Seems like a long time since the last update - this update is being typed on the top of a massive bus - heading south from Trang to the border of Malyasia. This bus is about 4 hours to cover under 200 km so lots of stops and starts. The kid in the seat in front of me has such bad BO that I have Tiger Balm smeared all over my face trying to mask the wafts.....I digress......
I have been on island time - literally and figuratively. After a short time in the city of Trang, we grabbed a minibus back to the coast and then a long tail boat to the island of Ko Libong. While we waited for the boat - you have to wait for the boat to fill - first they tell you it will take 5 people, then when you acquire 5 it becomes 10 and then 15.......so we had waited for about 1.5 hours in the heat of the day and were feeling a little pissy. The mini bus driver told us the 40 minute boat ride to the island should cost 30 Baht - about one Canadian dollar. I watched the two running the boat start to come up with a plan on how to get more money from Jan and I - how much more we should pay and they stressed over this plan for about 45 minutes as people assembled at the pier to fulfill their arbitrary full boat requirement. When we first arrived, the little smart ass told us we should pay 700 Baht ($25!) as there was no transportation to the resort we were going when we got off the boat so would have to take a longer boat ride directly to the resort. Janice had been there many times so she told him not to worry about that - we would find motorbikes. That started the conspiracy to extort a higher fee for the shorter boat ride.
I was on to their plan so when we were ready to leave I got up and followed the young woman as she collected the fee from all the Thais so I could figure out the price they were paying. That didn't go over well. Then the boat operators finally came up with a price for us- we would have to pay 60 Baht - Janice told them in her basic Thai that we would not and we would pay the regular posted amount. They tried to figure out a way to explain the fee posted - I couldn't tell what the numbers meant as there is little or no English in these parts and the Thai alphabit is like Egyptian or greek - very different, no letters common to our alphabit. Then the fun started.
They had no idea how to get the money from us so Jan and I climbed into the boat - through the water, chuck your stuff and then flop your body over the side and take a seat on the wooden slats of the open air long tail boat. This caused quite a stir and they were telling us to get out or pay up. I knew we had the power position as it would be nearly impossible to haul two bodies out of a boat while the shore is lapping and the other 12 Thais are already in and getting more than a little cranky about the delay.
As so often with me it is the principle and not necessarily the actualities of an action. We decided to play this one out as we were purchasing a product with a defined price and didn't feel like getting screwed. They told us we had to pay foreigner prices. We said no. They went and got a little gangster looking mini thug, with mirror aviator glasses, to come to the boat to negotiate our conflict. His position was - get out or pay up. Ours was take the money and get on with it - fair is fair. Standoff.
I couldn't read the other Thais and I was enjoying the change of pace from the calm few days we had just had. The rest of the boat was filled with Muslim Thais (the south is predominantly Muslim as compared to the devoutly Buddhist middle and north),who had places to go and thought they might encourage a settlement but that didn't happen. While they were hot and cranky, they remained aloof. Finally the gangster realized that we were not going to budge and he decided that everyone else had to pay more - 10 Baht each. I thought that was a compromise - a stupid one but everyone handed over an extra 10 Baht and away we went. We arrived on shore to more extortionists - the moto taxi guys who charge Thais 50 Baht for a ride into the village and 'farang' (foreigners) should pay 100 or 200 Baht or however much they can get from you to take you the 6 km to the three resorts. As they scrambled for us - the only two foreigners probably that day or in the last few days, the demands started. We were still laughing about the boat and blew by all of them and started walking through the arrival village out into the jungle - hauling our small bag ( we left the big one in Trang) through the intense heat - reveling in our position of principle and suffering for it. As we passed the people on their porches - none who have probably seen two farang women walking to the jungle, they called out - Moto? Moto?, some looking sincerely concerned. We said yes if the price is right and the first few houses refused to come down so we continued. Eventually - just at the edge of town, a real moto driver and his friend agreed to take us for our price of 60 Baht each. Janice told them she was a teacher so we got respectful 'teacher pricing'. The two kids were really happy to have a fare and attempted to provide a travelogue (in Thai) as we made our way across the island to the beach. Although we were hot and very sweaty we were also very smug and righteous!!!
The beach!!!!! Ko Linbong has three little resorts - groupings of small thatched bungalows, on the beach with hammocks swinging from the trees. The beauty of the place is right off a marketing campaign for deserted island paradise. Survivor Thailand, the first Survivor, was filmed on a nearby island. At the resort Jan and I stayed there were only about eight other people - 4 couples for the entire space. Amazing. Janice's friend John, whom she met when teaching here, was staying next door at the adjoining bungalows and he was one of only three people at his resort. Tourism has really suffered with the economy and the fact that the government keeps screwing around the visa status. John is a Brit who came to Thailand the year Janice did and he stayed long term on this island, fishing and attempting to write a book and just chill out from a busy life in London. He returned again this year, back to the same island, fishing every day and planning to stay for a few months. It was nice to meet him and hang out with a semilocal.
The three of us went out on the resort's boat - Jan and John diving and me snorkeling. We were able to go to two islands - one isolated uninhabited island that is famous for the birds nest that are up in the rocks. They export these nests for Chinese Bird's Nest soup. It is such a desired commodity they have a armoured guard living on the side of the cliff on the island to ensure boats arriving do not access the rocks and steal the nests.
As beautiful as they are, I found myself wanting to get on with my travels and see more things and experience different cultures. I am too ADHD it seems to lay about on the beach anymore. I certainly remember many weeks of doing that but it has lost much of its appeal when there is so much more, so close.
Next installment I will tell you about the oddest festival I have every witnessed - and it was on this tiny island that has 2000 people...........I am still trying to come to terms with what I saw.............