December 6, 2003

All Worth It

KOH PHA-NGAN, Thailand – We lead a whimsical existence here. Not boring. Not trivial.

The day started about 5 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep any longer. Jet lag is a thing of the past from 26 hours of travel not because it was my third night in Thailand (even though it was), but because with such a lack of sleep in the last five days I can now sleep at will. Just the need to watch the sun come up was enough to open my eyes.

Just travel from Bangkok yesterday tired me out. The 45-minute flight to Koh Samui was nothing. The one-hour ferry ride from Koh Samui here was nothing. But the one-hour taxi ride across the island on winding, washed-out, dirt, potholed roads didn’t help matters much. The kicker is taking that ride at night with a driver who stops less than halfway for a couple bottles of beer.

In all, the journey took nearly nine hours until we hopped off the taxi in front of the Baan Panburi resort.

It was all worth it.

This morning’s sunrise over the Gulf of Thailand was magnificent. The sun peeked slowly through the clouds and over the jungle encased mountains to glint honey-colored rays on the surf. Add waves crashing on the beach and palm fronds rustling aloft, nothing could have been more perfect.

Mmm…

- Rich