I've just spent the past 2+ weeks in Phuket. The first 10 days were passed in the lovely Boat Lagoon Marina. I mean this sarcastically as this place had what one would call "bad voodoo". Boats go in there and don't come out. One guy bought a boat and was quoted 6 months for completion - he's been here for over a year. Locky sailed the trash-heap that was Caballo into Boat Lagoon in Dec 07 and it has now emerged as the new and much improved Papaya. It's amazing what he's done single-handedly, he should be proud. But as he says, his work on his "house" is never done.
On the first day of our reunion, he showed me to my abode - the Papaya. Locky and his girlfriend, Barbara, were going to finish out their stay in the small hotel room they rented 3 minutes away. After spending way too much money the previous 4 weeks, it was nice to have a place to hang out for free. Things were all good. But after a few days in the lagoon - where there is absolutely no breeze, mosquitos the size of horseflies and the Thai people's method of business, things were starting to become a challenge. Nothing a few fans and some mosquito coils can't handle, but I thought I would try to take the suffering to the next level.
Since I got sick (if you'll recall my first 5 days in Indo) I've been wanting to do a major fast. After a couple days of lounging around with Locky whizzing by me doing boat work that I was clearly (due to lack of knowledge) unable to assist with, I saw the perfect opportunity to start. My plan was to ease into it with 3 days of fruit and water and then continue for another 10 days with nothing but water.
So you all probably think I'm crazy, but I'll shed a little light into my mind for you. I have a few reasons for doing this:
1) For the first time in as long as I can remember, I am taking a break from anything athletic (besides some random partner pepper with the girls on Sunrise Beach, Koh Phanang) and not eating would not pose much of a problem in this regard.
2)Over the past year, I've found a major release from the constraints of my mind and had the ability to shed some emotional baggage and certain ways of being. I want to do the same physically - rid myself of extra, unneeded weight (always a bonus). I like to refer to it as pushing the "restart" button.
3) Is not eating for 10 days really one of the hardest things a person can do? A lot of people say it would be impossible for them. Is this really where we are at in our society? This is the biggest challenge we are faced with as individuals? I beg to differ. I accept the challenge.
4) There are people suffering from hunger all over the world and if anyone is paying attention to the front cover - this epidemic is rising, especially in this (Asian) part of the world. With 130,000 people killed last month by the cyclone in Burma, that number is expected to double in the span of a month if the junta don't get their heads out of their asses. Not to mention all the other signs of world hunger that have plagued Africa and other parts of the world for decades. I want to take the opportunity to stop and re-evaluate how I view one of life's luxuries - cause the more I look around the more I begin to notice how eating everyday has become just that. How easy have things become and how much am I taking it all for granted when I actually frown on white rice?!!(Now please everybody, I don't write this to make you feel guilty about your health food stores or Naam restaurant purchases, these are just the thoughts that have been running through my head. I'm sure after a few months back in civilization I'll be once again rolling my eyes at the sandwich artist when he tells me "sorry ma'am, no more whole wheat")
ANYWAYS.... as I settled into my fast it was clear on the morning of Day 2(water only) that I would probably pass out or die so I took refuge in the coconut. You don't want to get me started on the coconut but it really is God's greatest creation for man. (Please email me if you care to delve into the subject!!) So with a coconut a day, it looked like I might actually go....all....the.....way!....and I did.
But here is something else I learned. I really put myself into a position - literally. On the boat, which when the tide was out in the lagoon was actually sitting on the mud, I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Things might've been easier for me if I had various forms of entertainment to distract me. Reading The Omnivore's Dilemma cover to cover over the past week was also twisting the knife (really good book by the way). I really retreated into myself, I didn't have much energy to walk to the store, I wasn't much fun for my friends (who are happy to have me back now) and not to mention a serious boat potato. At night when I lay on the deck I was able to experience the true essence of life: really "being" in my situation (besides my book and the odd text message - thx Bibs). I was forcing myself to accept the moment, lacking all the distractions that I'm used to in my familiar "western" world, stripping life down to its bare "being". The question is: "Can I be happy here?" and the answer, I've discovered, other than hunger pangs is: "Yes!" And if that's the case, everything else should be a piece of cake from here on in....Ha! Ya right, Iz. Well for a little while I'm sure it will be, as I take everything else (movies, parties, exercise regimes, jobs, family dinners, sex, washing the dishes, driving my car/scooter etc...) as a bonus - especially eating!
