Dr. Siam 
January 30, 2012
Enjoyed our stay on Lanta. Such a chill place, beautiful beaches, great seafood, and turns out pretty easy to get prescription meds! This visit was not without its challenges, poor Inna's neck seized up and she was out of commission for a day and a half. It wasn't the result of a Thai Massage gone wrong, she's had trouble with the left side of her neck and shoulder for the past few years (needs frequent chiropractic adjustments), so I think our many variations of rather bumpy travel (plane, train, bus, van, taxi, ferry, speedboat, tuktuk) aggravated it to the point of one morning not being able to move!

This all happened when I was off on my usual early morning adventures. Unfortunately I was 3km down the beach at a yoga class I had found. It was an Astanga class, taught on a high shaded platform where you could look out across the trees and to the sea. Pretty awesome. Lanta seems to be the go to destination for Swedes. I was the only non-tall, non-blond in class which was taught bilingually in Swedish and English. Maybe tri-lingually (?) as she threw in some sanskrit too.

I floated out of class to the beach, expecting to see Inna sunbathing and waiting for me, and instead received a rather frightening text message about not being able to move, going to hospital and meds. She had woken up that morning and could barely move! She called reception and they wanted her to go to the hospital but she refused, so the clinic sent someone to see her with muscle relaxers and pain killers. They ran her credit card, and she had narcotics in hand and a recipe for sleeping. All without being seen by an actual doctor.

And boy did she sleep. All day and all night. I didn't want to stray too far, so went to get lunch at the pool for a few hours. Checked back in. Then got a Thai massage. Checked back in. Bicycled through the backstreets to Saladan, our local village and bought Tiger Balm. Checked back in. Went for a swim. Checked back in. Went back to the village to the night market for supper (and saw an amazing cover band who was playing mid-90s Cranberries songs!). Checked back in. She was still asleep... But thankfully, by the next morning,she was a lot more mobile and was able to enjoy our final few days on the beach.

So beach we did. Swam in the bathtub of the sea. Walked in the sand, skirting crabs. Ate more seafood. Were entertained by fire performers. Watched people buy floating candles to make wishes. Drank a coconut or two. Soaked up the sun, I don't think I've ever been this tan (even been diligent with the SPF30).

Transferred by speedboat back to Phuket for a final night on the islands before entering the craziness that is Bangkok. Not the most comfortable of rides, but very satisfying to pass all the slower ferries on the water. Our ferry "captain" was a skinny kid who around 18. He spent a lot of time on his hot pink cellphone. Hands free boating?
  • Dr. Siam  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Dr. Siam
  • Backstreets on Lanta  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Backstreets on Lanta
  • Backstreets on Lanta  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Backstreets on Lanta
  • Post no Bills on palm trees  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Post no Bills on palm trees
  • Entertainment anywhere!  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Entertainment anywhere!
  • Mango Sticky Rice (for Alex)  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Mango Sticky Rice (for Alex)
  • Saladan, Lanta  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Saladan, Lanta
  • Saladan, Lanta  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Saladan, Lanta
  • Still Life with Sticky Rice  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Still Life with Sticky Rice
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