Last night there was lightning like you wouldn’t believe. The horizon, the beach, the trees out front my bungalow, were flashing in and out of darkness. Strangely, the thunder is was so quiet. The lighting kept going and going, red and white flashes of light.I remember waking up in a daze and peaking out at the ocean and the ships under all that lightning. It came so often and from everywhere at once, like a strobe light at a disco. It was around 4 am i think. The breeze was coming in the window and through the mosquito net to lick my face with a little of the rain. I tried to find a way to lay down and still see the water, but didn’t have enough pillow, and fell back asleep. I had a frightening dream of someone trying to force their way into my bungalow, when i woke up it was just the sound of sticks and things falling on the porch and roof.

The morning I caught up on recording, and had a skype chat with Alex and Xavier! Hooray! I tired to upload some pictures, but it simply not possible with the internet, so I back them up onto another computer here in case anything happens to my EPC. Sorry no pictures! There was a ferocious wind and rain, that trapped me at Pi Pooh’s Bar. The palm trees were going crazy. Apparently last night a tree fell right onto the room of one of the pooh bar employees while he was sleeping, and the roof fell on top of him, and the branches were dangling over his bed. He was fine, but the room is a wreck! All the surfaces outside are covered will fallen branches and leaves. Trees came down all over the island.

Lunch was incredible. Spicy Som Tom payapya salad, a plate of leafy vegetables to eat it with, sticky rice, and Lahb Guy or chicken pounded up with lime and chili and garlic and onion and something pure delicious. The woman who works at the Som Tom place is great because she explains to anyone who is near, when I come by, that I am a student from America studying the environment on Lipe Island and that they should speak Thai to me.

I went for a photoshoot in the Urak Lawoi village after, and got some INCREDIBLE pictures. I came across everyone hanging out, the kids playing with bikes, and jump rope and stuff and the men playing volleyball (the kind where you can only use feet and head) they would leap into the air and highkick this tiny wicker ball across the net. The kids were all keen to get photos taken this time, and I was swarmed for a while. I invited them take photos too, but told them to ask politely. It was really fun, and their pictures were more interesting then mine! I ran into Pi Boonchu and we talked and joked, and he invited me into his home for coffee, and we arranged a plan for a two day snorkeling trip to hit all the sights that Ajaan Mark (my program director) wanted me to check out in terms of bleaching ext. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get several other tourists to come along to share the trip and price.

Some Urak Lawoi girls I’ve been smiling at and saying hello to for a few weeks, asked where I was going as it was headed to dinner (yes! This is the most common way of saying “hey, how are you? / I’m interested in you” In Thai) I told them I was going around to take pictures, and if they wanted a picture. One said no, and two said yes, and they were laughing, so I took some pictures of the group and they were all keen to see them. We talked for a few minutes until they got a cell call home for dinner.

I interviewed some folks from Holand over dinner. On the way back a patch of swamp/field was roaring with frogs, crickets, and birds. It was quite the orchestra with fighting dogs coming in for a solo, too.