Lonely Paradise

CRASH! spinning out of control, twirling and gasping for breath I arose to the surface.

Alive.

The adrenaline rush got my heart kicking, the beauty got my head thinking and the food got
my mouth watering. In the most beautiful place on Earth you would expect the place being swarmed with crowds all trying to get a glimpse of what heaven really looks like but rest assured in Ko Tao there wasn't any sight of any tourists what so ever. Floating in the water weightlessly and looking down I was forgetting all of my problems one by one. The crystal clear water levelling my neck was the perfect temperature for me— not to cold and not to warm. 5 kilometres out and I could see the whole island in a perfect beautiful panorama: The lush green tress swaying in the wind; The occasional Kishing boats which sped by; and even the resorts on top of the hills.

2:00, I swam back in somewhat of a hurry realising that the tide may have taken my out if I hadn't looked at the time— I arrived at the sandy beach insight of no one and if I tried screaming no one would have heard even the slightest noise which wasn't very reassuring if I did end up getting carried away by the tide. The rocky beach hurting my feet was a mile long reaching the cove at the end of the beach. I decided do swim out again as the tide was not kicking in—floating above the coral reef, the reef gleamed like the orange yellow sun, and coincidentally just as the sun was beginning to set over the horizon. 

Time was flying and it seemed just like a minute ago when I first swam out. My thoughts wandering off, and of course being paranoid about the dangers of swimming out here alone, but the beauty of this place overwhelmed me and once again all of my problems dissolved from my mind. Lifelessly floating near the shore I awoke from my trance when a small motor boat about the size a room was heading straight to me— it slowed down just when I thought my heart would stop. The boat which was white in colour turned towards me, let the ladder drop. and honked its horn. I couldn't see anyone in the boat but it was dark and I started to swim away slowly at first then kicking and splashing, my heart beat spiking up rapidly.

 I stopped abruptly when my feet scraped the ocean floor, I wanted more— the adrenaline rush was addicting. My head was spinning and as I replayed the events in my head in chronological order. I felt ashamed of myself. There was nothing to be afraid about and they were probably telling me to get out of the water but I pushed these thoughts away. Gradually making my way to the beach and then the beauty of the ocean really got to me. 

Beni

Where Would Nature Bring Me Next?

Close, so close was I from the beautiful nature outdoors; there was only one big glass door separating us from one another. A gust of wind blew strongly at my face as I slid open the firm barrier - the fresh breeze played with my hair. I was like a leaf in the wind; wild and free, awaiting the destination that the graceful nature would bring me.

Koh Samui beaches often find ways to persuade my mind to bring me outdoors. The essence of salty water, the feel of the the soft smooth sand. Nothing could stop me from being taken in by the soothing and perfect atmosphere that surrounded me. I shut my eyes, absorbing the slight rays of sun still left from the almost darkened sky. Thinking that the day was nearly over upset me, so I let the sounds of the rhythmic pounding of the waves comfort me.

Speechless, amazed and calmed - my emotions rushed through my body as the sun started to set. The contrast of the shimmering gold to calm you and the intensity of the red in the sky were just the right combination of colors to bring out a sense of liveliness in me. Drifting endlessly through the burning clouds were silhouettes of birds chirping and singing - making the scene more poetic than it already was. “Oh how I wish I could be a bird. Flying through the beautiful colors of tonight’s sky.” I sung as I spun in circles like a spinning top; filling every inch of my lungs with particles of fresh air and the essence of the fluorescent frangipani tree hovering over me.

I’ve never felt more alive.

Koh Samui at night time gave me a sort of feeling you would get if you thought everything was perfect at that one moment. I spread my arms out like a bird’s wings - as if the trees, wind, sand, and water were all giving me a “we love you too” hug. I danced around under the beautiful night sky, not wanting to ever leave. Slowly the powerful symphony of the sunset was quieting down, becoming more emotional and beautiful as it died away. The sky in the distance was still a dark shade of blue, but the sky above me was telling me to go back home. And just like that, the licorice black sky put the plants and flowers to sleep - their fluorescent and powerful colors calmly fading away into a deep peaceful nap.

