Ko "?"

The best part about this entry is that I cannot even say where it is that I went. The NATR group had arranged an overnight stay on one of the local islands (Ko = island in Thai). I am not sure whether or not the island has a name, only that this aspect of the story is irrelevant since we were the only people inhabiting it that weekend.

Meeting everybody at the dock was a little hectic, as I was traveling from Bangkok by bus -- a horrible ride that had taken 16 hours as opposed to the usual ten. I’d rather not recount that story – it isn’t pleasant. Thanks to the good will of a few trusty friends, a car was waiting at my house when I trudged up carrying a huge pack full of sampling equipment from AIT. I had just enough time to grab a toothbrush, sunscreen, and swimsuit before hopping in the back with Dawn, Gordon, and a few others. We purchased some ice and loaded into a longtail boat for the one hour trip toward a cluster of jagged islands on the horizon. The first boat had left ten minutes earlier. The water was calm and glassy that morning. It looked more solid than liquid, viscous like a vast expanse of rolling green jell-o.

The island was like something straight out of a guidebook…Except that no tourist could ever find this place without Bao’s direction. He has been fishing these waters his entire life, and has probably camped on every nearby island at one point or another.

It was the perfect way to erase from my mind the events of the horrible bus ride: snorkeling around reefs full of tropical fish, enjoying delicious Thai food over a campfire, reading in a hammock beneath a palm grove, hunting for oysters along the rocky shoreline. And of course as always the NATR folks provided an endless source of entertainment and good conversation.

I walked down to the ocean at one point late in the evening. As I dragged a toe through the water a trail of phosphorescent stars mirrored those in the black sky overhead. I could hear the soft voices of new friends from the fire further up the beach. I felt so fortunate, so content at that moment. Gratefully I later fell asleep to the sound of waves on the sand, a dying fire crackling nearby.

(Note: I do not yet have pictures of this trip, but will post some soon. In the meantime I have posted other island pictures from the local beach here and from google images)