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...The night air was thick and humid. But at least it was quiet. As my tired head held up no longer, it banged against the window pane on the bumpy ride to the border. I woke to a surreal scene of thick fog as we stopped for food. With a parched mouth following my 4am munch of a melted chocolate bar, I bought some veg filled pao and crawled back into the bus for sleep...

The Land of Smiles

Asha Patel
2006-08-23 10:55:14

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of my arduous week in Malaysia. The LP was accurate in its description of the island as having swaying coconut trees, brooding mountains and surrounding ribbons of turquoise. At cookies, I rented my own small bungalow, with a balcony fully equipped with
mock set over the sand on the beach. Settling in to the easy pace of life proved a little difficult at first but it has to be said, resistance to such surroundings didn't last long! I slept and arose each morning to the sound of the shore beneath the stilts upon which my bungalw rested. I spent the nights swinging in my hammock beneath the stars, and the days, out on the decks above the water. The mornings practicing yoga on the beach, and the evenings watching the sun set over my balcony whilst munching hot fresh banana fritters dipped in thick sweet milk. Any remaining time in this oh-so-busy schedule was spent hanging out with the chilled crowd of nomads that had gathered at Cookies for several months, having submitted to the sedative effect of the air, and now sat smoking and telling their travellers tales. Of course the picture I paint hardly warrants sympathy and indeed I expect none. However, my discontent remained. I was restless, tired and still homesick. From the number of people who had made border runs for visa extensions in Thailand, and from those who'd wound up staying months on this island alone I
could tell that the allure of Ko Pha Ngan was addictive. This addiction was easily fuelled by the wonderfully warm family running Cookies, by their consistently scrumptious home cooked food, their furry pet friends and their idyllic location on the tranquil west coast...

...Still, with an aversion to addiction of any kind I soon began to feel restless, itching for activity I was disinclined to let the lethargy prevail and made plans to leave the island. Took a taxi to Ban Tai and Haad Rin, where I visited Bambi and Rashi, and bought tickets upon their recommendations. From ...