I feel pretty good. I might just do this once a year.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Thailand!!!.....Did I mention how much I miss Indo?
After all the bad Indo jokes, I guess you just don't know what you've got 'til it's gone! From the moment I set foot in Thailand (literally, at the airport), I've been treated like nothing more than a wallet-wielding piece of meat.
I reunited with the team (Barb, Sax and Dani) on Khaosan road in Bangkok. This place is pretty much your number one destination of you want to see all the craziest people in the world gathered in one area. It was exciting for a couple nights and a backpacker can literally find anything they could ever want or need here.
We spent 4 nights here, basically only to indulge in 2 highlights:
1) Reuniting with my very oldest friend in the world Trevor (who mentioned that only his mother still calls him that) Dalley from Whistler. This guy was my neighbour at the age of 5 and I pretty much hadn't seen him in about 12 years (Thank you, Facebook). Funny how people change, but really do stay the same!!
2) Meeting up with Jo who came to meet us after spending a week with the National Champion UBC TBirds in China. She took the backpackers plunge into the southeastern islands of Koh Samui and Phanang all by her lonesome before meeting us on her way back to the comforts of Kits Beach. We're proud of ya Jo...wasn't so bad now, was it?!
After getting out of Bangkok, we hopped a night train, bus and boat straight to our bungalow, beach, bikini and beer on Koh Samui. We only spent a night here as we were in a hurry to get to Koh Phanang for the infamous Full Moon Party. To say the least, it was well worth the trip. We had a reunion with all the crazy people's brothers, sisters and cousins from Bangkok. Everyone was either extremely intoxicated from the $10 buckets of alcohol or flying around from the dosage of a little blue pill. The party lasted a couple days with after parties around the island. But, being the responsible girls we are, we went home when the sun came up.
Since then we've been hanging out in hammocks and cruising the islands with scooters, trying our best to end the day without the markings of a foreign moto-renter, but to no avail. Riding in the mountainous terrain of Koh Tao, where really only ATV's can negotiate the hills, we've been left with some nice muffler tattoos. I'm sure Sax will show you hers if you ask her nicely ;)
Koh Tao, just north of Phanang is definitely worth the trip. A little out of the way, this island is made for scuba enthusiasts, but we managed to find a nice little yoga retreat with an added "treat". Kester was his name, dredlocks, a Scottish accent and Kundalini was his game.....
So as the girls start to take different forks on our road, I just keep on trekking. Pressed up against other smelly travellers on the big slumber party that is the night boat, I'm heading to Phuket to meet up with Locky. Sailor extraordinaire from what I've heard, he's got a brand new Papaya that he plans to sail around the Indian Ocean for the next 6 months. Last time we saw eachother, his VW van blew up on Robson st. on a very crowded Friday night. I can't wait to see what's in store for us this time around!!!
I reunited with the team (Barb, Sax and Dani) on Khaosan road in Bangkok. This place is pretty much your number one destination of you want to see all the craziest people in the world gathered in one area. It was exciting for a couple nights and a backpacker can literally find anything they could ever want or need here.
We spent 4 nights here, basically only to indulge in 2 highlights:
1) Reuniting with my very oldest friend in the world Trevor (who mentioned that only his mother still calls him that) Dalley from Whistler. This guy was my neighbour at the age of 5 and I pretty much hadn't seen him in about 12 years (Thank you, Facebook). Funny how people change, but really do stay the same!!
2) Meeting up with Jo who came to meet us after spending a week with the National Champion UBC TBirds in China. She took the backpackers plunge into the southeastern islands of Koh Samui and Phanang all by her lonesome before meeting us on her way back to the comforts of Kits Beach. We're proud of ya Jo...wasn't so bad now, was it?!
After getting out of Bangkok, we hopped a night train, bus and boat straight to our bungalow, beach, bikini and beer on Koh Samui. We only spent a night here as we were in a hurry to get to Koh Phanang for the infamous Full Moon Party. To say the least, it was well worth the trip. We had a reunion with all the crazy people's brothers, sisters and cousins from Bangkok. Everyone was either extremely intoxicated from the $10 buckets of alcohol or flying around from the dosage of a little blue pill. The party lasted a couple days with after parties around the island. But, being the responsible girls we are, we went home when the sun came up.
