Floods, Interviews and Islands

As I try to put my ever pensive mind to paper, I realize how challenging it is to actually compose a fitting description of my experience since last I blogged. How do I try to capture the images that I see; the aromas of the road-side stalls, the singing voices of the Thai women selling their wares, the bouquet of coconut oil massaged into in my hair and body. I wish you could hear the night sounds as I swing on my hammock – the shrill ‘Ge-kow’ of the geckos in nearby trees, competing with the cadence of the beach bar near the shore…

I’m day five on the rustic island of Koh (island) Lanta in the South, a 4 1/2 hour ferry ride from Phuket, putting past the magnificent islands of Phi Phi, lying under the shadows of limestone cliffs and islets bordered with turquoise green bays. Multi-coloured longtail boats cart tourists from bay to bay who are eager to dive into the unspoilt underwater coral gardens.

Going back to 3 weeks ago, I so fondly recollect my sojourn in Koh Tao (Turtle island) that I cannot wait to go back again when Mom arrives. The premise for my trip two islands up from Koh Samui was a free diving voucher and night’s accommodation that we were offered as part of our TEFL teaching course. Having graduated from the 2 week course in Koh Samui on the Friday, and exhausted by the nights of homework and lesson preparations and jumping up and down with children, I looked forward to a week on the tiny island.

On the Monday, I took the ferry to Koh Tao, arriving at sunset. I got picked up by the dive centre and booked into my bungalow. The centre had a BBQ that night so I met some of the dive instructed and students, and had an early night. After my dive on the Tuesday – with a rather hunky Camel-man dive master and I remember looking into those deep green eyes magnified by his scuba mask down under the surface of the water – lol. I walked the beach at sunset ogling the quaintness of the bay opposed to the thronged beach side lounge areas, where farang sip cocktails and snack on sandwiches and rice dishes. I found myself a mat with its ground-level table and mattress lounger and plonked my tired physique down and ordered a Pina Colada for the showcase sunset. I did this every night for a week. The tiny village of Hat Sai ree is compacted with dive centres, massage parlors, clothes stalls, restaurants and coffee shops, garden and beachfront bungalows and the odd hotel and exclusive resort. The nightlife is mostly mellow – which I loved and that I felt suited the relaxed vibe.  I drank mostly Sang-Som whiskey on my bungalow balcony, smelling the closeness of the sea and writing postcards to loved ones. On the Wednesday night I mossied along the beach and was lured onto a mattress lounger at Lotus Bar, listening fondly to a one-man band doing covers of Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band and Leonard Cohen, smiling deeply to myself and mouthing along to the words. After being offered a drink by a Scotsman and Australian pair sitting behind me, I joined them and we pretty much saw each other every evening after that. Jimmy the ‘heeh-land kew’ is a honey, married to a Thai women and operating a dive centre in Pattya.  He’s a jolly man with a soft nature. Troy, whose incapability to stop calling me ‘sexy’ and his xenophobic bigotry became highly irksome and nauseating. I met lots of people, Dutch, Swede, French, but mostly Brits teaching diving, on holiday from teaching English in Bangkok, or just simply spending their pounds on a 3 month holiday (Who get’s a three month holiday?). I also met two guys from Japan who were great company the one night and would like to contact again when in Japan. 

My week in Koh Tao was made full by my accommodation ON THE BEACH, where I listened to the lapping of the water and could nip in and out of my bungalow to swim.

View from my bungalow - Koh Tao

The sea is warm - the sea in Koh Tao being the most reminiscent of Zanzibar’s azure colours. My week was also graced by the full moon, when most of the farang migrated to neighbouring Koh Panang for the debauchery, leaving the less manic to enjoy the fire poi and balloon lantern-lighting on a slightly lesser mushroom-infested scale! The clear waters made diving a wonder and I want to snorkel in the Japanese Gardens next time around!

