Once on This Island...

(This post starts out very Lewis Black and ends very Jack Johnson.)

After a week of excitement and adventure in Chiang Mai, we decided that a little R&R was in order. We poured over the Lonely Planet: Thailand Islands and Beaches book at several meals until we found an island that was not touristy and close enough to Bangkok. We settled on Koh Chang. The staff at the Ben Guesthouse was amazing (as always) and they booked us an overnight bus to Bangkok, a bus from Bangkok to Trat, and a ferry from Trat to Koh Chang. We were all set.

A truck-taxi picked us up at our guesthouse to take us to our first bus. We packed like sardines in the bed of the truck while our bags were hoisted to the roof. After only a few short minutes, we stopped at a gas station to switch vehicles. When I first saw the overnight bus, a wave of relief swept over me. It was a huge coach bus with luggage storage underneath. I had been mentally preparing myself for something as primitive as a school bus with all of my bags piled on top of me suffocating me all night long. We stowed our packs and climbed up into our seats. Optimistically, we staked out two seats apiece (across the aisle from each other) in hopes that the bus wouldn’t be full and we would have a little extra room to stretch out. No such luck. The bus was soon crawling with gregarious travelers. Normally, I would have tried to join in one of the conversations, but I was tired. I was ready to tune them out and check out. With so many flapping jaws, it got really stuffy very quickly. The little air jets above our heads that were supposed to provide us with personal streams of refreshing air were a joke. A casual sigh floated down…occasionally. Katie and I did our best not to make physical contact in any way and create excess heat.

It was soon painfully apparent that there was something wrong with our bus. It was barely rolling along the side of the highway as other vehicles whizzed by us. We also kept stopping on the side of the road for no discernable reason.


Thus began our long journey south. I have no idea how large Thailand is in miles, kilometers or in comparison to any country or state is more in my frame of reference, but we were on that overnight bus for about 12 hours. I can drive from Chicago to Baltimore in that much time and there is no WAY that it is that far from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. I did my best to get some sleep, but the goal of the night quickly went from finding the most comfortable position to finding the least painful. Thankfully, I had my neck pillow and hoodie with me, so I could lean, prop, wedge, hold, and cover as need be.

The one saving grace of driving through the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night is the stars. The sky was filled with familiar friends (it is fun to see Orion so far from home) and so, so many more. With no city lights to interfere, the galaxy got exponentially deeper.

I wish that the morning sun had been as welcome as the night stars. My back ached from my contortionist’s attempt at sleep and my head was throbbing from the heat. We finally rolled into Bangkok- about 2 hours later than we were supposed to- which was worrying. Our bus to Trat was supposed to leave at 8am and it was 8:05. We had been worried enough about how the changeover was going to happen when there was plenty of time. No, we were booking it towards goodness knows what, trying to concoct backup plans as we went. Fortunately, we found the right person and he took us right to our bus. Unfortunately, there was no time for a bathroom break or to buy more cold water. We would have to do with leftovers from our stop in the middle of the night.

The second bus was just as uncomfortable as the first, if not more so. In exchange for the dark night sky and a bit of cool air coming from the hatch that opened in the roof of the bus in the aisle next to out seat we now had a blaring sun and zero air movement. The trip should have been a tolerable 4 or 5 hours, but they kept stopping every hour or two for the epic bathroom/meal stops that Thai bus drivers love to take. I understand the necessity of a long break on an overnight trip, but these stops were excessive and unnecessary on such a short trip. I was hot and irritable and just wanted to be off the blasted bus for good!

After what seemed like a miserable eternity (I was so cranky I was just spewing hyperbole), we finally arrived in Trat and got to the ferry. We shouldered our packs and boarded the boat. I have never been happier to be on water; its calming effect was much appreciated. Even my mounting fears about finding housing were momentarily swept away by the sea breeze and lapping waves. I breathed deep and tried to let the last 24 hours just melt away. I was already in a MUCH better mood by the time we set foot on Koh Chang.

We joined the throngs of other passengers piling into the truck-taxis bound for points further south along the coast. Our plan had been just to go to Lonely Beach and meander along until we found an affordable place for the night. We didn’t care if it was ideal; we just wanted a place to set down our bags and rest our weary bodies. Three guys that were with us got off, and we recognized a few of the resort names from the books and websites that we had exhausted before leaving Chiang Mai. We trudged along the sandy, sunny road looking for signs of life until I really needed to use the facilities.

There was a sign for the Tiger Hut Bungalows. We had tried to reserve a bungalow there ahead of time, but we had been told that they had no vacancy. We decided to check it out anyway. If nothing else, I could probably find a toilet. We had stumbled into PARADISE. Rows and rows of tiny bamboo huts sprang out of the sand among the palm trees. The Gulf of Thailand spread before us as vast and bluegreen as I had ever seen. They had an available hut (complete with attached bathroom) for only 600 baht per night. That is just under $9 a piece. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Bags were dropped, bladders were emptied, and swimsuits unceremoniously wrenched from their hiding places. We marched blissfully and boldly into the warm salty surf. As we bobbed and swayed with the water, all of the stress and worry washed away.

For the next 8 days, I did nothing but eat, sleep, write, read, sweat, swim and laugh. It was the most relaxed that I have ever been. Even in that tropical setting, it took me a few days to let go. My mind was still racing with travel concerns, number crunching, and currency converting. Thankfully, Katie believes in the same brand of beach bliss as I do, so there was no pressure to do ANYTHING. Each rolling wave washed away more and more of my preoccupation and distraction. By Thursday, I had shut down. In a good way. For the first time in years, I had nothing on my mind. No to-do lists. No thinking about this-and-that. No worrying about next year. Nothing. It was like spring-cleaning for my spirit. I was truly in the moment soaking in every second of paradise.

Paradise.

Over the 8 days that we were on the island, I wore shoes for a grand total of about 2 hours (and then, it was flip flops). We ate at different restaurants up and down the beach. The Thai food was delicious, but I was also tempted by the chicken burgers, garlic bread and sandwiches that were readily available on every menu. You just can’t find that stuff very easily in China. At night, many of the restaurants had fire shows. The wait staff would spin and twirl fire on the beach. It made me miss being a drum major. I finished reading The Hobbit on the beach and I started reading The Fellowship of the Ring. Jessi brought me the same copy of the trilogy that my dad took with him when he was traveling in the Middle East. My journal is filled with the most random observations (“No one should ever wear a Speedo”), scattered and ecstatic thoughts and ideas about theatre, and beach-bleached stream of consciousness. Imagine if Jack Sparrow had a pen and paper after he was swallowed by that kraken.

I really did not want to leave when it came time to head up to Bangkok to meet up with the others. I have a feeling that I will make it back to that beach some day. I don’t know when, but I don’t think you’ll be able to keep me away.

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