Destination: Paradise Island
Hangover. The hangover was considerable. My last night and that "only a beer" had slipped into a misty night. It was my last night with the friends anyway, I had reasoned.
In the morning I managed to hand out my room and jump on my rental scooter with all my luggage. I even managed to push myself through the hectic traffic all the way to Phuket town without any accidents, even though an accident was very close in the last curve. From Phuket town I took a bus to a town named Chumpton. Only some hundred kilometres, but it still took eight hours. The roads. They make the traffic to crawl.
In Chumpton bus station I had no time for thinking about my next step. I was kindly, but determined, bushed on a pack seat of a scooter and driven through the warm night to somewhere. Somewhere there was a wooden ship, about 25 meters long, waiting in a pier. The ship was going to Ko Tao, I was said. The taxi driver even changed my voucher to a ship ticket and didn't want any money. He pushed me into the boat, said Khop khun khrap and left. That was good service, I think.
While waiting for the departure, I was enjoying some local culture. A puppet show with a band. Some kind of election advertisement event, I think. I was the only Western guy in the area. I wasn't sure, if the people were staring more at the show or at me. However, everyone was amazingly polite, even though we didn't speak the same language. I was offered water, a seat and everything.
The boat left one hour before midnight. I managed to go with it. Me and three locals. There was a plastic carpet on the back deck. We were sleeping on the carpet. Or they were sleeping and I was watching the stars. The Orion was about there where the Polaris had been on Svalbard. I was again heading to an island. To a tropical island this time. I was told so many stories about the island that it had became some kind of Promised Land. A paradise island. A new Svalbard. Now, finally, I was very close to that island. I could smell the sea, feel the waves. I was smiling so much, that I couldn't sleep. The moment. It was something to remember.
In Chumpton bus station I had no time for thinking about my next step. I was kindly, but determined, bushed on a pack seat of a scooter and driven through the warm night to somewhere. Somewhere there was a wooden ship, about 25 meters long, waiting in a pier. The ship was going to Ko Tao, I was said. The taxi driver even changed my voucher to a ship ticket and didn't want any money. He pushed me into the boat, said Khop khun khrap and left. That was good service, I think.
While waiting for the departure, I was enjoying some local culture. A puppet show with a band. Some kind of election advertisement event, I think. I was the only Western guy in the area. I wasn't sure, if the people were staring more at the show or at me. However, everyone was amazingly polite, even though we didn't speak the same language. I was offered water, a seat and everything.
The boat left one hour before midnight. I managed to go with it. Me and three locals. There was a plastic carpet on the back deck. We were sleeping on the carpet. Or they were sleeping and I was watching the stars. The Orion was about there where the Polaris had been on Svalbard. I was again heading to an island. To a tropical island this time. I was told so many stories about the island that it had became some kind of Promised Land. A paradise island. A new Svalbard. Now, finally, I was very close to that island. I could smell the sea, feel the waves. I was smiling so much, that I couldn't sleep. The moment. It was something to remember.
Arrival to the paradise island was not the easiest one. In a mindless sparing intoxication, I decided to walk in stead of taking a taxi. A mistake. The night is for dogs. They didn't like me at all. I had to apply some bawling and head-torching to scare them away. When I was waiting for people to wake up, I managed to stand on an ant nest. They were biting, of course. So were moskitos. My glasses decided to break down just spontaneusly. I was walking and sweating like a big. In the morning I was desperate enought to take the taxi.
It took only 2 hours and I had got a bungalow with lovely view to the beach.
It took only 2 hours and I had got a bungalow with lovely view to the beach.
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