After Koh Tao, I made my way to Phuket to begin the interviewing processes. I stopped in Nakon Sri Thammarat to look at a school there. This is the spot were the floods three weeks ago did caused the most havoc.  As I arrived in Nakon, the heavens opened – it was not a downpour as much as incessant heavy rain that I didn’t know would last another 7 days! Sitting at the bus stop for an hour, I watched as the water rose above my ankles to half way up my shin. By the time we boarded the bus, the water was knee deep! The bus miraculously paddled through the deluge of water on the roads, navigating the water-logged terrain at a snail pace. 

waters 

The flood arising

Needless to say it took 8 hours instead of 4 to get to Phuket, where I had two more interviews. I arrived in Phuket drenched – my sodden luggage weighted with rainwater and booked into my bohemian haven in Old Phuket town – Thalang Guesthouse. It was a relief to be back, greeted by the warm staff and shown my  old room where I stayed when I first arrived in Phuket. Now it was down to ironed suits and CV, donning my widest smile for the interviews that awaited me that week.  After what I can only recollect as a stressful and rain-soaked week, having to deal with early mornings and selling my best qualities to the school recruiting managers, I received a call 5 days later, on a Friday when the showers had ceased and the clouds receded to show the blue sky, that I was offered a position to teach preschool in a village 45minutes north of Old Town.  That night I celebrated with Michael from the TEFL course, and woke up on the Saturday relaxed and excited to start seeking out an apartment to finally roost in.

While I’ve enjoyed the travelling and sight-seeing, I am every ready to settle into my own place, with my own bed and unpack my backpack and store it atop a cupboard for a few months. I do miss the comforts of home, my bed, my view of Table mountain, my Joe and my Lara… and also MY POTS AND PANS and cooking. When I can, I watch the Asian food channel, craving to resurrect the dishes and flavours of the Far East on my own, serving them up to friends and stageinga night of ‘Come dine with me’.

Same, Same BUT DIFFERENT!

  

Hello all! I’m here, in-between the waves and the island lifestyle in which I’m growing too much accustomed to in Koh Tao. All of you were spot-on in  saying this particular island is worth a visit! It’s not as touristy as Phuket and Koh Samui but I’m loath to escape to the ultimate quiet bay given my prospects of landing up soon in some tiny village in the middle of nowhere to teach… will keep you up to date on my post when I find one! Job-seeking aside, although I am applying everyday, let me get you more attuned to my experience thus far…

My month has not been without the tourist trips, as much as I have tried to keep it local. So far I have seen a mummified monk, taken pictures of phallic rocks, got down on my knees in beautifully adorned temples, and raised my eyes to the giant statue of Buddha, perched on a hill taking vigil of the town below.  I have bartered my way (in Thai mind you!) through the racks of beautifully handcrafted cotton clothes, wolfed exotic smelling and colourful cuisine and clicked my Canon to capture the flamboyance of the long tail boats and majestic green hills and beaches. I have even eaten a worm and two crickets - could not stomach the cockroaches - much to my friend Sunny’s disgust and awe (She ate a cricket too later that night!) – She reckons I’d do well in Fear Factor – lol!

"I think I'll go and eat worms..."

Kakalakka!

I have quaffed the local whiskey by the case, and danced around poles with the lady boys. I have sung in unionism with a live cover band at an Irish bar, and begrudgingly put ice in most of my lukewarm beers (that’s what they do here – yes, sacrilege!). I have stayed in beach bungalows where one hears the ocean which makes me utterly content,  I’ve visited waterfalls, and stared into the eyes of sad and overworked elephants. I've had fish nibble at my feet for a pedicure, and gone diving with the Turtles in Koh Tao. 

Wan, Keg and I.

But what I want more than ever is to gain a footing into this mystical and peaceful place and learn to understand what makes these beautiful, tiny people smile and never show a bad emotion.

In Thai cultural class, we were told about ‘losing face’, something that Thai people avoid at all costs. To live up to this conviction, they smile at all costs, and believe firmly in the saying ‘Mai pben rai’ – literally meaning ‘no worries’ or nevermind’  - reminding me vividly of the Zanzibarian saying – Hakuna Matata!

