Goodbye to Yoga

I figured it was time I checked in again. The last couple of weeks have been hot and sunny, so I’ve spent all my spare time at the beach. After my morning class, I’ll hop on Margarita and hit one of the closer beaches, usually Haad Yao about 5 kms away. I’ll have lunch and a swim, and then head back in time for the afternoon class. The sun is brutally hot, so I’ll bob around in the sea for ages trying to stay cool. I’ve put a few photos up on Flickr and will try to add one or two here so you can get a feel for the beaches.

I had my last yoga class yesterday and can’t say that I’m sorry it’s over. The staff are really inspirational – they’re all so healthy and happy and clearly walking a beautiful spiritual path. But despite its obvious benefits, I have come to realise that it’s not my path. Having said that, I have learned a lot here and there are some great lessons that I’ll be taking away with me.

I have made some great friends here, particularly a couple of women who have been fabulous company. I can’t believe that I’ll be leaving them in a couple of days and will be on my own again. It has really become comfortable here, with everyone popping in on each other and having meals together. I can’t go anywhere without bumping into someone I know. I guess that’s what happens when you stay in the same place long enough, and I have to keep reminding myself that I’ll be building a whole new network of friends in Nepal. I have been in touch with a couple of women in Nepal who I was introduced to via a woman at home. I look forward to meeting them in person when I get to Kathmandu and hope that they will help me out with both professional and personal relationships there.

It was my intention to spend my last couple of days on the island enjoying the beaches, but the weather changed coincident with my last yoga class. It has been overcast and today is much cooler. I’m not overly disappointed – despite the “unbeachability” of it, the drop in temperature is a blessing. I started running in the mornings before class, and it has been about 27 degrees at 6:30 AM, which is pretty tough. Today the high was only about 28 – it was really nice. I’m happy to do some more exploring (although I’ve covered pretty much every inch of the island) or just read to fill the time.

Today I signed up for an on-line TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. As much as I really don’t think teaching is my thing, it would pretty much guarantee me work in Nepal. One of my contacts in Nepal is connected with a college there, and she suggested that this might be an option for me. I think I could handle it if I were to teach adults or young adults – obviously putting me in a room full of children would spell disaster for everyone involved. I also like the idea of teaching business English to adults in the business community. Anyway, I’ll take the course even if I don’t end up using it; no learning is wasted as far as I’m concerned.

So that’s pretty much it for now. I’ll be in Cambodia by the end of the week, which I’m really looking forward to. My ballot is waiting for me there so assuming I can get it back to Ottawa in time, I’ll be able to vote in the upcoming election (for all the good it will do). I trust you all will do the same.

Full Moon

Things continue to roll along nicely. The yoga course that I’m taking is a one-month intensive introductory course. I arrived exactly half way through a session, so took the last two weeks of a session followed by the first two weeks of the next session. On Saturday night they held the “graduation” ceremony for the people who had completed the first session. It was a pleasant evening of ritual, talent shows and socialising.

On Sunday the full moon came and went and I was able to resist the virtually non-existent temptation to attend the party at Haad Rin. That day was the first sunny day we’ve had in a while, and I caught an hour or so by the pool in the morning. I then went to a party up the beach at the house of one of the yoga instructors. I have been keeping largely to myself since I got here and I felt it was time that I became a little more social. It was a nice afternoon on the beach, with an amazing spread of fabulous organic, macrobiotic food. It was incredibly hot under the sun and I opted to come home early and get into the pool. (As I’ve mentioned previously, the sea is so shallow here, it is unswimmable. It’s also hot to the touch so there wouldn’t be any relief from the heat there anyway.) Later that evening when the younger crowd were heading out to the big party, I attended a group meditation at the yoga centre. I’m not sure what I got out of it, but it was an interesting experience and far more healthy than the wildness at Haad Rin.

There are a few new faces around now that the new session has started. I’m becoming a bit more sociable and making some new friends. The students are a bit older this time around, which makes it that much more enjoyable for me.

My only other mildly interesting news is that I had an urgent e-mail from Pat telling me that a bank was desperately trying to get in touch with me. After some investigation and a couple of phone calls home, I determined that my back-up credit card had been stolen out of my luggage in my hotel room in Bangkok. There’s no real harm to me and the thief didn’t get a whole lot out of the deal either, but it really ticks me off. I have been using this hotel in Bangkok a lot and have come to trust it. The card had to have been taken by staff as the hotel room doors have key-card access. I guess I should consider myself lucky that my laptop and camera survived the ordeal. I still have a bag in storage at the hotel and am not sure what to do for my next couple of stops in Bangkok. I will certainly tell the hotel about it, but I’m not sure if I want to go through the hassle of finding another hotel for the sake of a night or two of transit through the city. And there’s no guarantee that the next hotel will be any safer.

