Beached

I head down to the pier where I came in to look for a boat to Hat Ranti. I’d considered hiking across the island to the beach but I’d looked up at the jungle-covered hill in front of me and decided it wasn’t a good idea on one hour’s sleep and with no idea of where I should be going. There’s hardly anyone around, but then it is about half six in the morning.

I get lost in a building site I was trying to scout round the edge of. Like most building sites it looks like a mess where much work isn’t getting done, but knowing the Thai way of working as well as I do already, I’m fairly sure they’re not rushing over rebuilding this island.

I hit the harbour and there are few people around. Such a contrast to yesterday, but then it is seven or so in the morning. A Thai guy approaches me and asks if I need a boat. I explain and he says 500B. I groan inwardly – I should have just gone for that deal yesterday and saved myself the bug action and 200 baht. I ponder what to do. For some reason I have my heart set on Hat Ranti, I have no idea why. I’m desperate to go and desperately tired so I agree. He says to give him half an hour and he’ll find someone to take me.

I tell him I’ll go get breakfast and come back, but he wants to take me himself. He finds a café for me that’s just opening. I’m not sure if he’s being kind or just taking my custom to all his mates. A bit of both but more of the latter I expect. I order coffee. It’s like the elixir of life. I can feel it coursing through my system and slowly nudging a bit of life into my fatigued body. I also order some fruit, which seems like the only thing I could cope with right now. I really do feel like I’ve been in battle!

I watch the BBC Worldwide news on a TV above the door. In America Congress seem to be standing up to Bush at last and denying him funding to send any more troops to Iraq. It’s about time, I think. Is it me or is the world starting to feel like a more hopeful and better place now Bush and Blair are on their way out? I’m intrigued by the Catholic Church vs gay adoption legislation story. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m all for people having their beliefs and principles and living their lives how they want, but it’s hard to stick up for that when those principles might keep a child from a secure and loving family.

My thoughts are interrupted by the Thai guy shouting at me. He’s found someone to take me. It’s a beautiful (if bumpy and hard on your arse when the boat hits a wave!) journey and I wish I wasn’t so tired so I could appreciate it more. But I can see why they charged me 500 baht. These longboats are huge and can easily take about 10 people. It’s one of the perils of travelling alone – sometimes you end up paying for more for things.



We arrive at the beach but the driver has problems getting close – the tide’s out and the coral is difficult to navigate. He does most of it then I have to get out and wade to the beach. The beach is tiny, about 200 metres long, but looks great – white sand and lots of huts to stay in dotted amongst the trees beyond the sand. My instinct was right – this is the place I want to be.

The guidebook described it as ‘untidy’ and by this I presume they mean all the rocks jutting out from the sand at various points along the beach. It’s also not all undulating dunes, but a bit full of shells and small stones in some places, but it’s peaceful and beautiful and is exactly how I imagined being on a beach in Thailand to be.

The boat driver points me to one hostel down the beach but I head to the one I recognise the name of – Rantee Hut. This is one of the places the travel agent told me was full. It’s not. It has about three huts free. So what the guidebook said was true – don’t necessarily believe them when they say a place is full, they probably want you to go to certain accommodation they’re linked to. I gratefully pay and head to my hut. It’s one row back from the beach so I can only just see the sea, but I’m not too concerned about that.

I go up the little ladder on to the balcony where there is a hammock and a chair. I go into the bedroom – there is a bed in one corner, a clothes rail in the other and mosquito net hanging down over the bed. This is more like it, I think. I’m so happy.

I dump all my stuff and go to the door at the back which opens up on to the ‘bathroom’, which is basically a fence surrounding a toilet and an area for you to shower in. An outdoor shower! How exciting. I had one of these when I went to the Maldives and it’s such a nice experience.

I grab my iPod from my bag and go and sit on the balcony on the chair. I’ve not listened to music for days and it feels like a novelty. I smoke a cigarette. I have a moment of panic when I realise I’ve not booked a train home and I’m not sure if there’s anywhere here on Hat Ranti to do it - I need to be back on Sunday to start work on Monday. But I figure I’ll worry about it if I can’t find anywhere. It’s too nice here to be worrying about anything.

A fit-looking brown-haired lad walks past my hut and says hi. I say hi back. He’s in the hut next to me, which I’m pleased by. Maybe I’ll have a chat with him later. I get in the hammock and listen to Ricky Gervais, trying not to laugh out loud, then I begin to drift off to sleep. I go to bed and sleep til 1.30pm.