Image of the revered Thai King

We also learnt that we must treat Thai money, the Baht, with respect. That is to say that no scrunching up the notes and letting then loose in the bottom of your handbag!  Notes are to be kept folded neatly in half in a wad in  your front pockets, not back pocket as that means you sit on the money and thereby degrade its worth. When presenting the notes, the Kings image must always face upwards. The Thai people adore their King – and I must say he is a pretty awesome guy. He is totally committed to his people, taking an active initiative in helping the poor and reading letters arriving from the most remote villages and replying to them in person. Every Monday is King’s day and some schools don’t open or if they do, people can where their yellow shirts that are the royal colour.

The cultural maxim of ‘Same Same but Different’ is everywhere, printed on tourist t-shirts and evident in most conversations I’ve had when asking a Thai to explain a cultural conundrum.

Another cultural epithet is the curtailment of public displays of affection. Between the same genders, affection is welcomed, one often seeing two girls hugging each other or two men holding hands. But man – on- woman affection and visa-versa is seen to be a private affair to be had behind doors. An endearing way to greet a member of the opposite sex that one may have affinity for is to place your nose in front of their ear and give two or three gently sniffs.

Everyone is expected to take off their shoes when entering someone’s home, including a temple that is the home of Buddha and many various other deities and revered monks. Many shops and restaurants are makeshift enterprises run from a family’s home, so the same applies here. At school, teachers and kids remove their shoes when entering places of learning as a sign of respect. And as a male teacher, you are not allowed to arrive at school in shoes that reveal your toes – us females have that luxury of airing our foot appendages in the humidity.  A scenario that they would explain as same same, but different! And of course, a lady’s shoulders, bosoms and knees need to be covered at all times at school. Needless to say, a teachers dress is very conservative, counterbalancing the utter respect we are given in everyday life; Kru ‘In’ they call me.

When eating your food, one must only ever use the fork to scoop food onto your spoon – never put a fork in your mouth (Try eating a salad with a spoon!) Needless to say, I haven’t ordered a salad yet, and my chopstick skills are mounting. The most devoured dish by me is the Pad Thai mooung, served with fried peanuts and crispy pork. The crunchiness of the sprouts is just to die for. I’ve had so many different dishes, but this by far is the most constantly delicious one! It can be bought as street food, in all Thai eateries and made expensively available in top-class restaurants.

My Thai is flourishing, and people think I’m a Thai teacher instead of an English teacher – lol! The more Mekhong Whiskey I imbibe, the more fluent I am!

Primary School - Thong Krut, Samui

The little teaching experience I have had in the past two weeks has been exhilarating, if not absolutely physically draining!  Nonetheless the kindergarten kids have claimed my heart and eagerly hang on to my every word and action. Their chorus of the words I present on the flashcards like ‘dog’, ‘cat’, ‘fish’ (pronounced ‘fit’ – they have difficulty with sh), and ‘snake’ (said ‘s_a_nake’ as they don’t understand two consonants together) is echoed eagerly and loudly. I find that their brains are like sponges at this age (3-6 yrs old).  So I tut with delight at their noise. But still I grab my lower back to ease the muscle cramps and wring the sweat out of my shirt after a warmer of ‘Simon says’ or a song like ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’!

There I am - in the middle! 

All in all, I’m having a ball. I am finding my voice and my way in this amazing land. I have not given you a day to day account of my travels this time. My time has seemed to blur into one incredible experience. I’ve met some lovely people, some local, others from across the globe – All with similar good tidings to offer up about their sojourn in Thailand.

  I  implore you to sit tight, and next time I’ll retrace my steps across the islands for you all. Until then, please send me news from your side and know that I AM missing all my beautiful friends and family.

Sawatdee ka.

My time in Old Town Phuket was an experience for sure. I last wrote about my stay at the backpackers there, set amid the quaint colourful buildings, side walk cafes and bars and filled with the aromas of sweet gooey fried pork, mussaman curries and the best pad thai I’ve ever had – and OFCOURSE the TOM YAM GOONG!

The colourful buildings in Soi Thalang - the road where my backpackers is.

