After a long, hot morning here at Koh Surin, we will head East in search of cell towers and hot showers. It’s hardly been “Survivor, Thailand” out here, but we value our little luxuries. <\/p>\n
Thursday, January 31, 2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n While our checkout time was noon, our electricity went off at 7:00 as usual, so there wasn\u2019t much reason to linger in our cabins. On previous trips, we squeezed in one last morning snorkel, but with Kasma under the weather and a substantial increase in the cost of boat rentals, we wouldn’t be going out for just a few hours and then rushing to clean up and pack before noon. Instead, we variously relaxed, wandered in search of good photo ops, or edited fish photos. Basic meals were eaten. When we were finally able to catch a longtail boat to take us out to our speedboat ferry, we were first to board. With all of the campers squeezing in, it was once again a tight fit. Fortunately, with calm seas, it wasn\u2019t too bumpy a ride.<\/p>\n Back at the pier, we picked up some items from Sabina Tours’ improvised shop, including a few \u201cbeer snacks\u201d and the local kapi (shrimp paste). Best known for its powerful smell — take care packing it in your luggage — this variant is purpler in color (from the eyeballs of the tiny shrimp) and milder in its flavor and shrimpy aroma. It is a very nice product for recipes that make heavy use of shrimp paste, such as certain dips and fried rice, but it\u2019s also considerate when cooking with friends not to stink up their kitchens too badly. Now my goal is to avoid breaking the plastic jar before I get back to California, as that would cause chaos<\/em>.<\/p>\n