» Roy Katong

On our day off, two days ago we went out cycling south to explore the island a bit, ending up at a beautiful waterfall, well into the jungle on the south end of Ko Lanta. The walk up a little stream took us through some beautiful rain forest, as it should look like. Huge, towering trees, plants with leaves bigger than both of us together and the sounds of a million living things hidden somewhere behind a thick curtain of lush green. The shower in the pool of the waterfall was then most welcome after the cycling and trekking through the jungle on a hot tropical day.

September 2nd this year was Roy Katong which is a festivity in which Lanterns are sent flying into the sky like small hot air balloons made of rice paper and small floats made from banana leaves with candles and incense on them are set out into the sea to carry one's hopes and wishes for the future.

The day started off with a day trip on the boat to Ko Bida and Ko Phi Phi, were Sarah and I were to go for a scuba dive in order to get to know the dive sites and be able to guide guests there. Another rough day at the office it would be then... We had some hope to run into another Leopard Shark at Ko Bida Nok, but were disappointed. We ended up with only all the other beautiful stuff down there, like a dancing shrimp and a hawksbill turtle that couldn't really be bothered to stop grazing off a big lump of bubble coral, even though we were all hovering around her and watching.

Ani, our former host for one night at Banana Garden Home, had invited us to another one of her absolutely wonderful dinners on the porch of one of the bungalows, where we were joined by Gabi and Christina, a Spanish couple on their honeymoon that had yet to discover Ani's fabled hospitality. Ani had also gotten lanterns and floats for us, so once filled up with chinese chicken soup, fried prawns, mushrooms with sesame oil, green mango salad (... and I think there was something else...) we headed out onto the beach to let our lanterns fly and floats drift off into the sea, sending along our hopes. It was a very special night, learning about this tradition and being able ot partake in it as well. Gabi and Christina will be thinking back to this for some time as well, I think.

 

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