Wednesday night, 23^rd Feb I went out with Billy, a New Zealander gas engineer now divorced and travelling Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. We started off with a tempid Singh beer and a rather eccentric trinket and antique-clad bar with an even more eccentric – or rather, touched, barman. I know by now that communicating with the beautiful Thai people is extremely frustrating, if not an absolute joy as they continue in a sing-song voice and smile and nod at your requests or questions. Even when they try their hand at English the tang of their pronunciation makes it sound as foreign and as Thai as it can get. 

puu-ying Thai suaay ka - Thai woman are beautiful

We forged on, leaving the barman grinning away and stepped into a bar with a band playing covers of English rock songs – the lead guitarist and singer looking deceptively akin to Rodriegus. Another Singh down and we came upon an expat bar, complete with the standard poms, aussies, kiwis, irish and swedes. We joined in the pub quiz that had only just begun and Billy and I gallantly wrote down the answers that we knew. It was great fun! THEN we went to a night club for Mekong cocktails and listened to a Thai band who had the locals in rapture. The beautiful Thai girls are reallt easy going and so friendly!

The next morning, Billy and I took a songateaw to the coast, me being very excited to wash the first Thai hangover away and enjoy my first dip in the sea.

We got off the songataew at Kata beach, after driving past small Thailand Chang (elephants), tied in chains and waiting to take a load of tourists on their back for a trek into the hillside. Now, I’m not saying I don’t want to go elephant trekking. I’d just prefer to do it in the mountains up north, away from roads and tourists and where the elephants live in sanctuaries and are well looked after. The beach was PACKED with farang (tourists), hundreds upon hundreds of parasols and loungers stacked up against each other that you can hardly walk between them. Jet skis and ski boats dominated the waters and the pretty sight of a nearby island appealed more to my sense of a tropical paradise. We however claimed a spot on the sand close to the water and reviewed our Thai phrases and words, and learning how to count to ten in Thai - ning, song, saam, see, haa, hok, djet, bpair, gaow, sip! After two hours on the beach, my stomach craved food and we did the most UN-tourist thing and spent Baht 40 (R10) each on Thai noodle soup, always with fresh spring onions, coriander, crispy sugarsnap peas and baby corn - yummy! We were the only farang eating from this cute little street stall, with a smiling Thai man every so eager to please. I just don't get why people travel all the way to Thailand to eat McDs, pizza, or spaghetti bolognaise. The seaside towns are inundated with boards and menus proclaiming 'Western breakfasts', 'Italian food', an 'Irish pub', 'hamburgers', 'steaks' and even 'bangers and mash'! It just really gets my goat - but hey...All in all, I found Kata Beach and Karon Beach incredibly over-populated, and their seaside restaurants, hotels and shops tacky, overpriced and just SO NOT what I would like to experience if I was a tourist wanting a tropical getaway. I can't imagine what a state Patong must be in? But it is part of Thailand, its the part that makes Thai people fat for indulging in Western food - its a fact!

Ferry approaching Ko Samui

On Friday 25th, I arose early, packed my backpack, and made for my journey to the island of Ko Samui where I would be doing my 2 week teacher training course. I paid Baht 850 (R220) for a bus and ferry trip to the island instead of B2200 for a plane ticket. Instead of a one hour flight to Thailand's oldest island, it took me 12 hours to get there. I travelled by minibus for 3 hours to Surat Thani where I waited in a transfer hut from 11am to 2.30pm with about 12 other backpackers. We then took a 1.5 hour drive in an AIRCONDITIONED bus to DonPak harbour and joined about 50 more backpackers heading to the islands of Ko Samui and Ko Pha Nang. The wait was half hour until we boarded the ferry. At 5pm - I arrived on the island, took a songataew (something that is second nature to me and reminds me of the dollar-dollars in Zanzibar) to Lamai and have been here for a week tomorrow! At this very moment I find myself sitting outside my beach bungalow, two cats at my feet, under the palm trees, listening to the night sounds (I'll tell you about the insane geckos that wail next time) and the waves gently caressing the shoreline. It seems like I’ve been here for months. 

