Calm to Chaos (and back again)

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Returning to Bangkok for one night, after spending 3 weeks in a tiny rural village is like being thrust head first into a melting pot of bright flashing neon, louder than loud, bumper to bumper headonistic chaos. The first time I was here I loved it but now the second time and the novelty's quickly worn off. This is also the first time Talissa & I have seen Westerners for 3 weeks, my first sight of which is an abundance of loud leery beer swilling pot bellied vest wearing English t**ts dancing to Rhianna in the rain outside a pub on th Khao San Road. But then no one ever came down here for culture... Except maybe a ping pong show or two...

However we make the most of being back in civilisation, so to speak, and indulge in a bit of shopping; I have an expensive night and spend £30 on 3 tops, 1 pair of trousers, 1 dress (yes even though I'm at maximum capacity a girl still needs new clothes!) 2 x pairs of hippy traveller earrings, a much needed pedicure, a manicure, a nice big bowl of Pad Thai, 1 Mojito & 4 beers and still come with change in my pocket! Result!

Then as quickly as we catapulted in, the next day we're whisked off to the beautiful island of Koh Samet for 4 days as part of the teaching project I booked. I must admit it seems rather pointless to add 4 days lazing on a beach to such an experience, and I'm missing the children like crazy, but it's part of the scheme and it's paid for so I'm not going to refuse! I've been travelling for 6 weeks now and finally I get my beach! We reunite with Anna & Lisa, the two girls who deserted the children at the beginning of the project to go to a full moon party, but they've decided to rejoin for the beach part of the program... Jolly nice of them. I ask if they had fun and they have, but tell us how they both got all their money & cards stolen on the boat on the way back from Koh Phanang. Some may call it sheer bad luck, or just plain stupidity (if you're gonna sleep on a boat don't leave your money in your rucksack on a different floor!) And maybe I've been thinking about India too much but I'm putting it down to Karma.

Koh Samet is a beautiful island, quiet and really chilled out - perfect! Though the main clientele here seem to be old couples, mainly Dutch & Russian, much to my disappointment. But the sand is white, the sea is turqouise, the sun is shining and the fresh coconut shakes are to die for. Four days of relaxing, reflecting and hopefully getting a bit of colour on my pale skin!

We have lazy days and the nights are spent chilling outside one of the many beach restaurants, laying on cozy mats on the ground set at low bamboo tables, eating fresh seafood, with a mai tai or two and chatting to the locals, many who are on weekend breaks from the city. They kindly share their drinks with us and we set off Chinese lanterns. Every night there's a group of fire dancers that go from restaurant to restaurant performing tricks to cheesy techno music, but it's fun to watch, especially when one boy turns up who must be about 8 years old and pulls off the most impressive display I've ever seen! I don't normally give money to street performers but maybe since my heart is a bit softer now I don't think twice about delving in my pocket.

One evening we decide to walk up the coast to the slightly busier town of Haat Sai Kaew. On the way we pass a Yoga class and, keen to try it since I didn't get the chance in India, I ask the Yogi when the next class is. The Yogi is an Indian man called Amaro. "I teach Indian Yoga, proper yoga" he says " none of this European shit". His price isn't cheap (about £10 for 2 hours) but we chat to him, I like him and decide that for my first Yoga class at least, I should be taught by an Indian Yogi. So we agree to meet him the next day at 3pm. Now of course at 3pm it's blazing hot 33 degree heat and I'm sweating before we even start!... We lay our mats (aka beach towels) in the shade and begin the warm up stretches. I tell him I'm not very flexible but he reassures me that's what Yoga's for, to push your body to it limits. "Your body is capable but your mind isn't my friend" he says to me, "let your mind believe and your body will follow"... All well and good but easier said than done getting your leg behind your head! But he does push me, quite literally as well! I'm in a position, pushing as hard as I can to get my head further down to my knee and then he comes and pushes my head down more! Argh! I try not to scream in pain. "Pain is good!" he says and suddenly I get an attack of the giggles, Tallissa joins in too and we lose ourselves for a minute. Amaro is good spirited and smiles with us, glad we are enjoying ourselves. Finally we're allowed to relax, in a kind of prayer position with our foreheads touching the floor, I'm super chilled but then out of nowhere I feel a chop on my back "release your chakra!" he yells and does the same to each of us.

Another pose we have to do is to lay on our stomachs and grab our ankles from behind and then try and lift our body and legs as high as we can off the floor "pull yourself higher!" he yells "this will give you sexy bottom"... "it is sexy!" I yell back! "It will make it sexier then!" he says and again we're laughing.

Though nothing made me laugh quite as much as what happened later in the session. An extremely good looking Russian man (but god did he know it) named Dimitri who was in our group, and had decided to do the class in nothing but a pair of tighter than tight boxer shorts, was a bit more advanced than us, so Amaro got him into a headstand and started pushing him up and down... While we all watched... And it was all me and Talissa could do to try not to look at his crotch bouncing up and down too! We tried so hard not to laugh out loud but our shoulders are going, my stomachs doing somersaults and just when I think I've got myself under control the Russian let's out a massive fart! That was it, we were quite literally rolling on the floor crying with laughter!

We calm down and after Amaro has demonstrated an impressive manouvre on Talissa to help with her neck problem, we finish the session with 10 minutes of meditation, which i find it suprisingly easy to just empty my head and listen to the waves crashing on the shore.

Afterwards I feel tired but weirdly energised at the same time. The next day I am aching slightly, but in a good "I've done too much excersise" kind of way. There is an outdoor spa at the hotel, and having not yet had a Thai massage, I decide that where better to have one than under a shady palm on the beach to soothe my aches & pains. There is an old lady with a wrinkly face and sun hat taking the money so I hand her my 300 baht (about £6) and lay on the bed. The last two days I have seen a number of people getting massages from the beautiful Thai girls here with their soft but firm hands and everyone has walked away looking relaxed & refreshed. But no, the old wrinkly woman who was taking the money is actually my masseur! And since Thai people always look so much younger than what they are, I quickly calculate that this woman must be 127!... She presses at the soles of my feet with her forearm and I can feel her wobbly skin! Ewwww! This is not how I imagined my first massage to be!... Neither did I expect her to need to stop for a 10 minute toilet break half way through! I close my eyes and try to relax but I'm glad when the whole ordeal is over!... And go back to our hut for a nice hot shower.

The next day we're feeling slightly more energetic so take a speedboat ride to four different islands, do a spot of snorkelling and return back for sunset. Walking down the beach on our last evening, we bump into Amaro, our Yogi. I thank him again for the lesson and say that I'd like to do more while I'm travelling. "Lose your ego" he says to me. (Now I've read enough to know not to take this personally and that it's a big part of Yoga, and finding your "balance")..."Lose your ego, and protect yourself" he says as he bids us farewell. I'm not reading too much into this prophecy but I kind of like the mystery of what it could possibly mean...

Then before we know it, our beach break is over. One last night in Bangkok, a few beers and several fried grasshoppers later and I say a sad goodbye to Talissa, who's going back to Switzerland. Another good friend I've made on my journey and who it's been fab sharing this whole experience with... It's never nice saying goodbye but I suppose it's something to get used to!...Although some goodbyes, like the one I say to Bangkok as I board the train to the northern hill town of Chiang Mai are a little easier to make!

Xx

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