Bewitching Blue: Koh Samet 2019

This is where blue sea kisses sand whiter than the brightest sun. This is where merpeople emerge from water and wail at lost love. This is where islet cliffs touch the whispering clouds and cast a spell of eternal bewitchment.

***

At Ban Phe ferry, a speedboat waits for you. Under the cloudy sky your 14 km journey starts. The grey water melts into dark cloud at horizon.

Do not worry as the boat jumps from wave to wave. Now and then a splash of water leaves salty taste on your tongue. But the taste of adventure is far stronger than sea salinity.

But who is she? Crying bare-breasted, her hands outstretched, half merged into sea. Is she a demon demanding human flesh, or a local ancient who lost everything to this civilization? Dark cloud looms large over her head.

But before you collect back your digressing and distressing threads of thought, the boat reaches a beach, a white beach. There is no jetty. So you jump into shallow water. Fine sand touches your fine toes. Water washes your bare legs.

Koh Samet welcomes you!

***

The road behind the resort takes a muffasil look. At the corner, you discover a temple. Buddhist and Hindu deities friendly crowded at the altar. But towering over them is a hindu sage like idol - resembling Baba Loknath of Bengal.

You cross the street food vendors. You walk down the cobbled street. A cafe greets you. Smell of freshly brewed coffee and jasmine tea is difficult to ignore. Thus you sit there for an hour, with friends, sipping tea and coffee, doing nothing.

At the end of this laziness - late afternoon stood. Going down that alley takes you to beach. Hawkers sell food, fresh coconut, and colourful wraps. A toddler is busy playing with sand and water. You cannot stand dry. A boat far away watches you and the kind with equal indifference.

People walk. People buy. People sleep. People swipe mobile.

Clouds still loom large. Water fought hard to keep the greyness out - but it loses. Iit does not matter in a moment, anyway. Evening took away all colour.

But evening is blue. Beach shacks’ neon lights bring in more colour - like a kaleidoscope.

With friends you sit at the table of a shack. Live music keeps you enchanted. Fire jugglery keeps you awestruck. A solo lamp-shade sheds light on mossy green table.

Eventually all sounds cease, all colours die. Few feeble lights linger on the darkness. Only friends and you at the beach. Endless waves kiss the tired feet. A cool damp wind comes from the sea. Rain is not far away.

***

Morning is cloudy still. But has promise of a better day.

You walk down the beach with your companion. You watch tattooed legs move in rhythm with the broom. Daily beach cleanup starts.

Couples are at the beach already. But laziness of grey morning shrouds them. They keep waiting on the sand and chat endless.

Shack employees collect water on large tumblers from the sea. Sun decides to salute their hard work painting a sliver of ray on their chiseled body.

You walk on. You see a tiny hill. You meet a mermaid throwing her child to sea. In this cursed life, she cannot be a mother. She can only be a pleasure. Is this why the sky is crying?

***

Any grief is temporary only. The sun has shone at last. But the wind is strong.

A set of armchairs are kept over the beach for waiting. And the waiting was long.

A curvy girl with a blue hat rises from the water. Wind throws away the hat exposing her face. She runs in her bikini to pick it up. Wind’s mischief continues for a while.

Any waiting is temporary only. A motorboat comes. You and friends board it.

***

Name of the island is Ku Dee. The boat stops near it. Crews hand over snorkelling gear and life jacket.

Sea attracts you like a magnet. You jump. Through the clear water you float among coral reefs. Colourful fish poke at your feet, your hands.

Snorkeling is over. Boat takes you to another island. Packed lunch and fresh fruits wait for you. Island hopping tourists walk down the beach. Greedy wind unsettles their robes and wraps. Only drift woods remain unaffected. Their weathered body and perpetual stare at blue sea gives an illusion of permanence.

More islands wait to welcome you. Some of them are twin - separated by rocky umbilical. During high tide, it goes under water.

Tha Lu island arrives. Sea and wind worked on its limestone cliffs for ages. Their perseverance excavated a short tunnel that takes the look of a gate. Planktons, corals, and mollusca gathered at the bottom of it.

You and your companion leave others at second round of snorkelling. The trail to the cliff attracts you. Holding the rope laid by forest department - you reach the top. Gulls are floating. Gentle waves kiss the bottom of it.

Snorkelling here is less fun but more safe. Floating around the corals and sandy bottoms you discover more fish, a small octopus. Sea urchins looked at you from the nucleus of their singleton eye.

Sky darkens while the boat starts back to main island. Only an old anchor lies on the beach waiting for the ancient mariner, forever.

***

Drizzle starts at the evening. You and friends walk to the restaurant, ignoring the droplets. Drizzle turns into dense rain. Restaurant waiters pull curtains around to fight the rain. An old Caucasian talks endlessly. But his young Thai girlfriend remains sad and silent.

Rain continues.

***

From the veranda of resort, you look at a fantail showing off his skills. The resident cat cannot have a peaceful sleep due to repeated attacks of this tiny bird. A hornbill minds his own business while preening feathers.

At the street, locals prepare their fare for the day. The streets are wet, flowers hold back droplets as happy memory. On a cliff, a deity plays his flute to attract a mermaid. Will she have to throw her love child to sea again?

A boat comes. It will take you back to Ban Phe.

***

From the busy ferry of Ban Phe you look back at the enchanting land, which you have left now. But you see its sign at every turn, every nook, every corner. Broken boat. Tattooed body. Seafood fare.

The spell is not over yet.

***

This is where blue sea kisses sand whiter than the brightest sun. This is where merpeople emerge from water and wail at lost love. This is where islet cliffs touch the whispering clouds and cast a spell of eternal bewitchment.