In this instance, there were all sorts of charming discoveries as we meandered along the single street running through the village. These included an intriguing “petrol station”, quirky signposts dotted around, a very elementary, but perfectly functional barber shop and a batik arts and crafts centre, where we watched a few works in progress and where Elaine purchased a beautiful sarong. We also learnt that this was a major tourist attraction for viewing the Oriental Hornbill and its other feathery friends.
A freshly made lunch was enjoyed at the “Jetty Restaurant”, the only open restaurant we could find in the village, as all the others had closed down. Regardless, we were delighted that we managed to put a bright smile on the owner’s face when we included a modest tip for the delicious meal she had prepared for us.
Since we couldn’t get back to the dinghy, given that the “supply ship”, a “longtail” with the largest engine we’ve ever seen mounted on a small boat, had arrived and was offloading, so we decided to visit the only open “café” to enjoy an ice-cream. While there we got chatting to the owner, who spoke English very well, only to discover she’d worked at one of the hotels on Phuket Island, but returned home after loosing her job when the hotel closed down. This reality of closed down establishments and the loss of livelihoods has been a very sad pattern we’ve seen almost everywhere we’ve been and now, understandably, there’s a fair degree of apprehension associated with the “Phuket Sandbox” initiative for the businesses that have managed to scrape through, as to whether or not it will indeed bring back the desperately needed tourists. Guess time will tell!
Once back on Paw Paw, we enjoyed a swim off the stern, before finding a cool spot in the cockpit. It was also lovely to hear the sound of children’s laughter in the distance having great fun jumping off the village pier as the sun disappeared behind the mountains surrounding our anchorage; a sound we haven’t heard in a such long time!
