Bohom Travels: New Years In Thailand
Standing in the ocean bay, looking up at the lanterns dissipating in the star-lit sky, I felt the water lap against my legs. I felt the sea breeze kiss my skin, the sounds of the excited crowd around me lull me into bliss. I felt a change that night, a shift from within and without. As the year changed over, so did I.
When I first made plans for going abroad, they were quite different from what actually occurred. I planned to go to India and Mauritius, living in Mauritius for around six months, maybe longer. But as time progressed, things began to shape in another way. All summer I heard mention of this place in Thailand, a climbing and outdoor mecca where many of my friends seemed to migrate to. I listened but brushed aside the idea. I had other things in mind.
As my plans for Mauritius seemed to lose their grip, I decided to open my mind a bit more to other possibilities. That is when Thailand came back into my mind. Why not stop by this place my friends seemed so fond of? Besides, there was a school in Chiang Mai I could attend for Thai Massage. It all seemed to be working out. I would spend at least two months in Thailand, studying and traveling. My friend Dylan would even accompany me for the first week in Tonsai before I relocated to my studies in Chiang Mai. It was falling together.
Only to fall apart. Some details I had been working out had held me back from booking my schooling in Chiang Mai, which was fortunate because, as it turned out, I was not yet meant to go. One morning in India I received a call before my first yoga class of the day. My grandma was sick, very sick, with brain cancer. She had swelling from the tumors and we did not know how bad it was. I went through that day in a haze, taking in the information given to me. Oddly enough, that was the same day I began my friendship with Faye, Ylva, and Nana, the girls who shaped a new idea of friendship within me.
As time went on, we got more information, but it was not until I got out of my vipassana course that I got the call to come home. Dylan would be arriving the next day, and when he flew back to the states from Thailand, I would be joining him. Apparently, he was told not to leave without me (an extraction mission), but no such force was necessary. If home was where I was needed, home is where I would be.
Thailand
On the flight to Thailand, I sat next to a friendly soul who was familiar with the area. We exchanged stories and thoughts, one of those genuine conversations that leave you with a higher vibration. I was lucky, he had given me plenty of good information to work with, and we even ended up in the same shuttle from the airport. When we got dropped off at the docks, the adventure began. It was already late at night but I was told that for the right price the boats were always running. Again luck was on our side as there were two other people awaiting the boat. It was interesting to me how the money exchange went- we had paid 200 baht for the ride, the other couple 400. When it was clear that we did not want to wait, they gave us all the option to buy out the other seats on the boat so we could head out. We opted for it, but we only had to pay another 200 while the other couple still paid double again. A mental note was made to watch for such gauging…
We boarded the boat and road to East Railey Beach, a short ride to the lit up and lively shoreline. Even in the dark, the landscape was awe-inspiring. You could see the limestone cliffs towering above you, jutting out of the jungle and the ocean with trees and greenery hanging off the sides like ferns in a pot. It was near otherworldly.
We walked down the strip, being greeted kindly by locals and travelers, and plenty of cats. We found our bungalow I had scored from Air BnB rather easily and settled in. We had a long day ahead of us.
Our second day in Thailand and our first full day was eventful. It started with a late breakfast, then finding our way to meet my new friend, Mahindra and his pal on Pranang Beach. Nothing was really too far of a walk, but the views along the way were far out. The daylight did not take the appeal or Avatar-ish feel of the landscape away but enhanced it. The stalagmites and stalactites reached for one another, with no need for borders. Even in the middle of a path, you might have one jutting up from the ground as the calcium salt buildup reaches down from a cliff overhang. And once we reached the beach, my heart was gone. There were climbers everywhere, getting lost in the towering crags. The water was vivid blue, only the white crest from the breaking waves challenged its serenity with chaos. You could see cliff jumpers and kayakers, sprinkled in with some SUP’s in the distance. Once we found our friends, it was not long before we decided to explore more. He knew how to get to Tonsai, and that was where I planned to be by the next day. But how to get there?
