Every day, I walk from my hotel to the school which takes around 45 minutes each way. And I am considered crazy for doing that! People just don’t walk here, let alone that distance! Especially in the 34 degree celsius heat and crazy humidity. But I kinda enjoy it in my own strange way! On the way to school at least. I leave for school at 8am and the heat isn’t unbearable yet at that stage so it is quite nice and I actually find it quite relaxing to listen to something, think, and wake up my brain a little before getting there. The locals are also very friendly and always greet you with a sa-wat-dii-ka (hello) and gin kao rue-yang (have you eaten)? We were told in class that that is how Thai people greet. They don’t say how are you. Well sometimes to foreigners, but only because they know that is what we say. The real Thai greeting is to ask if you have eaten yet! And that is just out of care for each other, especially in a small community like the one here at the island. Asking if you have eaten is their way of making sure you are ok. Also Thai people love to share food. So if you answer no, you may just be invited to join them for a meal!

I mentioned that the walk to school was quite nice, but the walk back from class, at 2.30pm in the scorching heat, is very hard!! But I’ve trained myself to get used to it now. Thai people drive motorbikes here, as do most of the foreigners who visit. Even for a journey of just a few meters, they will take a motorbike! The bikes are cheap to rent, and every now and again, I think about getting one. But I haven’t driven a motorbike before and the stories I keep hearing about accidents keep putting me off. It seems that it isn’t a case of if you will have an accident, but when. They even have a name for it – Lanta Tattoo – describing the bruises everyone gets from motorbike accidents on the island!

Here are some pictures of my walk to school which will give you a bit of a feel for the island: