Paradise Found

We have taken the boomerang-course and are ending as we started out - on the beach! And this time - I am happy to say - we have found the most exquisite island, a must be well kept secret to most cause there aren´t many fellow travelllers around. The island is called Koh Kood and is actually Thailand’s fourth largest island – about two hours by speedboat from Koh Chang. But where Koh Chang has developed into a tourist trap – as many a pristine places in Thailand has – this little gem is largely undeveloped and hence not geared totally toward tourists. Thank God! So once again we find ourselves spending our days snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and playing on the beach. And I must admit, it is quite nice to hit the beach again!
We have been here for only four days and the beach-amnesia known to most beach bums has started to set in. What date is it today? What day of the week? What is going on in the world outside? Don´t know and don´t care seems to enter your brain. It is actually kind of scary that you become so detached from the outside world just because you find yourself in a beautiful spot that takes over being the belly button of your universe. It is at the same time unsettling, as vividly described in the psychological cult novel ”The Beach”. On the other hand it is maybe healthy to give your brain a break from too much activity – at least for a little while.
The place we are staying is just one of those places that you will never forget. The wooden bungalows on stilts strewn about on a hill with perfect endless views of the sea of Thailand. Nothing in between us and the gentle curve of the globe but coco-palms, green foliage and tropical flowers. A partially outdoor bathroom where you can take cold moonlit showers or have the suns beams make rainbows in the cool spray of the water. The view from the veranda is astonishing. We are all in awe every second of the day looking out over two bays of various shades of blue and turquoise water with dark patches of coral reef fringed by white sand and palms.
We are sharing this special place with only three other people; lovely 71 year old Monica from Paris and a gay couple also from Paris and from Bangkok. The fact that both Monica and the couple have travelled exentensively in Thailand covering almost the whole territory and has found this wonderful place that they too is mesmerized by, makes us almost want to keep it as secret.
I feel compelled to tell you a bit about Monica. She is the most spry and characterful old lady I have ever met. Her mind is that of a young person and she is in better shape than I am, starting out her day with yoga followed by 1 ½ of swimming + one more swim in the evening. When asked what her secret is to looking that great in the seventies, besides all the swimming, she responds with her wonderful French accent ” I eat only little to survive just enough to fill my stomach” and right there and then I realize the impossibility of that lifestyle for me. I do the opposite, I live to eat – oh well! Monica comes every year to stay for two months in this paradise, maybe that is one of her other secrets, and that one I definitely would not mind doing!
Another important thing I have realized while being away on this adventurous trip, is that I am not cut out to be a true tourist! Beaten tourist trails make me hyperventilate and I don´t care about big monuments of patriotic purposes (Angkor Wat is exempt!) If I have the choice between visiting a spectacular Palace with solid gold ornaments but no interesting people in it or visit a shack in a city slum where real people with real stories live – I will always choose the latter. I do realize, however, that we this time have largely taken the beaten track, but there has luckily also been the forays to small insignificant places and they have been some of the highlights. Travelling for me is essentially about meeting people, both the people of the countries that you travel in but also other travelers with whom you can share your experiences. I have got to say though that if I could go back in time travelling to undiscovered territory I would be in heaven. Not many of those places left I know.
As with most utopian places there is one little snake in paradise and they are in this case called sand flies. TIny little black bastards that must think that I in particular am their favorite food! It is obviously only me they like to munch on, since Josh, Siri and Noah have been bitten to a much lesser extent! These pests love to take a nosedive into my skin and bite me. I must be slightly allergic or something because the bites swell up and itch like crazy driving me insane and making me look like I have a severe case of chicken pox. It is actually thought provoking how those tiny little insects can turn a true pacifist into a hard core serial killer! Every time I succeed in smacking one with my bare hand (they are almost invisible), I jump up with a burning glee in my eye and shout ” YOUR DEAD, DEAD, DEAD ”. Although blessed by a monk and now sympathizising with the Buddhists beliefs after travelling in Asia, I am not sure the Dalai Lama would think highly of my behavior! But insects and all, it is but a small price to pay to stay in paradise! See you back in Copenhagen in a few weeks time - with or without red spots?!!!