One Layover in Bangkok and the World’s Your Oyster
DAY: 36
LOCATION: Vientiane, Bangkok, Surat Thani
In preparation for my travel day, I did sunrise yoga by the pool on a towel. It was the perfect morning for it, with the sky covered in altocumulus clouds, the temperature just right, and a really hot guy on the treadmill inside. Actually, the really hot guy was a really big distraction and he never once checked me out which made me feel kind of bad, but whatever, it was still pretty good.
I had a couple of hours to kill after breakfast and packing, so I visited one last temple and Noy’s Fruit Heaven, a popular smoothie place. The mango, banana, avocado concoction hit the spot, but the highlight was the smoothiologist telling me my smile “lit up the room.” Take that, really hot guy!!
My self-esteem restored, I returned to my hotel and had the receptionist call me a tuk tuk. The ride triggered a memory from four years earlier, heading to the Phnom Penh airport. I’d been traveling with my parents for three weeks, and was heading back alone, with a stop in Bangkok and then a one day layover in Japan. My anxiety had been really high at the time, and was about ready to turn into a full blown disorder. The Bangkok layover had played a key role in its development, sparking an obsession with death when I came across a little book called Hippocrates and a Hippo Walk through those Pearly Gates. I really believed I was going to die every night for many months after that, but here I was, in another tuk tuk heading to Bangkok for another layover as alive as ever.
As I wheeled my luggage through the terminal, I felt a thrill for the adventure ahead on Koh Samui. I finally understood what James had meant when he said that he “loved airports.” They really could be a place of excited anticipation, and not just dread for the sardine box we were about to be crammed into.
The flight to Bangkok I read Hitchhiker’s. I was determined to get through the first book by the time I got to Switzerland. Thankfully, I was really enjoying it. Many parts of it made me laugh out loud. Adams’ critique of humanity’s simplistic worldview, his use of science fiction to highlight many of our absurd beliefs, the way in which he played with many of the theories I’d come across in my intense year of reading – I couldn’t help wondering if he’d belonged to a secret society or two. At the very least, he was highly versed in both philosophy and science, and the way he incorporated this knowledge into a popular fictional series was quite genius.
Suvarnabhumi was a shit show, per usual. By the time I’d gotten through passport control it was nearing 3pm, and I was starving. My hands shook as I ordered Phad Thai in a riotous food court. As I wolfed down the noodles, I felt vindicated in my decision not to do the vipassanna, with its no eating after 12pm rule. But then again, maybe it would’ve cured me of my oscillating blood sugar. I’d find out someday, but for now I’d be enjoying red curries and mango for days.
On the flight to Surat Thani I switched over to Law of One. It seemed fitting to read about reincarnation and higher levels of consciousness in contrast to my last flight out of Bangkok, when I believed my last breath as Amy was the end. Finito. No mas. What a distance I’d covered already. From atheist to spiritualist. Death to rebirth. And it was just the beginning.
It was dark when we landed in Surat Thani. The shuttle van took about 40 minutes to get to town through dark scenery. Fortunately I made friends with the Dutch woman next to me – Britt. She was helping run a sacred femininity yoga retreat for a month in Koh Phangan
“That sounds amazing!” I said, slightly envious. “But Koh Phangan? Like, the Full Moon Party island?”
“Yes, but that’s the Haad Rin side. We’re on the west side, on Sri Thanu,” she explained. “You should come, you would love it! It’s all about yoga and spirituality. And tons of vegan food!”
“Well, I don’t have anything booked for my last four nights, maybe I’ll come there!”
Speaking of, Britt didn’t have anything booked for that night, so she came with me to my hotel – the Me Dream Residence - and got a room. I was a bit nervous that it would be a dump or tacky, but it was actually quite nice and brand new for only $20. We were both pleased.
The receptionist gave us a recommendation for dinner, and we walked the half kilometer along dusty streets to get there. It was a warm night, and I loved having a female companion to chat with, especially one as open and intelligent as Britt.
Over green curry and fresh coconuts we talked about spirituality and the state of the world. She’d been practicing yoga and studying kundalini and divine sexuality for many years. I felt both intrigued and intimidated, not unlike Sam in Byron Bay. Her serene attitude towards everything impressed me the most. It didn’t matter how crazy of a topic came up, her calm presence never wavered. She definitely wouldn’t get distracted by hot guys on treadmills, or unnerved by a late lunch.
Back at the hotel, I knew I had to go to Koh Phangan. It was no accident that I’d met Britt, nor that I’d left the second half of Thailand open. I booked a little bungalow on Ao Chao Phao Beach in Sri Thanu. It would be yet one more thing to transform - the last time I’d been on the island in 2006, I’d been absolutely wasted with my brother, howling at the moon and making out with a Brit. Now I’d be soberly greeting the sun with vinyasas and exploring the divine feminine with a woman named Britt. Inversion at its finest.
