Shai is a tall, slim and handsome young Thai man. He has one of the most open and happy faces I have met in a while with a smile that makes you feel instantly at ease. He has lived on this tiny island in the Thai gulf all of his 24 years of life. Two hours from the mainland on a wooden fishing boat. And he is perfectly content to stay put. When you live in Paradise why leave home? His life follows the rhythm of the seasons on a Thai island. His biggest joy as he puts it is fishing alone on his old wooden boat through the night hours. When I ask him where he learnt his near fluent English he tells me, ‘island school’, referring to his life in general on this island as there is no actual school.
We came across this island somewhat by fluke. Unlike so many other beaches and islands in Thailand now, this island has few people on it and very little development. Just a few simple beach hut resorts, which for the most part hide discreetly in the palm tree shade. Most of this tiny island is uninhabited. There are no roads, just a few trails through the jungle and rubber plantations. No shops, no internet. Nearly no noise other than that of the ocean and the tiny ‘ghost’ crabs that make their homes in the sand. This is exactly what we want right now.
I am sitting on the front porch of our primitive little beach hut on our quiet stretch of secluded beach. The hammock is swinging in the sea breeze. I look out at the white sand spread in front of our hut , running down to the turquoise water. Giant palm trees cast delicious shade upon us, and fallen coconuts lay strewn across the sand. That wonderfully hypnotic sound of the sea lapping on the shore. I can’t believe this is real.
I’ve never been very good at sitting still and just relaxing. But after being on the move so much, having our own little beach hut to call home feels pretty magical. Our days have fallen into a lovely slow rhythm with early morning yoga followed by a leisurely day of swimming, snorkeling, strolling on the beach, and multiple hours just lying and swinging in the hammock watching the sea or reading. Simply delicious.
This is the life, as they say…
More photos to come (when we can find some faster internet) …
Also check out the photos of Koh Chang