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Delivery-date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 01:51:26 -0500
From: "Roberta Jenkins" <robertajenkins@hotmail.com>
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Subject: Thai Tales (take 4)
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 00:51:14 -0600
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<DIV>Middle of the night, rented tent on a secluded beach.&nbsp; I have to pee.&nbsp; Bad.&nbsp; I lie still and contemplate the severity of the situation, decide it cannot wait.&nbsp; Reluctantly move to a sitting position, fumble with the shoelace knotted carefully through the twin zippers (the only security measure I could think of when I bunked down for the night in a slightly elevated state of anxiety), open the door as quietly as possible.&nbsp; I don't want to draw attention to the fact that I am alone.&nbsp; </DIV>
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<DIV>How did I come to this particular stretch of sand, out here in the middle of nowhere?&nbsp; A German hiker I'd&nbsp;met on the road&nbsp;gave me a map of the local coast with a tiny, faded picture of the spot&nbsp;that I thought looked beautiful.&nbsp; Since I didn't really have any plan in mind for the town I'd bought the bus ticket for anyway, when I saw the name from the picture on the&nbsp;sign at the side of the road I figured what the heck, let me off please!&nbsp; The bus driver obliged, dropping me literally in the middle of nowhere, where I set off on foot&nbsp;the last&nbsp;4 kilometers to the "Wanakorn Beach National Marine Park" (an impressive name describing a magnificent-but-small, mostly deserted beachfront campground well off the beaten track).&nbsp; Not far into my hike, a park supply truck screeched to a dusty halt beside me, motioned me wordlessly into the box, then sped me the rest of the way to the headquarters hanging on for dear life.&nbsp;&nbsp;And voila!&nbsp; Miles and miles of pristine, private beach.&nbsp; Almost entirely mine.</DIV>
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<DIV>My first order of business, once I'd arrived, was to find a place to stay.&nbsp; The brochure the man in the supply truck handed me as I disembarked said that there were small cabins for rent.&nbsp; A quick walk around the grounds located them on stilts in a stand of feather-pines just off the main road.&nbsp;&nbsp;Perfect!&nbsp; Unfortunately, there was no one there to answer my questions about actually renting one and finding such a person would take a significant portion of the afternoon.&nbsp; At which point I would be told about their extravagent nature and exorbitant cost.&nbsp; Any other options?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A tent on the&nbsp;beach, you say?&nbsp;&nbsp;Anything to get out of the driving, mid-afternoon rain...</DIV>
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<DIV>My four canine companions snuffle in their sleep as I slip past them in the inky darkness.&nbsp; I can't make out the shape of the other tent anymore, only a hundred or so meters up the beach.&nbsp; The one full to bursting with university students on break from Bangkok.&nbsp; The ones whose incessant chatter about all the dangers of the night (poisonous snakes and spiders, roaming animals, ill-intentioned people...) first planted the seeds of apprehension in my mind just before bed time.&nbsp; The cause of which&nbsp;(probably coupled with the surprising supper of multitudes of baby octopus in "fire sauce") being&nbsp;this third anxious dash to the bushes for relief since&nbsp;sunset.&nbsp; No small feat considering I have to un-knot the shoelace by feel first each time.</DIV>
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<DIV>Business concluded, I take a long look around.&nbsp; The moon is casting an opal glow on the&nbsp;coal black tide,&nbsp;silhouetting the myriad squid boats moored for&nbsp;night along the horizon.&nbsp; Their bright emerald lights from this distance, shining into the depths, look like a necklace around the swell of island&nbsp;on the&nbsp;distant&nbsp;sweep of sea.&nbsp;&nbsp;The invisible pines sing a&nbsp;lullaby of sighs overhead, joining with the steady shhhh-shhhhhhh rhythm of&nbsp;waves against shore.&nbsp; The overwhelming peacefulness urges me back into&nbsp;my nylon cocoon&nbsp;and off to sleep.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>MSN 8 helps  <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMBENCA/2752??PS=">ELIMINATE E-MAIL VIRUSES. </a> Get 2 months FREE*. </html>