Koh Phangan: Russian inspiration and thunderstorms in paradise

I am staying at a wonderful little resort called the Dolphin on a quiet beach on the East coast of Koh Phangan. On the journey from Krabi, I met two British women who have sort of adopted me into their little pack during our stay here. My housekeeper, Leila, is 3 years old, lives next door and comes by about twice a day to sweep my porch from sand, read comic books and tell me stories. She is simply adorable, and we’ve become good friends.

The weather has not been the greatest with fairly cloudy skies, and two nights with crazy thunderstorms. This evening it is raining so hard I am beginning to understand where the expression “raining cats and dogs” came from. At this very moment I am hanging out in a hammock on my porch, completely surrounded by the sound of the rain crashing down. It makes me feel like a child; excited, amazed and giggly. I am tempted to get naked and run around in the tropical shower, like I used to when it was pouring outside as a kid. Luckily for my neighbors, I am able to resist this temptation.

Tonight is the evening of the famous Full Moon Party, the largest beach party in the world, taking place here on Koh Phangan each month. Wondering what it is like in this weather. For drunk or stoned ravers it may not matter, but I must admit I am pretty happy I am not there right now. The only full moon that will be spotted on that beach tonight will be the butt of some higher-than-life tourist having sex on the beach.

Proud to announce that I have not had a single banana pancake since I came to Koh Phangan and have been running on the beach two days in a row. Yes, I am serious. My will power is simply out of this world! Perhaps it is actually true that I was once an athlete. I have lately been convinced that it is something I made up in my head and then started believing. Now I am not so sure.

The book I am reading about life under Stalin’s regime in Russia is doing me good. It is putting my sacrifices in perspective when compared to those made in a communist prison. I am thinking that if they could endure weeks of torture and starvation, I can probably do without banana pancakes for a week.

Tomorrow I am moving to a different part of the island to sign up for a detox program. No solid food whatsoever for one week. I may be taking this Russian influence one step too far… still some time to change my mind.

Snorkeling Thai-style

I have spent six wonderful, relaxing days on Koh Lipe, an island I found quite difficult to leave. During my stay I met a lot of nice people, had an embarrassing number of fruit shakes (evenly split between watermelon and mango) and spent every evening watching the sunset in awe about how amazingly beautiful it is here.

The “forbidden fruit” here are the banana pancakes with Nutella, which are simply to die for. I have introduced a rule for myself that I am only allowed to have two per week, or else I will return home with the silhouette of a sumo wrestler. I have to practice my discipline while being a backpacker bum anyway, so I thought this to be a good exercise.

A few days ago, I went on a snorkeling trip and ended up on a boat alone with seven Thai university students on holiday. After making a remark in one of my previous posts about the large number of Swedes here and lack of cultural interaction, I now got my prayers heard and gained some insight into how young Thais go about snorkeling. Let me tell you, it is a bit different than we tend do it.

My co-passengers jumped in the water with all clothes still on, life jacket (!), mask and snorkel, but no fins. Instead of seeking out the more shallow reefs, they stayed on deep waters close to the boat, preferably clinging to a life buoy, spreading out fish feed. This caused large amounts of small fish to reach the surface, which were then photographed through the hole in the buoy or by carefully dipping their heads in the water. On the boat between stops, time were spent constantly taking pictures (and I do mean CONSTANTLY), giggling and frantically applying sun block to the few spots of their bodies and faces not already covered with clothes. Needless to say, I felt a bit skanky in my bikini; hence I decided to save my tanning activity for a different day.

On the road now, spending the night in Krabi town and will reach my next destination, Koh Phangang, tomorrow evening.

Koh Lipe gallery

Koh Lipe: Getting settled into island mood

A plane trip and a three-hour boat ride later I arrive at Koh Lipe, a small island on the Andaman Coast, close to the border of Malaysia.

The contrast against buzzing Bangkok could not be sharper. While staying at the most exploited beach on the island, Hat Pattaya, things here are still very laid back and mellow. There is plenty of room on the beach, no hustlers bugging you to buy things you don’t want, and there are no cars and occasional mopeds on the island. Beach chairs are few, free and readily available given the relatively low volume of tourists here. Fine, white sand and crystal clear, turquoise water make the beaches here compare well to the best tropical post cards. The only negative is that about 50% of the tourists here are Swedish. Seriously, how can a country of 9 million people completely populate all of Thailand?!

Spent the day reading on the beach and writing in my diary. Feeling very balanced and content. Interestingly, I am finding that I enjoy the silence enforced upon me. I like observing the beautiful scenery and the people around me without the pressure of making conversation. I have fallen in love with the charm and the low-key atmosphere here. I cannot think of a better place to wind down, read, write and relax.

I have noticed that when travelling backpacker style, it takes me a day or two to adjust to the level of standard on the road. Being the spoiled brat I have become after years of business travel, my room with cold water shower, non-flushing toilet, and rock hard bed without comforter at first appeared non-plausible, but after spending my first night here I am instead feeling lucky about my porch and the 50 meters I have to walk to the beach.

Given the monstrous weight of my backpack (I am a travel rookie, yes I am, and also clearly shallow enough to gain comfort from my material belongings), I have decided that I am not allowed to leave this island before I have finished at least four books. I simply cannot be bothered to carry that big blob around until it is significantly lighter.

One good thing about being over-packed is that it forces me to slow down. I woke up this morning with the ambition to scope out the entire island to find the best bungalow available; to ensure I am getting the best Koh Lipe has to offer and to make certain that I am not missing any of the sweet spots. This is so typical for me; do your homework, lay out the facts and then figure out a way to maximize and optimize. Luckily, the thought of moving my bag two days in a row, made me decide that where I am is simply good enough, and it is pretty damn good! So now I have decided to stay put here for at least a couple of days, maybe even a week.

Bankok

Two days in busy, hot Bankok.

Woke up this morning feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of being here in Bankok, all alone, with no plans or schedules to follow. Pretty scary for an overly social control freak like myself.

After having breakfast with my three companions (my diary, my affirmation cards and my necklace amulets), I felt much better. All of a sudden I felt happy, excited and proud to be here completely on my own terms, with an abundance of time to do exactly what I want. A bubbly feeling of joy started emerging in my chest. I realized that I have the best of friends with me: the amulets that keeps me grounded and secure, the diary who lets me finnish my thoughts without interruption no matter how insignificant they might be, and the affirmation cards that only tells me highly encouraging things like "you are beautiful like an angel". What more does a woman need?!

Back at the hotel I realized one more thing that could be useful: someone to help me apply sunscreen on my upper back. I have to work on that one....

Tomorrow I am heading way down south to an island called Koh Lipe. Supposed to be paradise...let's hope they are right! With a small library in my bag and my laptop, I expect to return from that island a bit wiser, beautifully tanned and completely relaxed....

Highlight of the day was the absolutely disgusted look on the pedicure lady's face when she saw my soccer- and winter-abused feet. She tried to scrub my big toe nail with polish remover for a good couple of minutes until I had to explain to her that the nail was blue, not from nail polish but from playing soccer. She was not impressed. Now my feet and legs are a bit more ladylike and hopefully ready for some beech time.