I was just getting this problem sorted out when I had another urgent e-mail from Pat that another bank was trying desperately to get in touch with me. Turns out that they were concerned about a couple of purchases I made on-line for flights with my credit card. All this calling home and talking to banks has been a bit of a pain in the backside, but I have to say that I’m impressed with their diligence and security practices. I probably never would have discovered that my credit card had been stolen, as I carry it for emergency purposes only and keep it hidden in my luggage. I certainly don’t check on it on a regular basis.

I have decided to pop over to Phnom Penh in Cambodia for a couple of days after I finish at the yoga school. I have a friend there that I met through some other travellers during my last trip. He’s from New Zealand and teaches in PP. He’s a great guy and it seemed silly not to visit since I’m so close. I’m really looking forward to a couple of days of his company...not to mention a gin and tonic or two on his fabulous balcony. I haven’t had any alcohol since I’ve been here – not because it’s a rule or anything, just because it seems a bit incongruent here and I really haven’t had any urge for it. I’m sure once I’m away from the school I’ll be gasping for a drink :-).

In case anyone is watching a calendar, I’ll leave Koh Phangan on October 1, arrive in Bangkok early in the morning on the 2nd and fly to Cambodia on the 3rd. I’ll fly back to Bangkok on October 7 and then to Kathmandu on October 10 (yeah!).

A Few Photos

Not much to report. Just wanted to tell you that I posted a few photos up on Flickr. They are just around the resort and the "beach" across the road. It is actually more like a sandbar - way to shallow to swim. One morning at low tide I walked out as far as I could. I was stopped by seaweed, not depth. You'll notice one photo looking back at land and you won't believe that I'm standing ankle-deep in water.

The set is called "Koh Phangan" and can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/feelitturn. Sorry - I can't seem to get the link to work, you'll have to type the URL into your browser.

Cooling Off

Things continue to go well. It has been overcast for several days in a row and the temperature is dropping a bit. It’s a welcome relief. It has also been pretty windy at times, which is great. I’m down to two showers a day, one following each yoga session.

We had Sunday off from yoga, and my plan was to spend it exploring the island with Margarita. I woke to torrential rains, so had a nice lie-in with a newly purchased Ian McEwan (On Chesil Beach). It was an extravagance, but well worth it. What a treat – he is so good. The weather had cleared by noon so I managed to get some touring in. I went down to the southernmost tip of the island to a town called Haad Rin. It is host to the monthly full moon party, which is famous among backpackers all over the world. During every full moon, thousands of backpackers arrive on the island to intoxicate themselves into a frenzy on the beach at Haad Rin. I have deliberately avoided this party to date, but felt that I should at least see the venue since I was so close. The town is a replica of Khaosan Road in Bangkok (see previous post). I’m glad to have seen it and even more so that it wasn’t during a full moon. I have to admit to a morbid curiosity to see the party in full swing; kind of like the pull to watch a car wreck.

The drive down was pleasant for the most part, however the last three kilometres before the town are an strip of insanely steep hills, the likes of which I don’t think I’ve ever seen. They certainly couldn’t exist on a road in Canada and would be totally impassable in winter. I found out after the fact that it is recommended to take a taxi rather than a scooter when travelling to the peninsula. I managed to get there and back in one piece, but not without chanting mantras to myself to keep the panic at bay. Seriously, this was a terrifying drive. Again, it was a blessing that it was at the half moon and there was virtually no other traffic on the road.

After that I explored the interior of the island a bit. It’s interesting to note that the roads are in much better shape where tourism is at a minimum. I would like to think that the Thai government is consciously spending its money on its citizens rather than on tourists, but I’m guessing it’s more a testament to the income bracket of the tourists on this particular island. Backpackers, especially in Thailand, are notorious skinflints, and given that they’re not contributing a whole lot to the economy, the Thais aren’t particularly interested in spending any money on them. This is all guesswork on my part, but if there’s any truth to it, I say “hooray!”.

I don’t have much else to report that isn’t yoga news, so I’ll let it go at that.

P.S. For those of you with any concerns about the state of emergency in Bangkok, I didn’t even know it was going on until I got to the island and someone asked me about it. I haven’t really checked out the news, but I think the demonstrations are very localised. This is all very reminiscent of that last time I left home and flew into a military coup in Bangkok. I couldn’t find any evidence of that either. I think the media tends to exaggerate a bit.

