I am perched on a ledge on the fourth floor, watching the coconut trees sway in the breeze and marveling at how the ocean fades into clouds. I arrived on Koh Tao (Turtle Island), Thailand, yesterday at 2:30 in the PM. I left Vietnam with 30 minutes to spare on my Visa. What a long trip for such a short distance! I clocked three hours at the Hanoi airport, having been warned that traffic would be a mess (it wasn’t), and seven hours at the Bangkok airport. Here I had my first Starbucks peppermint mocha in over 3 months. It was disappointing, not because it didn’t taste like itself, but because I guess I’m over it.
The boat ride from the coast to Koh Samui was uneventful, and I slept. The high speed catamaran ferry ride to Koh Tao might have been one of the worst things that ever happened to me. I was set up near the bow because I wanted to keep an eye on my backpack, or more importantly, my laptop within. With about 200 people on board, I would say twenty percent of them threw up. It was a circus with the attendants running around with plastic bags: “Pass this that way QUICK!” I did okay until the last third of the trip. My eyes made their way from my designated set focal points; pink stripe, green bag, and America’s Best Dance Crew on TV. I took deep breaths. I burped. I made a plan to snatch my neighbor’s plastic bag. Over and over, my mantra, ‘you’re a fisherman’s daughter, you’re a fisherman’s daughter, you’re a fisherman’s daughter, don’t you dare,’ rang in my head. As the boat slammed down into the waves, I caught sight of mountainous green coastline rolling into the ocean, and then feared I’d imagined it. And then I was here.
I found Kaz smoking a cigarette outside his hotel, met his little brother Jantzen, and have since collected some Danes and a bloke from East London who sounds the same as the green street hooligans. A nice crew of people. As I sat having my coffee this morning, I imagined that all I need in this world is an Astrolite adjusting table, some index cards that say, “Chiropractor $10 xxx-xxx-xxxx I’ll come to you,” and an island paradise setting.
The boat ride from the coast to Koh Samui was uneventful, and I slept. The high speed catamaran ferry ride to Koh Tao might have been one of the worst things that ever happened to me. I was set up near the bow because I wanted to keep an eye on my backpack, or more importantly, my laptop within. With about 200 people on board, I would say twenty percent of them threw up. It was a circus with the attendants running around with plastic bags: “Pass this that way QUICK!” I did okay until the last third of the trip. My eyes made their way from my designated set focal points; pink stripe, green bag, and America’s Best Dance Crew on TV. I took deep breaths. I burped. I made a plan to snatch my neighbor’s plastic bag. Over and over, my mantra, ‘you’re a fisherman’s daughter, you’re a fisherman’s daughter, you’re a fisherman’s daughter, don’t you dare,’ rang in my head. As the boat slammed down into the waves, I caught sight of mountainous green coastline rolling into the ocean, and then feared I’d imagined it. And then I was here.
I found Kaz smoking a cigarette outside his hotel, met his little brother Jantzen, and have since collected some Danes and a bloke from East London who sounds the same as the green street hooligans. A nice crew of people. As I sat having my coffee this morning, I imagined that all I need in this world is an Astrolite adjusting table, some index cards that say, “Chiropractor $10 xxx-xxx-xxxx I’ll come to you,” and an island paradise setting.
Hi Dr.Dr.Cassy; I love to comment on your blogs but this one leaves, no opening. I do wonder how you can leave one foreign with 30 mins left on your vvisa & enter another foreign country??Again I repeat; you are blessed w/a gift for interesting narration and commentary no matter the subject. Enjoy your vacation and stay safe EF JOHN
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