Longtail boat in the sunset
Friends, I’ve found what I’ve been looking for :) Ko Chang has got to be the chillest place I have ever been, and I’d like to think I’ve been to a few already during the course of my travels. The island sits in the Andaman Sea wedged between Thailand and Myanmar, and is not to be confused with the Ko Chang on the on the other side of Thailand, which, nice though it may be, is targeted by just about every tourist in the hemisphere. The couple of bungalows that can be found here are mostly empty, and if you so wished, you could probably spend the whole day at the beach without bumping into a single soul. The few people you do meet invariably tell the same story: “Came here once ten years ago and have been coming back every year since then.” It's not hard to see why. I actually met a travel agent who has been coming here for seventeen years, but strictly refuses to send any of his customers over for fear of crowding up the place. Good man. Electricity is only available for a few hours at night, and many of the long running visitors pray the island never gets constant power, as this would be the beginning of the end here. Once twenty-four hour electricity is available, swankier bungalows are built, after which come swarms of European holidaymakers and the serene island Shangri-La is ruined forever.
I don’ know why, but this place gives me an unusual feeling of inner peace. For once, I’m perfectly content just laying in a hammock all day navel-gazing, listening to the waves lap and the wind-chimes jingle. No goals, no stress, no schedules, no sense of time passing. Surrounded and consumed by this tranquillity, I realize I bear almost no ill will toward Mr. T anymore. I’m just happy to be here. This makes the whole vendetta seem a bit pointless now, but nevertheless, a promise is a promise, and even crazy plans need to be followed through, right?
Oh, by the way, I made a slight change to my travel plans and will be heading to Myanmar in a few weeks to get a bit more adventurous on the trip. I’m guessing that after Thailand, travelling there going to be a bit more frustrating, but I just cannot believe it can possibly be any worse than India or Nepal. No way.
P. S. This song and video somehow capture a bit of the beachy ambiance here.
Joe Purdy – Wash away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq4Dsv7EdyQ
P. P. S. I hope the link opens, cause for some reason all video sharing sites are down here. Maybe to stop people uploading video of the protests in the capital? Oh wait, I'm not in Myanmar yet.
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