Same Old

I am now the proud temporary owner of a scooter. I am calling her Margarita, as she is the colour of shiny limes. I’m doing okay on her for now…am sure by the time I leave I will be famous all over the island as the crazy farang who won’t drive over 30. If that’s my fate, I’m okay with it.

I’m happy to report that if I leave my fan on high it drowns out the roosters in the morning, so I don’t have to abandon my Buddhist inclinations and start killing them off.

I really don’t have much to report and will stop blogging on a daily basis. I can’t imagine that my sleep and showering patterns are really of that much interest to anyone, nor is how long I’m able to hold a lotus position in yoga class. (For those who do care, I can actually hear my joints laughing at me if I even think of the lotus position.) While my time here is meaningful to me, it is incredibly repetitive and likely exceedingly boring to anyone looking in from the outside.

I’ll blog sporadically just to check in and will let you all know if anything exciting happens in my world. I’ll be on the internet daily, and am happy to chat one-on-one via e-mail, so be sure to write if you’re thinking about me.

Shopping

After my morning yoga class yesterday, I rented a bicycle and rode into town. I figured that a bike would be safer, more environmentally friendly and better exercise than a scooter, so this was to be a trial run. Sadly, it wasn't exactly a resounding success. When standing beside the bike, the seat came to a few inches below mid-thigh. Once on it, I found that virtually every part of it was bent in an uncomfortable direction so not only were my knees up around my ears, I had to fight to stay on the seat and keep my feet on the pedals, all of which were twisted in a way that seemed designed to throw me off. The brakes were virtually non-existent and there were no gears. I still made it town in about 20 minutes but not without walking up a few hills. I ended up with chafing on the inside of my thigh from the crooked seat, and by the time I arrived I was literally drenched in sweat. I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and learn to ride a scooter.

The shopping trip, on the other hand, was indeed a resounding success. I have found myself woefully unprepared for the weather and my activities here. I don’t know what I was thinking bringing yoga pants with me, but I can’t even look at them in this heat, much less put them on. (The good news is that I should be able to cosy up in them on cold winter nights in Nepal.) I also didn’t realise that standing or sitting still in various poses could produce this much sweat – I took 5 showers yesterday and went through 3 changes of clothes. While in town I bought 4 pairs of shorts, 2 t-shirts and a couple of skirts for wearing in between classes. I was thrilled to find clothes to fit me, and the skirts are long enough that I’ll be able to wear them in Nepal. I expect my biggest expense from now on will be laundry, which is thankfully pretty cheap. However, once the rains come, it will probably take days to dry – not sure what will happen then.

I managed to make it through my classes without falling asleep last night, but it was real struggle not to nod off during the lecture. It ended up starting a bit late and ran until 8:00, after which they were showing a movie. I opted out of the movie – just couldn’t stay awake any longer – and went to grab a bite to eat. I’m still not sure when meals are supposed to fit into the daily schedule. The kitchen opens at 8:00 AM and the first class is at 8:30, so there really isn’t time for anything other than juice or a fruit shake in the morning. The afternoon class starts at 4:00 and runs until 6:00, followed by a lecture that is supposed to finish at 7:30. This is followed by an evening activity (like the movie last night). So other than lunch, there really isn’t much time to eat. Fortunately, in this heat, your appetite diminishes a lot, but it’s still a long haul from lunch to lunch with only a banana shake in the middle.

I was happy to make it to 9:00 last night before going to bed, but the roosters had me up at 5:00 again this morning. I’m guessing that this will become my routine. I really wish that I could sleep past 5:00, and stay up a bit later at night, but I haven’t found the “off” button for the roosters. Perhaps my next shopping list will include a shotgun and roasting pot.

Koh Phangan

I made it to Koh Phangan safe and sound. I continue to be surprised by how easy it has become to travel in Asia. Thailand, with its abundance of tourists, has gone the extra mile. I was picked up at my hotel in Bangkok by a fairly large guy on a fairly small motorbike. He took my suitcase between his legs and I climbed on the back with my daypack. Even though my case was fairly small, it was still a hard-sided piece of luggage, and didn’t exactly mould into the bike. Given my fear of 2-wheeled vehicles, I found this a less-than-desirable situation, however my driver assured me that I was allowed to hold onto him “free of charge”. He scooted me a couple of blocks to where a gaggle of about 30 other travellers were waiting for the bus to the islands. I presented my receipt and was provided with a ticket for the ferry to Koh Phangan. The bus was fairly comfortable and air conditioned, and we were even “treated” to an airing of Borat on the TV. (I have already seen it a few times and have a wide range of reactions to it with each viewing. I didn’t feel the need or desire to see it again.)

