Fish and Tips

Thailand 2017, Day 18
Had a look around Ban Sala Dan today, which is the little ferry port where we arrived at on Saturday. It was extremely hot, and I lost count of he number of bottles of water that we drank.
In one little cafe a young French man limped in. An older French man (a bit worse for wear) and some local Thai people, all looked at the injury on the young man's foot, and I heard them say it was badly infected. They then decided it needed "traditional treatment". One person fetched what looked like a bottle of fish sauce, (in shape and colour and consistency), and another fetched dressings and bandages and they proceeded to clean the man's injury with the "sauce", with the older French guy declaring it was much cheaper than the hospital.
Based on my experience, hospital treatment would probably have cost him between £5 to £10, and as a mother, I felt like giving him the money and pleading with him to go, but by this time there were about 10 people all administering to him.
Tomorrow we leave Koh Lanta and head further south to the Trang Islands. I'm really hoping to see a dugong there and am keeping my fingers crossed.
We didn't bring much with us on holiday (one large rucksack and two hand-luggage-sized bags). We've decided to leave the large rucksack here on Koh Lanta with the lovely family who own the bungalows where we are currently staying, and just carry on with the two small bags, then return to Lanta to collect the rucksack on our way back up north. 
Note to LadyG - see what I mean? We hardly brought anything to Thailand and it is STILL too much!
This beautiful Red Lionfish was in a large keep-net in the water behind a restaurant that we went into (although we didn't eat there). The lionfish is a coral-reef fish, with large, venomous spines that protrude from the body, similar to a mane, hence its name. The venomous spines make the fish inedible to other sea creatures, (but not to man) and deters most potential predators. 
There was also a lovely puffer fish in the net, and in the next net there were some angelfish. I took this shot by leaning over the balcony - first ensuring that my camera strap was around my neck. 
Please look large if you get a chance - he's much prettier.