Komodo dragons and steering the boat

In the evening we had dinner in the same bay in Koh Tao where we were yesterday. The kids befriended the local dog named Durian. He was a big dog with black and white markings that looked like a pit bull, and the kids fawned over him shamelessly. I wonder how he got his name. We suspect he likes to eat Durian.

I think we all slept well on our second night on the boat, either because we were tired or because we were more used to sleeping on the boat. In the morning after we woke up it rained for 20 minutes or so and we needed to batten down the hatches to keep the rain out. We spent the morning in the cove paddle boarding and snorkelling. Somehow Elizabeth and John talked the first mate Dont into giving them joy rides on a paddle board behind the dingy. John would stand up on the paddle board, holding onto a rope attached to the board for balance.

For the afternoon we sailed back to Koh Pha Ngan and I steered the boat for much of the way with the wind running perpendicular to us on a beam reach. It was good fun and I really enjoyed it. This is how John described the 'ordeal' (he commandeered my iPad when I wasn't looking and wrote this):

"Hello it's John's ambush of doom here. I just want to tell you that I almost died at the hands of Dad after he dramatically drove the sail boat. Let me back up to explain how he actually got the right to get his hands on the fate of my life, that is, how he got permission to drive the sailboat. He got bored, straight up, and the captain let him steer the boat. As you can see, I already had the urge to strand myself with a Bengal tiger watching the entire ship sink before my eyes (Elizabeth being the Bengal tiger and in the scene of the movie 'Life Of Pie'). First of all I can already say that the waves were over the top for another stupidly Dad crazy reason! He got hungry and so he was fed by mom with some papaya, which is a tasty treat AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL! SO THAT WE CAN ALL ENJOY IT OURSELVES! That's what I wanted to say."

We last ended up at a beach near the Panvaman Resort, where we stayed the last two times when in Thailand. The last time we were here we walked down to the beach from the cliffs where we had our meals at the Star Huts. This was a low key place where you could rent a hut with a sand floor and order from a restaurant that also had a sand floor. I think I managed to make it for almost two weeks in bare feet. The first time we stayed at the Panvaman we watched large lizards (something like Komodo dragons) roam at the bottom of the steep slope from our hotel. Sadly no Star Huts or Komodo dragons this time. The beach was transformed into a series of resorts, but was still fabulous with its white sand and views of the hills.

Here are the kids on the dingy on the way to the Panvaman beach.