We arrived in Surat Thani at about 6:00 AM and were ushered into a tiny restaurant where we were all assigned colourful stickers which identified our final destination. Over the next hour and a half, we all caught various busses which would take us to towns on the mainland, or ferry ports for the various islands we were visiting. At each junction, smaller groups split off and travellers arriving from other destinations joined the appropriate groups to reach their final destination. It was all orchestrated like an elaborate dance and it appeared to unfold seamlessly. After a couple of short bus rides and two hours on the ferry, I stepped onto the pier at Koh Phangan at noon and was assaulted by a seemingly endless string of taxi drivers eager to take me to my hotel on the island. I ended up on the back of another motorcycle, this time with a young woman who drove very carefully and eased my anxiety. (I travelled by motorcycle as I was the only one going to my particular side of the island, and they didn’t want to send a larger taxi unless I paid an exorbitant price. In this case I was happy to do it, not so much to save the money, but because I wanted to promote their efforts to conserve petrol.)

I settled into my room at Ananda Resort, home to the Agama yoga centre. It is very spare and reminiscent of how I used to travel 15 years ago. I have a decent sized room with a double bed and limited bedding, a few shelves, a fan, a fully-functional bathroom and a porch with a hammock slung across it. I keep reminding myself that I would have considered it luxurious in 1994 :-). The resort has a small pool which I expect I will be using a lot, despite the fact that the water is only a degree or two cooler than the air. I found out yesterday that while it doesn’t really cool you off, at least you stop sweating when immersed in it. The ocean is right across the road, but isn’t home to one of Thailand’s best beaches. I expect that even 200 metres out you’d still only be knee-deep in water. The sea seems to actually be warmer than the air, so the lack of decent beach is no great loss.

We are located on a road that is lined by small resorts similar to Ananda, and not much else. I walked about 20 minutes north yesterday and found a small village with a couple of ATMs, a general store, a few bars and restaurants and the ever-present 7-11. (The prevalence of 7-11s in Thailand makes Tim Horton’s in Canada look like a rarity.) The main town on the island is about 5 kms south of Ananda, so I am relatively close to civilisation should I feel the need to visit it. Ananda rents out scooters, so I’ll have to see if I can muster up the courage to go for a few exploratory tours of the island. I tend to think that taxis are the way to go for me, but am not sure how to find one out here. I guess this will all sort itself out in time.

I am really struggling with jetlag this time around, which is unusual for me. I can’t seem to get past 5:00PM without a nap, which is becoming problematic. I’m falling asleep in the most inopportune places and am afraid that I’ll decide to nap mid-stride and fall into the street :-). The overnight bus ride to the islands didn’t help, and I fell asleep pool-side yesterday, as well as in my hammock a few minutes after I awoke and dragged myself home from the pool. This is why I didn’t blog yesterday – I simply couldn’t pry my eyes open. I slept for 10 straight hours last night, so am hoping that I’ll be able to stay awake this afternoon. I have yoga classes and lectures from 4:00 to 7:30, and I think it will be incredibly embarrassing if I snore through the meditation portion of the session. Even though I slept so well, I was still up at about 5:00 AM, so could be starting to slow down at that time. I’ll try and catch a nap poolside after lunch to hold me over.

The resort has a fabulous menu of vegetarian dishes to cater to the yoga crowd. I’m sure that I’ll want to get out and try a few other establishments on the island, but am sure that I’ll be taking most of my meals here. The days are fairly short and I don’t think I’m going to want to venture too far afield on foot after dark.

OK – it’s now 6:00 AM and I’m going to see if I can fall asleep again before morning yoga. More later...

11:00 AM

I just finished my first yoga class. The teacher, Jason, was perhaps the most physically beautiful man I’ve ever met. Needless to say, I did my best to do every asana wrong so he’d have to come over to correct me :-). Actually it went quite well, although there are certainly some poses that I can’t do with my flexibility and weight issues. Hopefully that will correct itself with practice. There were about 16 people in the class, the vast majority of whom are substantially younger and harder-bodied than me. I was glad to see that this didn’t necessarily make them better at adopting and holding the asanas, so I didn’t feel like too much of a misfit.

It just started raining...clever me has left my Gortex jacket in storage in Bangkok so I guess I won’t be venturing too far until it stops. Good thing there’s really no need to go farther than between buildings at Ananda. I recently realised that I was totally confused on the whole monsoon season here. In fact we’re just heading into the monsoon, not coming out of it as I thought. I guess I was confusing it with Nepal which gets its rain in the summer. I’ll have to add an umbrella and cheap plastic poncho to my shopping list for my next foray into town.