CAST AWAY IN KOH RA HEAVEN
When I received information there are keen nature lovers who wants to visit Koh Ra and I am going with them to my paradise again, I could not wait.
Moreover, they were from Slovakia also and I knew they would love it at least as I do. We made a perfect crew of twelve people ready to get on the board. Three members of the group came here to make documentary movie for European Television about stunning Koh Ra Island with our friend Michal who has been living in Thailand for couple of years now and Koh Ra is one of his favourite places.
Why???
Because you can experience on your own the same excitement as you felt while reading books by Jules Verne or Ernest Hemingway in your teenage years. We all are captured again and again by its beauty and unique atmosphere…
But back to the topic:
We went altogether divided in two vans with three other guests from Belgium to Kura Buri port where brand new speed boat arranged by Sunai by Green Andaman was awaiting to drive us to the heaven. Everything was ready – professional cameras, diving equipment, our clothes and belongings in dry bags, yoga mats…I could easily read in the faces of people around me their questions and thoughts about what is going to happen…cause they were about to be cast away soon…voluntarily 🙂
Ride was fast and comfortable and as we were approaching a land after thirty minutes of sailing, a small retro four wheel drive was awaiting us to carry all our equipment to our camping site. First touch to the land, first steps through the jungle and finally there…everybody was straight away just speechless…They could not believe there is still such place on the earth which is away from the noise, without internet and wifi connection, the only sounds you can listen are sounds of the nature. AMAZING.
I showed them our main dining and sitting area, toilets with showers, yoga and meditation place and comfortable tents with soft mats, pillows, warm blankets and towels. We had delicious lunch made by generous local people using local food and ingredients. I could not wait to jump into the blue and to feel refreshing touch of the ocean. We met again behind one table in the evening, shared our first impressions and went sleep to get ready for another adventurous day.
I woke up early in the morning to start with morning meditation before sunrise and to feel absolute unity with the nature. HARMONY. SILENCE. PEACE. TRANQUILITY.
After meditation I continued with morning yoga practice with Michal, had delicious muesli with fresh coconut, fruits, nuts and raisins and prepared myself for scuba diving. All of us prepared all needed things to get on the board. Before we took off we visited gipsy family living on the island and were filming the way they mine tint in the simple island conditions. Just breath-taking to see such difficult and punctual work. After stunning show we were ready to jump on the board and after forty minutes of drive by the long tail boat arriving to rocky diving spot near Koh Phra Thong beach. Five members jumped under to discover local marine life and Braňo went to try his luck as a spear fisher. Dive was very peaceful, with many reef fishes swimming freely around, including some bigger fishes as scary barracudas. After fifty minutes we returned back on board and were waiting for our spear fisher. I could not believe my eyes!!! He caught three large barracudas and red snapper!!! Our hero for tonight is known already! With smile on our faces we returned back to our beach camp, letting Andrej swim to the shore first to announce this great news to the cooking crew as they could start preparing the fire for a big celebration! Cameras were switched on soon and Michal explaining the right way of preparing the fish for the barbecue. Except of delicious papaya salad, green omelette and refreshing cold beer we could experience preparation of our favourite cashew nuts! Andrej prepared big camping fire outside, we all sat around fireplace and were watching interesting process of broiling nuts on the fire by local people. They showed us how to open them easily and we could enjoy the pleasure of taste we have never tried before. Do you know that cashew nuts has also delightful fruit? I know that because I had it as my afternoon snack that day! 🙂
When you sit in the night around the fire, looking into the flames of fire close to the wavy ocean, never ending dark sky full of shining stars and magnetic moon you have the feeling that time has stopped. THIS IS A MOMENT YOU WILL REMEMBER FOREVER. NO WORDS ARE NEEDED. You are just there, on the right place, totally speechless. Then it happens. Crazy idea about swimming naked in the ocean. No boundaries, just absolute unity with your surroundings. We took off our clothes and carefully did our first moves into the darkness. And then, unexpected miracle happened. As I moved my hands to the front towards unknown depth and I saw sparkling surface as ocean has opened in front of me, I asked myself: “Am I in Avatar movie or is this a Life of Pi Instead??”
No, this is our amazing island and shining plankton giving us hope to believe in our dreams. No words can be chosen to describe this. You need to try it on your own. YOU ARE THERE. ALIVE. CONNECTED. PRESENT.
I returned back to dining area to share my feelings and went to sleep with the sounds of the jungle.
Our last day came, very quickly actually…I could feel a bit of melancholy inside myself that it is going to the end but morning silence and yoga practice lifted my mind up. “I know I am very happy to be here and now”, I told to myself.
After the breakfast I jumped into the ocean, sunbath and collect muscles while walking on the wide beach. I was thinking how Jules Verne felt when he was writing his adventurous novels I always loved. I think that I understand now. To feel the unity with the nature is the most rewarding experience you can get during your lifetime and I think I still do not have enough.
I cannot wait to close my laptop and to be cast away again. Voluntarily 🙂
BECAUSE IT IS WORTH IT!!!
Zuzana
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