It turns out there are a few ways:
- Take a boat from Railey, if it is at the right time of day
- Take a boat from Aonang, if it is at the right time of day
- Hike 45 minutes through the jungle
- Hike 15 minutes through the jungle closest to the beach (there are two routes, one is only available at low tide, but is less steep)
We took the fourth way, hiking through low tide over rocks and earth, finally making it to the much less populated beach on the other side. It was funny, just at first glance, Tonsai felt more like home. There were climbers hanging from the rock cliffs on the right, a few people scattered throughout the beach, and even a slackline in sight down aways. But what really set it was that unmistakable sound from above, that deep woosh as a canopy opens at just the right time, allowing for the base jumper to glide to safety into the fray below. I could not wipe the smile off my face.
Dylan and I started our search for the bungalows that afternoon. I still was not sure of where to go exactly, but I knew we would find where we were meant to be. It did not take long to get pointed in the right direction, far down the beach I was told to go to Hippy Village. Now, that sounded right. It was funny, as we were walking there, a family from the states stopped us to talk. We told them we were heading there and they said they had been there, that it was an interesting place to see but they did not think it would be a place to stay. They seemed mildly concerned and amused that we were heading there, which gave me that familiar feeling that we were definitely heading in the right direction.
Once we reached the end of the beach, we turned right down the path that leads you to Hippy Villiage. Guided by the graffiti’d wall by our side, I began to feel like I was following the yellow brick road.
One of the first buildings we came across was the Flower of Life yoga studio that my friends had talked about, and even helped maintain and operate. We found a bungalow village right behind it at Paasook, and booked. I was home.
The next morning, we hiked all our belongings with us through the jungle and moved into our bungalow. Then we began to explore, there were so many things and places I was told to check out and only so much time! I found a cafe my friend Alex had told me about and ordered an iced coffee. Mama, as she is fondly referred to, handed me over a gigantic glass mug and I sat back for a second, taking it all in. I began to look around me, noticing the people and the place. There was a girl playing the ukelele, singing and humming mixtures between hit songs and her own take. A few people on computers, but more reading books and nustled into conversations. A slackline was set just outside, and through the open doorway, I could admire some of the artwork on the wall across the way.
The one that grabbed my attention was a poem, beautifully written about the essence of Tonsai. I could not help but comment on it, only to have the girl playing the ukelele speak up to say she painted it. If this did not shock me, the next thing did. The man that was sitting across from me turned to her and they got into a laughing argument about it. It turns out that they were Jordan and Quest; Quest had written the poem and Jordan had painted most of it, with some help from Quest. It is still one of my favorite pieces on the wall and holds the most meaning to this day.
Not long after, I was walking along and caught eyes with some people sitting by an off-shoot of a bar. I grabbed a fresh coconut and sat down beside them. It lead to a conversation that made many connections, we had plenty of mutual friends and they spent time in Moab! The world seemed to get smaller by the minute. It turns out that these two lads, Adam and Kyle, became some of my closest acquaintances there.
I fell into a pattern rather quickly, between fresh coconuts, yoga, acro yoga, and dinner with the lads, life was swell. One day I ended up assisting in a beach clean-up, a volunteer-based activity that happened on a weekly basis. There I met John, who later introduced me to Mel and we all had adventures together. From kayaking out into the bay and snorkeling around the cloudy blue water to climbing the limestone crags. And all the fun of food poisoning as well.
New Years was another adventure in itself. The locals built a bar down at the beach just for the occasion, moving the party and all of the Tonsai inhabitants down for the night. There were fireworks, lanterns, skinny dipping, and EDM. But my favorite part was easily the conversations. With Ari and Anotonia on music, art, and travels. Or with Danny on love, life, and human behavior… there was not a single connection that was made that did not feel magical.
While my time in Thailand was all too short, I know I will return. I now can see why so many of my friends connected with that place; that seems so timeless, that feels like home. And as I waded into the star-lit reflections that New Years evening, I smiled. Not only for the obvious beauty around me but for the beauty of this life and the story that we unravel with it.
Tonsai Tips
Places to Eat:
All of them.
Though definitely check out the coffee shop off the main strip.
Sawadees
The place(s) to stay:
Paasook Resort
Jungle Hut
Climb with:
Basecamp. Maxi is the bomb.
Love & Light
Update: Since returning, my grandma has started healing and is in a better state. The tumor in her brain has shrunk to 1/3rd of its size and one of the three tumors in her body is completely gone.