And then there were two

So it's down to just Meg and and I now. Phil and Maya left for Bangkok a couple days ago. If my calculations are correct they're in the air, a few hours from NYC at the moment.

The night before they left, we all went out to dinner with the folks from the dive shop we've been using (Paradise Diving on Long Beach Koh Phi Phi, if you find yourself in the neighborhood. Ask for Adam.) We had a massive feast of fish of all sorts and prawns and beer. A good time was had by all.

View from the lean-to on "Small Beach."
After an early breakfast to see the others off, Meg and I hiked up on to one of the hills to another resort -- currently closed until high season -- overlooking our beach. A little sign saying "Small Beach" pointed down an overgrown path through the jungle. Not having anything better to do, we decided to see where the path lead. True to the sign, there was a tiny patch of sand nestled among the rocks. Someone (turned out to be an industrious Austrian family) had built a lean-to out of sticks, banana leaves and palm fronds, so we spent most of the morning relaxing in the shade, reading our books and watching hermit crabs race across the sand.

We spent most of yesterday diving. The visibility wasn't quite as good and there were some pretty strong currents but we still managed to have a good time and see some cool fish (including yet another leopard shark).

The mouth of Pi-leh Bay, setting of the movie The Beach
Today we're sort of bumming around. It's been storming a bit -- no good for diving -- so we came into to town to do some exploring. We might dive again tomorrow, depending on how the reports about today sound. We fly to Bangkok from Phuket Friday and then head home from there Sunday so we're nearing the end of our trip. We might head to Phuket a night early and spend a night in one of the fancy places there, but we'll see.

Enjoy.