When I wake I go for a wander along the beach. There’s about three or four places with places to stay in, with a posher one down the southern end of the beach. Behind them there’s jungle stretching up a hill. It looks pretty impenetrable but I’m sure I read you could hike here. I get some lunch at a café and see that they sell bus tickets to Bangkok. Phew, I’m saved. I go back and get into my swim shorts. Now I feel really happy! I sit on the beach and listen to The Beach soundtrack in unashamedly cheesy fashion.

There are a few people around not many. I try not to look at the topless ladies sitting to my right, but probably look at them more for trying not to. I watch a crab dig a hole.

I try and sunbathe but I’m not very good at it – I get too restless too quickly. I go and float in the sea instead. This is absolute bliss. The sun goes behind the hill about 5ish and it gets colder. I go back and shower. About 200 ants have invaded and conquered my toilet. I leave them to it for now and go and get some food.

I have chicken and vegetables, no rice or noodles. The chicken has been marinated for too long but the veg is lovely and there’s heaps of it – carrots, onion, tomato, spring onion, cabbage – all in a lovely sauce. I talk a bit to the waiter. He wants to learn English. He’s been learning for two months and enjoys it, and is keen to learn more. I think he’s asking me if I’ll teach him a bit but I’m struggling to keep my eyes open – it’s only half seven! – so I tell him we can talk tomorrow.

Jan 26

I wake at 11.30. I’ve slept for 15 hours. Perhaps I’ve reverted to being a teenager again. I slept okay apart from the odd bite. Like condoms, it seems mosquito nets aren’t 100% effective and you find out the hard way. So it’s Anthisan-a-go-go when I get up, but at least there were no bugs.

I go and buy a bus ticket to Bangkok and realise I still need to get back to Ton Sai. I figure I’ll just get another boat, maybe hitch with some others to save money. I eat some breakfast – tuna sandwich, fries and a coconut shake – and see Stefan and his mates on the beach. It looks like they just arrived. After eating I walk past and say hi. He tells me they hiked here from Ton Sai, and it only took an hour or so. I’m gutted I didn’t and decide I’m going to hike back tomorrow.

The conversation dies and I say farewell and wander off. It reminds me of being at school again – where there would always be one or two Popular Kids you could talk to a little bit while the others ignored you completely. It’s quite amusing.

I sit on the beach and watch couples frolic in the surf, but not too much in case they think I’m weird. There are more people here today, but still not loads so it’s okay. A Belgian couple sits down near me. Eventually the woman says hello and asks if I’m on my own. I tell her yes and she asks if I like the peace and quiet. We chat a bit; she agrees with me that Ton Sai is a bit hectic. She tells me they’re heading to Ko Lanta and then Ko Tao as they’re a bit off the beaten track. I discover they hiked here as well and I’m doubly gutted. What a waste of 500 baht, although I did get to ride in the long boat which was quite cool. But I’m definitely hiking back tomorrow. I get directions of where to go from her before our conversation is interrupted by a woman needing a hairband.

I watch people snorkel and wonder if I should do it. I can’t be arsed. I’m in full-on lazing mode now. I’m the only one on my own. Most people are in couples – there’s two gay couples – or groups like Stefan and his friends. Said group walks past and Stefan wishes me a nice time in Thailand. I wish him the same. They must be on a tour of the beaches or something.

The Belgian woman comes back and I ask her about hiking here – is the path easy to find? She says not, but there is a sign to Viewpoint (which does exactly what it says on the tin and is a point where you can see much of the island) and then a path to Ton Sai. I ask her if she thinks I could do it on my own and she offers to go with me tomorrow morning. They were going to go snorkeling but there’s not enough of them (or something) so they’re going up to Viewpoint instead. I thank her.

I people watch some more. Some lads are poking at something in the surf and I go over. It’s a dead jellyfish, solidified and looking like, well, jelly. Another group of lads sit down to my right and one of them starts digging. He takes out big lumps of sand with his arm and I soon realise he’s building a barrier to protect his mates as the tide comes in. As the sun heads behind the hill I realise sitting in it all afternoon has made me feel sick, but a shower makes me feel better.

I head for some food, taking a book to kill the waiting time. A girl in a couple smiles at me as I sit down but no one talks to me. I wonder where all the other people like me are, if there are any. I had envisioned meeting loads of people like me but haven’t at all, which I find strange. But I decide to stop worrying about it and let the meeting people happen when it happens. I eat beef in garlic and pepper with rice. It’s good but dry and nowhere near as good as last night’s. I drink beer and another coconut shake. It’s my new favourite drink. I read a lot but eventually I’m whacked and head to bed. It’s only nine o’clock! I’m such a party animal.