The “Joy” of giving

Our friends had left but we had so enjoyed our time on Koh Yao Noi with them that we decided to stay on for another couple of days. 

To get around the island you really need to hire motor bikes which was what we did. I was almost feeling like a natural by this time!

Our first point of call (in the pouring rain) was Joy’s boutique and then on to call in at a few other shops to do some Christmas shopping .

Joy had some lovely gifts for sale and we bought quite a few Christmas presents plus some clothes for me! Joy makes shopping at her little store a real pleasure. I was so surprised when she very sweetly presented me a dressing gown as a free gift- how’s that for great sales technique? The “Joy” of giving!

We spent some time exploring parts of the island we hadn’t managed to visit before, driving passed emerald green paddy fields stretching as far as the eye could see, with water buffalo wading and wallowing through the watery paddies. 

After a while we arrived at a traditional fishing village where all the houses were built on stilts.

We stopped at a tiny little cafe and had marvellous meal of coconut soup with fresh prawns, greens and of course lovely spices.

After an enjoyable day riding we dropped the bikes back and looked for somewhere to have dinner. 

It was getting dark, and as we walked along the road we wondered why everything seemed closed. Then we realised that not only was it a Monday night but also the night before the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Adha when it is traditional for people to eat dinner with their extended family.

It started to become really dark and then it started to pour with rain. The only place open was a beach restaurant where we had enjoyed a cold drink earlier and which had just two tables under cover – both full! So we headed for the one and only  bar that was open and waited for the rain to stop. 

After a time we decided to wander back to find our dinghy and as we went passed the beach restaurant found that there was a table free. We weren’t going to starve after all!

The food was delicious and we noticed for future reference that all cocktails at the beach restaurant were 400 baht (Aus$7.50 or £4.70 each!)