The Gang's All Here...and Some of Them are in Drag
Another beautiful weekend was had by all in Khanom and this time we had a guest! Dani's dad, Dougie Fresh, joined us for a few drinks and laughs at the fabulous Jam Bay. Watching Jam Bay slowly transform in front of us has been so great! New bathrooms, stages, and a full menu have all been recent additions to this beach side getaway. It came up more than once in conversation - What will Jam Bay look like in a few years? Will it eventually become a stunning resort and give its sand away to pavement and pools? We hope not. We, or at least I, love the simple charm of this place with its natural wooden benches and "serve yourself" attitude at the bar. Waking up in a bed right above the bar to the smell of breakfast cooking, Daft Punk playing over the speakers and people laughing (or groaning) about the previous night is as close to perfect as it gets. It's our very own Cheers on the beach. As we lounged in the water, Dani came across an unusual shell. When she picked it up to examine it something started to move, so naturally she threw it back into the water. Luckily she found it again and what we thought would be a crab turned out to be a little octopus! We played with the little guy on the beach for a few minutes and then realized we were probably slowing killing him...so back into the water he went! But not without a quick photo shoot and some videos - sorry, Octy. (See "Party Cuz' You Been Working All Day" to see him in action.)
(It is me, or is Octy mean mugging?)
None of our beach games can ever be explained - why they start, what their point is, why we find it amusing? No one knows. All I know is that this group could have fun in a paper bag. The boys started digging a hole. So the girls started digging a hole. The boys decided to bury Patch, so the girls decided to bury Dani. Then when everyone was covered in sand it was time for one last dip, a beer, and a shower.
Our Jam Bay weekend was spiced up with a costume party! Angela and I packed the same outfit - completely accidentally - so we improvised and were twins for the night. Joe supplied us with paint so the artist in everyone came out. Dan drew an eye on me that said "Look Within" - deep, Dan - while I marked him with a black flower...totally rock and roll.
Tessa's henna-like sleeve was by far my favorite and reminded me of the gorgeous Indian weddings I used to write about. (Almost made me want an actual tattoo...then I remembered who my mother is.)
Some of us covered ourselves in paint, while others took this opportunity to try something very new. B and Kieran grabbed some dresses and wigs and looked better than most of the girls - nicely done, gentlemen!
(Don't worry things weren't too different this weekend. You guessed it, that English heart throb Dan Cliffe serenaded us while sporting a green mustache.)
(I got tagged by the Brits and I'm now an honorary Blackburn girl.)
(Dani wrote Dannie in Thai! Maybe now the Thai's will stop calling me Jenny...probably not though.)
Being the fun loving group that we are, when bubbles were brought into the mix we couldn't help but become the 5 year olds that we're surrounded by all week. The rest of the night was spent trying to get the best bubble and then capturing it on the camera - easier said than done.
(FYI - Patch's face is incredible here.)
(The buckets flowed and so did the paint.)
B got to show off his artistic skills as well by attacking Angela and me with a brush. Unfortunately, I was his first victim so everyone else knew to say, "Not on my face!" For the rest of the night I rocked a mustache and some peculiar dots. I