The King and I

The hour-long open ferry ride from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan was painfully choppy. Even sitting down, I couldn't let go of the supports behind me to get to the bar (in this case, featured an ice box in the bridge). Forlornly staring at my backpack's side-pocket, I weighed the pros and cons of freeing one hand to grab some beer money... either I drown in Singha, or drown with it. The bravados who took the chance slid back and forth on the deck. Even those who tried to lower their center of gravity by sitting on the ferry floor weren't spared from the "slide show". One joker, hanging from one of the poles started whistling the tune to Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On". A few of us started suffering from nervous laughing attacks to relieve a bit of the tension. When that failed to work after some time, I turned to the guy next to me and said, "You reckon we should start praying?" It would however defeat its purpose if I had to clasp my hands.

I finally made it to Koh Phangan. Am I all here? Wait… Hang on... Don't pull out yet! I think I left my heart on the ferry! Oh, my mistake, it's still here. It just collapsed onto my stomach. After returning my guts into their rightful positions, it was time to belly up to a bar and convert those cha-chings into some cha-changs!

Buddy Brynner, a permanent expatriate of the island, introduced me to Cookies Resort (named after a dog), which offers basic bungalow huts, trapped only by a private beach, a meticulously manicured garden and most importantly, a well stocked bar which serves Thai and western food.



While the idea of going back to the basics might sound oddly charming, I think Buddy noticed that a bucket flush toilet was a little too much for me to bear. We upgraded to another unit the next day. One of the most enjoyable things to do there is, absolutely nothing. Just sit back and listen to the sounds of the sea, crickets, grasshoppers, frogs... but I have to say, the most melodious music to my ears was unequivocally orchestrated by the flush toilet. Holy sweet mother of crap! Ka...boossssh!!!! What a treat!

Backpackers from different paths in life nurture their inner hippie through lengthy sessions on their patios and/or Cookie's cafe. Set off by the cruelest jokes, moments of silence were abruptly broken by a series of guffaws, snickers, chuckles, and of course, not forgetting the most sophisticated form of laughter, the snorts. Bouts of deep and heartfelt camaraderie would constantly erupt. And I love it. In fact, I secretly wished I could curl up behind one of those vagabond bikers and allow them to ride me to the unknown.

I fear but at the same time crave, to break out of my cultural comfort zone, to understand how other people interact, to test my sense of direction, and of course, to get intrigued by new sights. Even the thought of possibly losing my life on the way to Koh Phangan was precious. In retrospect, the Thank-God-I'm-Alive rush was crazily enough, indescribably... wonderful.

Lives cross paths for mysterious reasons sometimes. Someone reminded me… we forget that we leave marks in life, in the places we've been and in the people we've met.
We neglect to recognize how much those encounters played a part, no matter how small, in shaping who we are today. I took some time to reflect on the lives that I touched and the lives that touched me. Because i t's easy, not to mention a sad waste to miss out on what any experience has to teach us.

Day 6. It was time to bid Cookies goodbye. Lugging my backpack and a heavy heart, I climbed onto the taxi. As it pulled out of the resort, new lessons were starting to etch themselves in me. I was grateful for learning that perhaps, there is more to life, or should I say, less.

I read somewhere that… "the older you get, the more you travel, the less you know. Because you are constantly reminded of what you don't know, how much more there is to see and learn and how damn big and mysterious this world is."

I am already a little restless for new journeys and new adventures. So as much as I enjoyed my time in Koh Phangan, the universe is beckoning.