pong on the first day of a three-day festival.

When all was said and done, we were in agreement that Sangkhlaburi will remain on the list of preferred locations in Thailand.

Click to view the complete edition of Volume 12

The Coconut Telegraph, Volume 11

The more things change the more they stay the same. This is one of those axioms that is oft repeated but not as frequently appreciated. I see the change happening on the island and as much as I like to recall "the good old days", I must also accept that in the grand scheme of things nothing has really changed. There is simply more of it. Koh Phayam remains a paradise.

People come and people go - this is a recurring theme when you live in a travelers' paradise for a longer period of time. After all, not everybody has months on end to be a bum, relax, play some sport and live life. How fortunate.

The Cashew Nut Festival came and went with the usual shenanigans. If you have never been to a Cashew Nut Festival you should experience one. That way you will know exactly what every other one was like and what future festivals will be. The events managed to be cobbled together without too many hiccups and the bars and restaurants lining the street were biggest success stories. Football was the sport highlight, with the Koh Chang team winning the tournament and then turning around and donating the prize money to the temple here on the island. There was a volleyball tourney and a half-assed attempt at kayak racing. Naturally, the parties on both nights were the highlights for most of the attendees.

There continue to be a lot of motorcycle crashes. Some incidents involve our old friend "alchohol", some excess speed, most a combination of both. The result, however, is usually the same - lots of bandages, a daily visit to the clinic and a repair bill.

"The Canadians" returned en masse from various locations around the globe and had a blast. They truly demonstrated what it means to have fun. Their antics were witnessed from Aow Yai Beach to the village and even as far as Buffalo Bay. Truth be told, the people on the Burma side are still recovering from their overnighter to Victoria Point to drink Burma draft.

There seems to be a flurry of building on the road from Smile Hut and along. Massage Oiy is building a new shop opposite Porn. She will offer a variety of coffee, fresh baked products, wifi and more. It will be a nice wifi zone with a comfortable atmosphere.

Spring is in the air. Enjoy.

If you liked "A Better Burnout", check out the video version.

Click to read the complete edition of Volume 11.

Return to Blogging

It has been quite a while since I last posted on my blog. Frankly, I am not up to speed on most of this stuff and let my account lag. I have fallen into the same black hole that other vagrant bloggers on blogspot like myself have discovered: it seems there is no way to recover old passwords from the old blogspot and reactivate the account. So, I have created a new account under the Google empire and will start afresh.

If you care, check out the old blog.

I will endeavour to be more current and more frequent with my posts.