Paradise Regained

The following are the missing entries while we where away from all civilisation on Koh Maak.

21st August 2005 - Koh Maak

hanging out in the beach hut in Koh Maak, after our first full day here. We landed at the tiny harbour at about 6.30pm last night. The 3-4 hour ferry journey was pleasant enough, but the 3 of us being the only Western faces should have told us something. It is low season here on the island, so it is mostly closed. Koh Maak is a low lying island, cultivated with coconut and rubber plantations. With a population of around 500, the island has little infrastructure. The roads are basic at best, and there is almost nothing but forest beyond the resorts.

One thing that stood out about the trip over was the "skipping" fish we saw. These odd dart shaped creatures that literally skip across the water for ages, eventually plopping back into the sea.

On arriving here we set off for god knows where, deep into the palm and rubber plantations. To be rescued by an East German guy who owns Koh Makk Villa, a beautiful place on the highest point of the island (rooms 500 bhat low season and 2500 bhat high season). From there we could see where we needed to be. A short walk down to the cove found us at our destination, Koh Mak Cococape Resort. (250 bhat for a beautiful beach hut, half price being low season.)

After a wander along the beach we settled in for the night. Good food, good conversation, a couple of beers or four found us in good spirits but ready for bed after the long trip over.

Sam and I read for a while. She's reading "Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog" by Dylan Thomas. I, well I'm working rapidly through "The Disspossed" by Ursula Le Guin. Story of an exiled scientist from an anarchist planet, returning to their races capitalist home world. A good read for anyone with any idealistic political leanings.

Neither Sam nor myself slept too well, and awoke to torrential rain. Rolling over and going back to sleep, we eventually dragged ourselves down to breakfast at nearly lunch-time. Eric had already been up and gone beach combing, his prizes lined up on the porch of his hut nextdoor.

Rice soup with chicken and a coffee later, we felt fit enough to go exploring for ourselves. The cove is a huge arching crescent shape, called Ao San Yai. ("Yai" I found out in Pattaya meaning Large / Big.) Across from the cove, seeming so close you could reach out and touch it, is Koh Kham, a tiny island with only one resort. The scene is truly beautiful, spoilt only by the slightly overcast sky, left from the storm earlier. The was doing its best to clear the problem for us however.

A pocket full of shells later and we headed for the beaches to the left of the resort, for a swim. The long sweeping shore means that you can go out a long way, still able to stand on the bottom. I swam out quite far until my foot came down on a sea urchin that was rolling along with all its mates, just underneath where I was. One pricked heal and a frantic swim away from the spiky guys I got back to where Sam was. These things were a good 2 foot across from tip of spike to tip. Back at the beach hut, Sam had a good dig around with a needle and the tweezers. I ended up with a sore heal, but not much more than that.

No we are chilling before dinner. Eric leaves tomorrow, don't know what we are going to do. We may go to, maybe starting our journey north, or maybe spend one more night here. Yet to be decided.

22nd August 2005

We did decide to stay another night. Eric went this morning, the ferry leaves at 8.00am. Sam and I didn't sleep well, a tremendous thunder storm disturbed our sleep. At one point a crack of thunder so loud, I felt I was inside it, broke above our heads. Neither of us had heard anything like it, ever before. It was unworldly!

The morning came, and the rain remained until lunch. We thought that maybe the extra night was a mistake. However, by mid-afternoon the sun was blazing, the beach was turning white, the sky and the sea a brilliant azure blue. We got the beach time we came for. We walked to the far end of the cove we had not yet explored. A couple of small fishing boats rested on the long sloping sands. The gentle waves lapping against their sides. A spirit house nestled in between the palms, looking out across the wide crystal clear waters of our little corner of paradise.

We waded, we swam, we even frolicked a little. Soon Sam settled herself down for a spot of sun worship. I meanwhile wandered along the beach taking photographs. Picking up a piece of broken bamboo, I scrawled "Sam + Rich's Beach" in large letters on a sandy shelf, just above where Sam laid.

Sunset came and we made our way back to our hut. A short lived evening getting acquainted with Thai TV, and we made for an early night. Our 2 new doggy companions followed soon behind. They had become our firm friends in the time we had been there, following us wherever we went. We fed them the Lyles Treacle Tarts we had left from the flight over. A treat they wolfed down with great delight. Then to bed. I stayed up reading, and writing this journal entry in the kiddies exercise book I got in Bangkok.

It's a 7.00am start tomorrow, the "chief" lady will knock us up, so that they can take us over to the pier for the ferry back to the mainland. Via Trat again we plan to head to Pattaya, the supposed hedonistic capital of Thailand, if not the world. Sam says it's worth seeing, just for the madness of it all. And anyway, if you are going to experience a country, you should experience all of it, all of the extremes, not be some traveling Western snob. That would never do.