Everything around me was obviously used to the night time here - (except obviously the rebellious waves still wide awake, humming a peaceful lullaby for the shells and stones.) “I’ll be back tomorrow,” I whispered as i tiptoed back to my villa trying my best not to disturb the nature in their deep sleep. I pulled back the glass barrier and stepped back into my villa; I stood still at the entrance of the room for a few minutes. Before making a judgement, I breathed in and out. “Yep, i like the outdoors better,” I sighed as i dragged myself into bed unwillingly. Once I lay down in bed, I turned to the big window to my left and smiled at the sight of my friends still sleeping under the starry night sky. I dreamt of where nature would bring me tomorrow morning and the next, and the next, and the next... 

Jina

The Wild Adventure--Thailand

We arrived. After a long ride, from sunrise to sunset we were on the move. Slowly and tiredly we walked to eat some dinner in the wooden restaurant. The roof was made from leaves and the chairs from car tires. After dinner we got shown to our small house. I was really looking forwards to a good night’s sleep.

06:00. Yes, that is the time we had to wake up! But it was worth it as we watched the sun rise from across the mountains. We ordered breakfast: I ate a bowl of cornflakes; an omelet; a boiled egg and a fried egg. Afterwards we prepared for a long trek through the local villages and trails. We hadn’t a clue what was in store for us as we were to follow the hand drawn map provided. We went back to our house to prepare.

The first challenge that faced us was getting across the fast flowing river minutes into our trek. There was as thin unstable piece of bamboo stretching the length of the river, now none of my family can walk a tightrope this could prove difficult! The water was too deep to cross so we hatched a plan; as the water level was in the low season, we decided to grab onto the bamboo stick with our feet and hands and cross upside down! I went first; I gently placed a foot on the plank. CRACK! The bamboo snapped and in I went into the freezing water. The current was dragging me downstream faster than my dad could run! I tried swimming to the edge, when I saw a vine attached to a tree on the riverside dangling over the river. I reached as high as I could and managed to reach the vine. I started pulling myself towards dry land. CREEK… the tree said to me, about to snap my dad grabbed onto the incapacitated tree and I reached safety. Or what I thought was safe anyway.

Drenched, we carried on our walk up the hillside.

When we reached the top of the large hill, we realized the map wasn’t so reliable. Hesitantly we turned down the map and followed the most accessible route. Walking for 2 hours on the route we chose to take didn’t turn out well.

It was a dead end.

We split up into 3 to find a close by path for a way out, after about 20 minutes I saw a house in the distance!  I approached it. It looked abandoned and collapsing. There was only one thing standing in our way: a large fence with barbed wire. I went back to join up with the others and tell them what I had found. We headed back with me leading the way. Once we reached there, we started building a ladder with some rope we found attached to the fence.

Once over, we went to investigate the house, I brought in a large pointy stick just in case. I heard footsteps…

Earlier at breakfast, the owner warned us about the locals. He explained how some are welcoming and will offer you some water and food, here comes the warning: some are protective of their land and valuables, and we should be cautious when approaching them. In our situation we were convinced we were off the map by now and completely lost. We needed some help on how to get back to the house before dark came. I also read that wolves came out at night and patrol their land looking for prey. This just got serious.

POUNCE!        A dog jumped around the corner. He halted, my stick raised we slowly backed away as did he. That was too close for comfort. We followed car tracks from the house. They led us to a field, a field full of cows; big cows. We knew the only way to go was through the field. (Slowly we creped along the side of the field.) I noticed one cow staring at me: he stamped his foot and the others looked up; they all started charging for our position! We ran as fast as we could until we reached a river, luckily for us it wasn’t so deep. We ran across it hoping we would lose the cows. We lost them.

We then reached the town where a man said that two dogs could lead us back to the house. About 3 hours later at around 19:30 the dogs left us and stayed the night with some of their dog friends. In the morning we got in the back of a pickup truck that was very uncomfortable for 2 hours until we reached our next destination.

Thailand – Chiang Mai was certainly an experience I will never forget because of its exquisite surroundings and differences.  

Bailey