Since then we've been hanging out in hammocks and cruising the islands with scooters, trying our best to end the day without the markings of a foreign moto-renter, but to no avail. Riding in the mountainous terrain of Koh Tao, where really only ATV's can negotiate the hills, we've been left with some nice muffler tattoos. I'm sure Sax will show you hers if you ask her nicely ;)
Koh Tao, just north of Phanang is definitely worth the trip. A little out of the way, this island is made for scuba enthusiasts, but we managed to find a nice little yoga retreat with an added "treat". Kester was his name, dredlocks, a Scottish accent and Kundalini was his game.....
So as the girls start to take different forks on our road, I just keep on trekking. Pressed up against other smelly travellers on the big slumber party that is the night boat, I'm heading to Phuket to meet up with Locky. Sailor extraordinaire from what I've heard, he's got a brand new Papaya that he plans to sail around the Indian Ocean for the next 6 months. Last time we saw eachother, his VW van blew up on Robson st. on a very crowded Friday night. I can't wait to see what's in store for us this time around!!!
Cutting the Chord, falling into Kuta
So as a little bonus for winning the Championship, Bank Jatim took us all to Bali for a night. This worked out well as BNI Jakarta's men's and women's team would also be there, this included Barb, Jake and Saxony. Although we were all itching to be released by our Indonesian companions, it was very nice having free hotel rooms for a few days prior to getting tossed out into the real world on our own.
It was sad leaving my teammates and management. After all these years of crossing paths with people, I never will get used to looking someone in the eye and saying goodbye knowing that I'll probably never see them again. But so it goes...passing ships in the night.
After having spent 4 days in Kuta Beach, Bali, which is infested with drunk, obnoxious, pink sun-stained foreigners we wanted to get out as fast as possible. Let me also mention that someone stole yet another cel phone out of my pocket as we were leaving the infamous Paddy's Night Club. At this point I don't even try to put up a fight this many phones into my mobile career. I've just accepted it. I think I'm now at cel phone number 9 or 10!
Our next destination was the NW coast of neighbouring Lombok Island to the Island of Gili Tra La La (Trawangan). This place was a bit remote to say the least (we took a plane, a car, and a boat to get there), but upon arrival we quickly found cheap accomodation ($5/nt) and pony-drawn carriages. These are made, FYI, for 2 small people as these ponies aren't in the greatest of condition (neither was our one-eyed driver) not for 24feet of volleygirl! Within 20 minutes of arriving we found ourselves settled into a beach front tiki-hut with a guitar and 4 large Bintangs and our minds wandering no further than tomorrow. I had at last found paradise.
We spent 3 days on Gili Tra lala and then continued on to Ubud, Bali, infamous now for its portrayal in Eat, Pray, Love. We thought we'd pass on the air travel as it would be nice to take a boat there from Gili. Well we left at 8am and after a couple boat rides (one of which was 5 hours) and several minivans (aka. buses) we arrived in Ubud at 6pm! This little town is also much worth the trip. The shopping is extraordinary and the people very hospitable to its foreigners. We spent 2 nights in Ubud eating great food and recharging our batteries for our trip to Thailand.
The girls left a day before I did, so I was forced to spend a night back near Kuta. This time I chose to stay a little further north in Legian Beach where things are a bit quieter. I spent most of the day logging some good sun time and then enjoyed my last Indonesian meal as I fired off some badly written postcards. On our first trip to Kuta, I had met a local fellow who was a surf instructor named "Bobby". He was 54 years of age and had long sun-bleached hair. We had chatted for a while and he had insisted that I come back the next day. Well I didn't come the next day, but I did find my way back to him about 8 days later. He was glad that I returned, but also wasn't afraid to voice his disappointment that I hadn't come back when I said I would. I told him I never make promises I can't keep!
He invited me to his place to have a couple drinks and play some music. I know to most of you this would sound like a crazy thing to consider, but we had chatted for a total of about 3 hours and (other than the fact that I outweigh him by about 25lbs) I felt that I was a pretty good judge of character and decided to go with it.
We walked for a while, greeted by every second person that we passed, stopped to buy beer (which I, of course, gladly paid for), spiraled through some alleys and up the backstairs of a building until I found myself on a very modest rooftop garden beside which was his room. It literally was a room, with a single mattress on the floor, a closet, a window and an Indo toilet. There was no door, only curtains. On the wall he had some of his own paintings which were very well done. He told me he paid 400,000rph/mo. That's about $45CAN.