I'll write you all about it in my next blog...

A view from my bungalow

'In' in Phuket

On Monday 21st February, I arrived safely in Phuket old town. It is SO bohemian - the architecture dates back to the late 1880s and there are galleries, backpackers, sidewalk cafes and eateries sandwiched between colourful buildings and flats where local villagers live. I figured I have plenty of time to don my beach attire and wallow in crystal blue waters. The guide book says the Phuket Old Town is cheaper and a good place to meet travellers and  
get a sense of the Thai people.
It was a very long trek from Cape Town to Dubai, Dubai to Bangkok, Bangkok to Phuket and I was so tired! Having left EVERYTHING to the last minute, I phoned the hostel in Phuket old town to get a bed for myself from Bangkok. One I had collected my luggage which had made it safely to Phuket from Cape Town without me having to mother it along the way, I got a taxi for 500Baht (divide by 4.2 for Rands) to the Old heritage and art -filled town which is located about 30km south of the airport in the district of Thalang. Needless to say the communication with the taxi driver was an absolute ball - the Thai pronunciation of English is totally alien. It took me ages to get
them to understand that I needed to get to 'Old Town Guesthouse' - finally they caught on with THEIR pronunciation as 'ow tow gey how' - hahaha. 


When I arrived though, the guesthouse was closed! It was approaching midnight! So the taximan asked the bar across the road if they knew of any place. The thai owner offered me a room above the drinking hole at B350 for the night in a windowless space with a small fan, that towered precariously above the colourful street. Needless to say I needed the help of the tiny thai people to get my luggage up to my room. Negotiating up and down to the basement where the toilet was, was WORSE than my experiences of stairs in Amsterdam.

After being offered a glass of Mekong whiskey, I sat with the proprietor and his inebriated patrons who offered me fresh green mango and called me 'In' - they could not get 'Ingrid' and could not pronounce the 'x' in Inx - so we settled on 'In' - pronounced 'eeeeen'. Again, hahaha.


After a shower and blowing the black bangkok mess out of my nose, I put my airplane eyepatches on and slept through until 12 noon on Tuesday - (sorry I missed your call mom, but it was 1.30am in the morning and I was out for the count!). I walked the small village and had pork Kaw Krow for lunch at B40 - so yummy - pork, chilli and basil with black bean sauce and steamed rice. In that same road where I had eaten amid the tiny thais, I found the 37 Guesthouse, dotted with European- and dreadlocked-boys filled backpackers - and got a ground floor room WITH WINDOWS and an on-suite bathroom, wifi access and breakfast daily for less than what I paid the first night! At B300 a night, I've decided to stay until Friday, where I arise early to get the bus and ferry across to the island of Koh Samui where I complete my TEOFL course. 


Today, I walked Phuket Old Town flat! The Thai people are just so lovely! I wanted to sample some funny looking street wear and offered to pay them but they refused and gave me a packet of deep fried donut-kind of things for my stroll. I remembered to slip my shoes off when entering every shop, and spent my afternoon drinking very sweet iced coffee at the Bo[hemian]ook Cafe. The beer here is also sweet, Leo and Sing Beer, and the Mekong whiskey tastes like chocolat!


Yes, and obviously I pick up - or maybe he picked me up? - the first single oldish looking bloke (he's 52 but sporty fit - oh god - like Richard) sitting at a dinner table next to me last night. Billy from New Zealand has also arrived to try his hand at teaching English - and inbetween he's sailing boats from Bali to ...? I can't remember. He gave me some wonderful Asia tripping advice, knocked the Boks sideways while punting the All Blacks, and has just come back from a run to take me for dinner and some live music in the quieter part of town near the beach.

A good many people have professed that I had tremendous courage trekking to Thailand on my own. It is funny when I remember how relaxed I was before my departure. The thought of the calming philosophies of Buddhism, the warming sensations of the chilli, ginger and soothing coconut milk, the nurturing of the sea and the notoriety of the smiling Thai people endeared me to the country without much further contemplation.

It is so bloody humid here!



Until Koh Samui!