layana: day two hullabaloo

we have a spring in our step this morning as we scoot our collective boot towards the Sumptuous International Buffet (S.I.B.).


plans for today: massage at two for two. dinner eventually. no schnorcheling.


flowers abound. a lesser bunch might veer off track, distracted by their seductive scent. we keep our eyes on the prize:


papaya! jackfruit! "lemon"! hidden: watermelon, pineapple, dragonfruit, pomelo. if you want freshly cut-and-peeled mango, you must ask.


salad station, today featuring mini-caprese salad. the silver UFO-esque vessels contain sautéed potatoes, sausages of a grand variety, and liver peri-peri, among other delights for the palate.


the muesli mix station. my favorite combination thus far involves natural yogurt, cherry compote, raspberries, peaches, cashews, honey, and obviously heaps of muesli (it makes you muscley).


don't make the mistake of assuming breakfast at layana is "all-fun-and-games," as it were. here poor dad endures the hardship of a frozen dollop of butter.


today i snag a slice of freshly baked bread, along with a score of various possible toppings. from top to bottom: mango jam, peanut butter, nutella, honey, and butter.


dad schmears his way towards a starchy pollockian symphony.

we feast.

dad and i talk motorola stories for a good long while, until daddles succumbs to the call of the ever-intriguing Interweb, while mom and i reach the beach. armed with kindle and paperback, we chill in the most serious manner two lazy princesses can.

around high noon, it is obviously time for a massage. our spa dates today are for cryptic "wraps," thus we'll need to forage for massage fodder elsewhere if we want to meet our daily quota (one). we trudge about 100m down the beach before being hailed by two promising masseuses beneath the shade of a bamboo hut structure. yes.

we ask for thai style massage, and the ladies enthusiastically begin with our feets and work their way up. it is beyond marvelous. halfway through the event, it is discovered that chan pasa thai nit noi, and the four of us girltalk as best we can between the grunts of soothingly painful pleasure.

we proceed directly to linger longer spa (neither passing go nor collecting $200). dad has been roped into a head-neck-shoulders "tension-relief" massage during the same time slot, so we shows as well. we sip on icy tea for a moment, then diverge to our treatment rooms. mom has selected the coconut oil wrap, i the micronized seaweed - famous for its sleekly detoxifying properties. we are doused all over with goop, mine smelling strongly of algae, then mummified in cellophane. there is a heating device on each table to induce sweat, and the undesirable toxins quickly pool around my plastic-wrapped dermis. the thai ladies orchestrating this procedure firmly and expertly massage our scalps while the goop works its magic.

when the time comes, the ladies unceremoniously remove the cellophane. we are invited to shower. i note for the first time i am completely coated in sticky matter resembling swamp muck. i feel svelte-itude around the corner. we wash and emerge from our chamber. daddles is all grins from his 60 minutes of bliss, and we unreservedly book appointments for the morrow.

the library lies just to the side of L.L. Spa, so we scope out the scene. books galore! tragically the majority turn out to be Buchen, inaccessable to those who mainly speak a more reasonable language. the remainder are by danielle steel.

we peruse the dvds, but are met with similar issues. after much internal negotiation, we sign for Dead Man Walking (dad's selection) and American Gangster (my selection, much influenced by my prior valencia viewing with Jihan).

[also, here's another wiki thing i liked]


the S.I.B. indulgences have left us in no place to desire a luncheon of any sort, so by the time we get our act together around 4:30ish we discover a persistent peckishness gnawing away at our pretty bellies. luckily, and pragmatically, we have harbored an enormous quantity of snacks. it is also BeerTime, so i insist upon the Fried Pretz as accompaniment - even the box proclaims that these are a munchie best enjoyed "With Drinks", and i am in full agreement. we abscond with these, and also a jar of lime-and-chile cashews.


this statue: more or less regal with towel? discuss.

massive square head.

my frequent view.


we are the only ones who bring drinks in the pool.


we are also cool mothers. and daughter.


torksinthailand.blogspot.com: a behind-the-scenes exposé.


not quite soon enough for our tastes, a complimentary poolside wine tasting complete with canapés apperates before our peepers. see here the balsamic chicken bruschetta and corn cakes. the farang-spiced shrimp are on the cusp of arrival.


the red and the white.


i foist a myspace photo on mom in gleeful anticipation.


akin to media "wine tastings" i attended in bangkok, the bubbly is unlimited. choose your color and get to imbibing. i dabbled in the white this evening.


what? oh, you mean this old thing? [[slurrrrrp]]


we take great pride in our responsibility to our readers. yeah, YOU! look at this pitiful guy slaving away. all he has to look forward to is unlimited wine, followed by a beachside supper. oh the humanity.


we ooh and ahh when appropriate.


we did manage to rustle up some interpersonal conversational skills somewhere in the dusty recesses of our social selves. a pair of brits, a pair of scots. we spoke of sailing, writing, thailand, red and yellow.


several sips later, we found ourselves at mr. wee's on a quest for pizza pie. garlic naan and dal (thoughts of Bin), Ninja pizza (onions, green peps, 'maters, ham, cheezles), Sunset pizza (shrimps, shrooms, cheezles), and Singha (bubbles). dinner is entirely goofball, and many fuzzy fotos - not included here - are snapped during the walk back to room 51.


mom can't help herself sometimes.