The heat hit me like a punch in the face. 42 degrees. I hadn't done my research properly before I left for Thailand and it turns out that April is the hottest month of the year. I won't bore you with the stories of the almost missed connecting flights, the running through the Bangkok airport stealing quick glances through the windows to see Bangkok, or the British couple I met who shared in my confusion at the airport. No, you don't need to read about all of that. I will start this post upon my arrival at the Koh Samui airport.
Like I said, the heat hit me like a punch in the face. I just really had no idea how hot it would be. The Koh Smaui airport looks like a five star resort - thatched roof, comfy couches, tropical music and friendly staff. It was probably the nicest airport I had ever been to. I had booked myself into a resort that had no stars really. The hotel was recommended to me by an old friend whom I reconnected with on Facebook. From what I had read it was somewhere in the jungle, it was hard to get to and it was cheap. Really cheap. I upgraded my room to the Bungalow and that was $30 CDN a day. The first room I booked was $18 CDN. I wondered what $18 can buy you in Thailand - apparently a lot. My pickup didn't happen at the airport so I had some time to get acclimatized to the scorching heat. Once the driver finally arrived we made our way through the winding streets of Cheweng and to the drop off point for my hotel. My hotel was so far up a mountain that you couldn't get there by regular car, so at the bottom of the road leading up to the hotel, you place a call and the 4x4 comes to get you. I piled onto the back of the pick up truck and braced myself for the bumpy road ahead. I would later make this trip three or four times a day. Little did I know at that point the paradise that awaited me at the top of the mountain.
When I first stood at the top of the mountain and looked down, I just couldn't believe the view. My pictures don't do it justice and I don't think there is any way to capture the blue of the water on film. I spent 5 night and 6 days at the resort. The food was amazing, and while the accommodations were simple - they were just what I needed.
My first night there I met a South African girl named Lesley who was also travelling by herself. She had rented a motorbike that day, so that night we headed down to Cheweng beach to have dinner. Travelling alone is a funny thing - sometimes people don't know what to make of you. It was her first time really travelling alone and she commented that couples are really unfriendly towards her. As a seasoned solo traveller I knew the couple phenomenon well. I can't assume it is the same for men, but I have always found that couples are the least friendly towards you when travelling alone. Families will speak to you, friends of the the same sex, other solo travellers, but not couples. I'm not sure if it is the fact that they want their alone time with their mate and can't be bothered to strike up a conversation with someone else, or if they just feel uncomfortable with a single woman travelling along. Lesley was fascinated by this.
The next day Lesley inspired me, good or bad, to go into town and rent a motorbike. I have never driven a motorbike let alone in Thailand or on the opposite side of the road. This was going to be a challenge. With a little bit of a rocky start I finally found my way and was buzzing around the island in no time. First stop, the spa, where I spent a heavenly afternoon having a Thai massage, body scrub and face massage. It was soooooo good. So good, that I booked a second day.
That night I spent lazing around in my hammock and had a great dinner with Lesley. One of the best dishes I tried while in Thailand was Meang Khum. It is a traditional appetizer that is served on a platform and you sort of make it up yourself. You take Betel leaves, ginger, onion, lime pieces, dried shrimp, cashews or peanuts, chillies and a honey sauce, put all the ingredients into the leaf, wrap it up and pop it in your mouth - delicious!! It was amazing and I am planning to make it when I get home.
My second full day in Thailand I got a very bad burn on my back despite putting on loads of sun screen, which I now think was fake. How could I burn with 50+ sunscreen re-applied six times if it wasn't fake? I made my way to Waterfall 1 and Waterfall 2, had a refreshing swim and then headed back down again.
That night, despite the burn, Lesley and I went to see some Muay Thai boxing. Muay Thai is my new favourite thing - I love it! There is a ritual done at the beginning of the fight where each fighter pays respect to their teacher and their opponent. For each fight this ritual is done, and it is a great thing to witness. I also noticed that when someone was knocked out, the opponent didn't gloat or stick around in the ring to shame the opponent. There was a massive knockout in one of the fights I saw and the opponent immediately left the ring as soon as it was clear the fight was over. I really appreciated the respect that the fighters had for each other - quite different from UFC or regular boxing at home.
My remaining days were spent booting around the island and sight seeing in different places. I definitely want to go back to the Thai Islands and expand my travels beyond Samui and perhaps go to Phengan, or Tao.
One night Lesley and I also went to check out a drag show. These drag shows are a little different than the ones at home. Lady boys, as they are affectionately called in Thailand are very common and almost accepted. I was told that in Thailand three genders are recognized - male, female and transgendered. I have seen good drag queen before, but the female performers were wonderful. I could not believe how beautiful they looked. I think it was quite shocking to some men in the audience, and toyed with their mind a little bit. It was clear many of them had had surgery, but even the ones who hadn't did a great job of transforming themselves.
On my final full day, I decided that I had cheated death for long enough and I returned my motorbike. I relied on my hotel transportation and spent another wonderful afternoon at the spa. That night, I gathered with a bunch of people I had met, shared some laughs, magic tricks, stories and one too many mojitos. The next day I was leaving Thailand, but not forever.
Thailand was a great trip of reflection for me. Before I left Hong Kong, I was offered a permanent role here. If I liked Hong Kong, I could stay indefinitely. Indefinite is a strange word. There are no boundaries to it. It seems endless because it is. There is something clean and perfectly packaged about my five months away. But I couldn't just say no to the offer. I have been telling all my friends and family that I would come home - "Don't worry, there is no way I am staying. " I would say. But that wasn't really true. I have started to really love Hong Kong. It wasn't a definite no to the indefinite proposal. I had to think about it. One night in Thailand as I sat outside and looked up at the sky, I realized something. I hadn't seen the moon and the stars since I arrived in Hong Kong over two months ago. Not once. I am a Canadian girl born and raised - I have always been able to see the moon and stars when I have wanted too. I always know where to go for a breath of fresh air. In Hong Kong I don't have that. The next morning I woke up, and I knew I couldn't stay in Hong Kong. And so the decision was made, but the decision was also made to live my life to the absolute fullest while I am here.
I met so many people when I was on Samui - the nameless French man who I spent part of an afternoon with searching for waterfalls, the Gowan family - Larry Gowan's cousin from the UK, who knows Toronto very well and also knows a guy who once asked me out in Toronto (random), the Brit who lives in Australia who lives for Tim Horton's coffee and breakfast sandwiches, the podiatrist from England who is travelling on her own for the first time and I know that when I left her she was still scared, but I bet now she has spread her wings and is flying on her own. I met a girl from London who had just gotten out of rehab, who is travelling Thailand to find herself. In the end, I think she found what she was looking for on the island of Samui.
And then there is me. A Canadian girl on her own, in search of nothing. She has it all.