This was it. This is how this guy lived. He wakes up in the morning, heads to the beach around 7, hangs out there all day "working" (chatting people up, looking to give private tours to people or snagging them for a surf lesson....basically anything he could offer and make comission from). In the evenings he comes home relaxes for a bit (this may include smoking a "Bob Marley cigarette" for inspiration and painting) and then goes out again to hang out with his friends.
His real name was BamBang and he was a good soul. We played guitar and sang songs all night together. I was really glad I went back to find him. Maybe I'll find him again someday at his post on the beach. I hope he will remember me.
It was sad leaving my teammates and management. After all these years of crossing paths with people, I never will get used to looking someone in the eye and saying goodbye knowing that I'll probably never see them again. But so it goes...passing ships in the night.
After having spent 4 days in Kuta Beach, Bali, which is infested with drunk, obnoxious, pink sun-stained foreigners we wanted to get out as fast as possible. Let me also mention that someone stole yet another cel phone out of my pocket as we were leaving the infamous Paddy's Night Club. At this point I don't even try to put up a fight this many phones into my mobile career. I've just accepted it. I think I'm now at cel phone number 9 or 10!
Our next destination was the NW coast of neighbouring Lombok Island to the Island of Gili Tra La La (Trawangan). This place was a bit remote to say the least (we took a plane, a car, and a boat to get there), but upon arrival we quickly found cheap accomodation ($5/nt) and pony-drawn carriages. These are made, FYI, for 2 small people as these ponies aren't in the greatest of condition (neither was our one-eyed driver) not for 24feet of volleygirl! Within 20 minutes of arriving we found ourselves settled into a beach front tiki-hut with a guitar and 4 large Bintangs and our minds wandering no further than tomorrow. I had at last found paradise.
We spent 3 days on Gili Tra lala and then continued on to Ubud, Bali, infamous now for its portrayal in Eat, Pray, Love. We thought we'd pass on the air travel as it would be nice to take a boat there from Gili. Well we left at 8am and after a couple boat rides (one of which was 5 hours) and several minivans (aka. buses) we arrived in Ubud at 6pm! This little town is also much worth the trip. The shopping is extraordinary and the people very hospitable to its foreigners. We spent 2 nights in Ubud eating great food and recharging our batteries for our trip to Thailand.
The girls left a day before I did, so I was forced to spend a night back near Kuta. This time I chose to stay a little further north in Legian Beach where things are a bit quieter. I spent most of the day logging some good sun time and then enjoyed my last Indonesian meal as I fired off some badly written postcards. On our first trip to Kuta, I had met a local fellow who was a surf instructor named "Bobby". He was 54 years of age and had long sun-bleached hair. We had chatted for a while and he had insisted that I come back the next day. Well I didn't come the next day, but I did find my way back to him about 8 days later. He was glad that I returned, but also wasn't afraid to voice his disappointment that I hadn't come back when I said I would. I told him I never make promises I can't keep!
He invited me to his place to have a couple drinks and play some music. I know to most of you this would sound like a crazy thing to consider, but we had chatted for a total of about 3 hours and (other than the fact that I outweigh him by about 25lbs) I felt that I was a pretty good judge of character and decided to go with it.
We walked for a while, greeted by every second person that we passed, stopped to buy beer (which I, of course, gladly paid for), spiraled through some alleys and up the backstairs of a building until I found myself on a very modest rooftop garden beside which was his room. It literally was a room, with a single mattress on the floor, a closet, a window and an Indo toilet. There was no door, only curtains. On the wall he had some of his own paintings which were very well done. He told me he paid 400,000rph/mo. That's about $45CAN.
This was it. This is how this guy lived. He wakes up in the morning, heads to the beach around 7, hangs out there all day "working" (chatting people up, looking to give private tours to people or snagging them for a surf lesson....basically anything he could offer and make comission from). In the evenings he comes home relaxes for a bit (this may include smoking a "Bob Marley cigarette" for inspiration and painting) and then goes out again to hang out with his friends.
His real name was BamBang and he was a good soul. We played guitar and sang songs all night together. I was really glad I went back to find him. Maybe I'll find him again someday at his post on the beach. I hope he will remember me.
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