The Dawn of the Dog.

On the walk.

Time For Lime staff having afternoon dog walk on the beach.

Lanta Animal Welfare Clinic.

Fire juggling.

 The day was October 31, 2011.  Halloween day on the south end of Hat Khlong Dao beach situated on the western shore of Koh Lanta Yai island.  At 9:30 am the temperature outside was at least 90 degrees with 100% humidity.  The sun was hot and the slight eastern breeze did little to cool the body or detour my clothes from sticking to my sweat saturated limbs.  The intermittent rumbles and roars of long boat and motorcycle engines hummed in the background like thunder in a passing storm.  The smell of burning coconut from cleared construction sites as well as charcoal from the “rot ken” (vendor carts) filled the air with a smokey fragrance.  At the same time, the tide of the Andaman Sea rhythmically settled in along the white sandy beach in a calming manner in front of the porch where I was resting.  There where no carved pumpkins.  No ghosts, goblins or ghouls.  No recordings of frightful sounds to be heard or toilet paper hanging from the branches of the trees.  Nobody was wearing costumes.  There wasn’t a hint of organized haunting or the celebration of evil spirits anywhere to be seen.  Matter of fact, the only scary experience that can be noted was opening the “not so” hard boiled egg I was gifted to for breakfast by a Thai man whom I believed to be the caretaker of the guesthouse. And I will admit that the first sip of instant coffee sent creepy chills down my spine and the ants in the sugar jar startled me slightly.  Other than these mildly frightful experiences this Halloween would be more surprising than scary and a reminder that I am far from home.

I enjoy unexpected surprises when traveling.  Not the kind that leave you wondering where your backpack ran off to or why there is no money in your wallet. Or the kind that compromises your safety and health.  In contrast, its the kind of experience that happens without planning and somehow leaves a lasting impression on you about the culture, community and individuals that your visiting.  This is exactly what happened when we discovered that the cooking school and guest house that we stayed at donates 100% of their earnings as a non-profit organization to the Lanta Animal Welfare Shelter on the Island.  

Over ten years ago the owner of the Time For Lime cooking school came to Koh Lanta to follow her first passion,Thai cooking.  She stayed because of her  second.  Helping dogs and cats.  When Koh Lanta began to develop as a travel destination construction workers from various parts of the mainland arrived to build resorts and infrastructure.  They brought dogs and cats with them to “take care” of the job sites.  When construction ended the workers returned home and left the animals on the island.  They were no longer needed.  Once resorts were established, owners would “adopt” dogs and cats for the tourist high season because westerners viewed these animals as pets and created a welcoming presence.   Once the tourists left the animals were either left to fend for themselves or abused in attempts to encourage them to leave the property.  Soon a large population of feral beasts began to multiply (gremlin’s reference) and take over the island like crazed zombie’s.  Soon, the only means for locals to protect themselves from the horror of these overpopulated disease ridden monsters was to kill, abuse and mistreat.  Common cruelty includes burning with hot cooking oils, knifing, attaching weight and being throw in the sea as well as poisoning and beatings with bamboo.  Although the the island is rich in culture due to the fact that most of the local residents are decedents of Muslim Malay, animals are not viewed as pets.  They are a nuisance.    As long as they continue to re-produce the dogs and cats really do not stand a chance.  The cycle will continue.

The overall mission of the Lanta Animal Welfare Shelter is to sterilize the dogs and cats on the island while educating the local residents of the importance of having dogs and cats spayed and neutered.  In addition they rescue and attempt to rehabilitate abused or mistreated animals and provide adoption services with the resources available.  The entire clinic is managed by volunteers and funded by donations and the Time For Lime cooking school and guest house.  They also seek daily volunteers to walk the dogs that are currently seeking homes.  Since Jennifer and I where missing our adopted dog Stella and cat Jui from home, we decided to volunteer our afternoon to walk a few dogs at the shelter.  This experience brought smiles to our face and felt fortunate we could help the other volunteers and animals in some little way.  The two dogs we walked, Mai-tai and Lee-lah seemed appreciative for our time together.  The feeling was mutual.  We even let them enjoy what Jennifer referred to as “island jerky”.........a road killed frog. Until they began to roll in it.

taking Mai-Tai and Lee-lah to the water.

Sunset.

Halloween!

On our way back to the guest house in our tuk-tuk we happened to be surprised again by noticing a flyer announcing a Halloween party at a local bar called Irie.  Since it was Halloween day, it just seemed appropriate to attend.  You even got a free drink if you were wearing a costume.  Jennifer was prepared for this part of logistics having apparently carried devil horns and a butterfly mask around China for five weeks in her luggage in anticipation of such a event.  Serendipity, coincidence or just plain old fashioned luck our evening was set and we where going to celebrate Halloween after all.  We were welcomed curiously by the local staff and entertained by techno versions of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and M.C. Hammer in the midst of laser lights and barbecue smoke.  Fire torches were juggled precariously by one ambitious and entertaining staff in the middle of the crowd and thatched roof enclosure.  One false move and the place is up in flames.  The local staff appreciated our adventurist spirit and by the end of the night was offering advice on recommendations for the rest of our stay on the island.  This information proved to be valuable and ironically enough we would cross paths with our new friends many times all over the island. When we arrived back at the guest house later that evening we were eerily greeted by a black cat lounging on the front porch.  As our thoughts swirled with images of a unique Halloween, we hesitantly fell asleep to the chilling sounds of scraping lizard claws on the floor and walls of the room.