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Night In Satun
y Mercedes is waiting.
The sun beams diffusely Which island I am going to, I
down through the moisture don’t know, but I am not the only
laden air causing beads of sweat one. Sharing my taxi ride is a
to drip continuously on my young couple in love from Germany
already drenched t-shirt. I am and a family from Thailand,
going to Satun and the Mercedes husband and wife with their 5
is a classic well kept 1962 year old son.
model. In fact there is a whole
fleet of Mercedes waiting to take It takes about twenty minutes for
tourist to Satun from Hai Jai in the taxi driver to stuff
Southern Thailand. They are all everyone’s belongings into the
black with an exaggerated curved trunk. I have made substantial
body indicative of automobiles of purchases of deliciously fresh
the late 50’s. And believe it or dried fruits and filled my water
not, they still retain the container with pomegranate juice
comfort that Mercedes is famous from one of the ‘made for
for. tourist’ vendors surrounding the
taxi. We squeeze into tightly
The year is 1998 and I am going together; the family and myself
to the Andaman Sea in the Straits in the rear of the taxi and the
of Malacca. There I will plant couple from Germany in the front
myself for two weeks on one of and prepare for a long and
the many somewhat deserted fascinating journey.
islands that dot this reclusive
part of the world. A world “Are you comfortable” the driver
inhabited by pirates and asks in broken English.
honeymooners in the Koh Tarutao I answer like an excited kid,
National Park system in the very “Let’s get this rocket rolling.”
south of Southern Thailand.
The young man in his twenties
My feelings were of excitement answered, “We are traveling
and anticipation and I don’t know around the world. We are on our
why I said such a strange thing. way to Indonesia.” The other
No one else said anything and I couple traveling in the taxi with
felt as if my words were still me immediately took notice and a
echoing in the silence minutes very long and interesting
later. But no matter, here I am conversation ensues between all
in the middle of the world, on an of us.
adventure that relatively few
have gone before. It turns out that the bicyclists
are a married couple and the last
The journey takes 3 hours of county they pedaled through was
driving through exotic and Myanmar. After Indonesia, they
undeveloped country side; planned to cycle the islands of
incidentally through a warm and Hawaii and then to Mainland USA.
friendly Islamic side of
Thailand. At one point we passed To this day I still have dreams
two foreigners on bicycles of that encounter and the
pedaling in racing uniforms. miraculous and dangerous journey
Later they caught up to us in they were taking. I have never
some remote village on the way as heard of them since and have no
we were stopping for refreshment. idea what became of them.
They came up next to our taxi and
said with a heavy European accent Before we know it, the taxi
“hello?” I answered, “Wow! I driver is honking his horn for us
can’t believe this! What are you to return and we are saying our
doing way out here in the middle goodbyes to this marvelous
of nowhere on bicycles?” couple. We pile into the taxi for
the last leg of our journey.
Looking out the window we pass are uninformed, you will pay in
fields of coconut palms, women advance for you accommodations.
balancing wood or foods in Something better to do when you
baskets on their heads wearing arrive on the island.
colorful loose clothing down to Occasionally an owner of one of
their feet. The homes we pass by these offices tries to get us
are often made of palm frawns or inside by enticing us with words
a patchwork of wood and debris. like ‘beautiful, exotic, cheap…’
And in the fields are men and We all walk down the main avenue
women, young and old with their looking and asking questions
ox and children tilling until each of us select our
vegetables in the same way at travel destination destiny.
their ancestors have done for
thousands of years. I study all the pictures from all
the offices of all the islands
Finally we reach Satun. I don’t carefully and I choose Langkawi
know what to expect. The town is only 5 kilometers away from the
about two blocks long; a fishing southern tip of Tarutao Island. I
village whose main street leads pay the equivalent of
right to the ocean. There fishing approximately $7 for a round trip
boats made of old rotting lumber boat ticket and I am then led to
wait to take us to one of the one of the boats. The boat can
many islands we will now select fit about 4 people and sits low
in the many makeshift tourist to the water. There is single
offices that line the street. engine propeller that is barely
hangs attached to the rear of the
Each old rickety tourist office craft. I wait about 15 minutes
has pictures of the islands they before we begin our three hour
offer and provide for a fee, the journey through rough and
means to get their. And if you dangerous seas to the somewhat
deserted and exotic island of Buddhism, the small exotic café
Langkawi... serving daily fresh fish from the
sea, the many tourist from Europe
My days on the island with boa that came and went, lightening in
constrictors, pirates, a lost the sky on a clear day and the
tribe of Islamic fishermen, my marvelous skin diving in clear
isolated beach cottage right on deep tropical sears are topics I
my own private beach, the couple will discuss in my next article.
isolated on the other side of the Stay turned.
island studying esoteric
About the Author:
Douglas Anchel travels the world in search of discount hotel reservations and accommodations and writes for All Reservations, Travelviva and World Accommodations
Source: www.isnare.com |
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