Fili’s world

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Disneyworld on ecstasy. Men with horrified looks, women screaming and shouting, babies crying. A total anarchy and only one crazy person laughing in the background. Can’t help it, extreme conditions seem to lift off some of my held-back deep-rooted social-barriers. It just seems so ironic. It’s like a rollercoaster joyride that you just know how it’s going to end but you’re still totally terrified. Only this is the real deal. It’s my second time, and it doesn’t seem to get any easier, only funnier.

It starts off with the terrible monsoons that wake you up at night. It’s not only that the noise is terrible, it’s no longer about the bungalow that’s about to break off the wind, it’s that the electricity is suddenly cut out and that poor me can’t enjoy his dear sleep with the AirCon.

It goes on with the forewarning in the morning that maybe the boatride will be canceled due to ‘high waves’. Following Golden-Rule number 3 I turn to the local folks and ask if it might be dangerous but the ‘chicken yellow farangy face’ they give me in reply has running back to pack with the tail between my legs.
The final warning comes as the boat leaves the harbor. A small boat, always smaller than they had in the pictures they showed you, looking like it’s been there for 20-30 years and the crew not older than 15. You just know something is weird when you see the crew actually using the few crappy lifevests they have onboard.

First wave always brings up some big British guy saying ‘I’ve seen worse’, second big wave has some smartass cry ‘Is this all you got?!’, but third huge wave is usually when you realize this is all you’re gonna have for the next two hours or so. The puking sound and the smell that follows brings out the religious part of the strongest atheists. Some Thai 10-year-old-psychologist-kid starts running on deck yelling ‘Sir OK? Lady OK?’, knowing that it’s nothing but OK. It took me a while, but I’m there. It’s one of my Nirvana moments, and I had quite a few recently - I look around silently, I breath in and out slowly, hand around the stomach to make sure I’m really there… I’m examining the situation and the people, making sure I remember this one.

Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and seventy eight. My counting skills are surely improving but everything else in my body is about to break into small pieces. It’s a long Marathon, only this Marathon I can’t quit in the middle. I just have to follow it through. Looking down at what I’ve already done doesn’t make me feel better since I know I’m only a bit more than half way there. The nice Dutch couple (no way I can remember such names) I met at three hundred and forty nine said it’s totally worth it, and it’s not that I don’t trust them, it’s that I don’t trust me. I didn’t even plan to do this one, I just rented a motorcycle to ride around and see the famous and very boring Tiger Cave. But seeing those monsterous stairs leading up to the highest mountain in the area, I knew I’ve found my challenge.

Ten hundred twenty one, ten hundred twenty two. Going up, I was cursing everything and everyone I knew. Then, I turned to cursing everyone and everything I wish I knew but didn’t. When I finished with those I starting cursing myself. Never knew how much hate I had in me till I was confronted with yet another extreme challenge. It’s just some fucking stairs, for Christ sake, you can handle stairs, can’t you? And when I take my 34th rest on eleven hundred eighty four, thinking I’m a big hero, I see this 7 year old Thai baby running past me. That’s when no matter how tired you are, and not matter how disconnected your feet feel from your body, your ego just pushs you to finish it proudly, showing off as if you’re not even breathing heavily. Twelve hundred and thirty seven. Finally, the total collapse.

It took me about 15 minutes to regain my eyesight and the feeling in my toes. Once senses were back I was able to pull my chin back and hold my head up. It was then that I saw what was by far the most impressive, extrordinary, breathtaking view I’ve seen my entire life. It’s one of my Nirvana moments, and I had quite a few recently. I stayed there for 3-4 hours. It’s as if you’ve climbed the Empire State Building by foot, and then you look down at Manhattan, but even that doesn’t come close. It’s not fair saying so, but there’s no way describing it and there’s no way capturing it to a picture, you just have to see it for yourself.

Seeing Ghosttown Krabi and hearing the rumors about the sad tsunami Koh-Phi-Phi might drive anyone away from thinking about visiting the place. It’s not fun being the only western in the whole hotel street, having all the attention off the tourist-hungry business folks. But it’s Koh-Phi-Phi… I’ve seen the photos, I’ve dreamed about it my whole life, the ultimate island scenery, it must be out there…
It is. Yeah, I know, PhiPhi used to look better and there was no Tsunami rubbish laying on some parts of the back beach. But it’s still, hands down, the most beautiful island landscape I’ve seen.
First thing I did after arriving with the Dutch couple and settling in the half-empty guesthouses was head straight to the viewpoint. Legs still aching from Krabi, I made my way upwards. Heights and viewpoints seem to be my thing lately, but it has yet to disappoint. Oh, PhiPhi, a dream come true. It’s one of my Nirvana moments, and I had quite a few recently. Yeah, you’ve guessed right… It’s not fair saying so, but there’s no way describing it and there’s no way capturing it to a picture, you just have to see it for yourself.

I’ve always been scared of the sea. Always. My only experience trying to dive with some Dolphins at Eilat was a complete disaster. Claustrophobic water sensation with the big unknown creatures below gave me the absolute willies. I’ve always told my self I didn’t go through a diving course because I didn’t have time to, but truth be told, I was just sea scared. Even putting on the snorkeling mask would make me hypervantilate as if I’m having an asthma attack. But I always knew it’s just some unknown trauma I had as a child and that I’m bound to get over it, or at least pass the sea fright stage and go snorkeling.
Off we go, around PhiPhi Lak, around PhiPhi Don, to the other islands around, stopping at each snorkeling site for about half an hour and hanging around with the enormous packs of fish and coral underwater. I had the greatest time and seeing the dolphins swim by at the end of the tour just made it perfect.

I’ve arrived at Ramle-Lod-Phuket-Town, heading to one of the beaches tomorrow. Visa is about to expire, so I have to decide where I’m headed next… not an easy decision…

Small note:
Don’t really know why, but I’ve been really annoying and hot-tempered in some of my latest emails/messenger. I guess the whole email/messenger emotionless and distant concept sometimes seems to bring out the worse in me. I might have upset people I care for. I don’t mean to, ever… but that’s hardly an excuse.