Khao Lak

I have to admit that when I was on the bus, I had no idea where I was going to end up, or how long I'd have to walk to get to the hotel I'd booked and to meet up with my friend. And yes! A friend who works as an activity coordinator at a large resort. I wasn’t going to travel to Thailand without stopping by to see him—that’s why I wanted to go to Khao Lak.
We’d made plans, and the bus stopped right in front of his apartment, with the hotel just three minutes away. Another stroke of luck! Karma is back in action!
After dropping my bag off in my room, I met up with my friend. He had a few minutes to spare before getting back to work, so we went for a walk; he gave me some advice and explained that this was the spot where Khao Lak had been hit by a massive tsunami. It was December 26, 2004. Today, there’s not much left to show for that disaster; memories of the catastrophe have faded with time. Hotels, bars, and homes have been rebuilt in a futile attempt to forget this wound from the past; nevertheless, a few rusted shipwrecks remain, along with a commemorative plaque in the city center and a museum dedicated to ensuring the human losses are not forgotten. Nearly 8,000 people perished that day.
It’s in situations like these that we realize just how precarious life is and how foolish it would be to waste time on trivialities.
Yet another reason to tell myself that I need to make the most of life, be happy, and feel good about myself.
I say goodbye to my friend and decide to go see this beach—what a sight! To the left, you can see the lush, green national park on the hills above. On the other side, a beach stretching as far as the eye can see. The town itself is nestled within the forest.

I settle down on a rock and enjoy the view until sunset, with my feet in the water.
Early in the evening, I met up with my friend and his coworkers for a drink at the Monkey Bar. A great evening was in store, with a live concert. They mainly played covers of well-known rock and pop hits.

The next day, I head back to the beach; I spend my day alternating between swimming and sunbathing. A well-deserved rest!
In the late afternoon, I decide to walk up the shopping street just to get some exercise and work up an appetite.
In the evening, I settled into a restaurant, placed my order, and checked my emails. Upon noticing some inappropriate comments on this blog, I decided to delete them—I’m truly sorry about that.

After finishing my meal, I met up with my friend and his coworkers at the Monkey Bar, where we spent the evening having a blast and singing at the top of our lungs to songs that are dear to me.

I met some wonderful people there—amazing folks with whom I really clicked!

Since the start of my trip, I’ve felt great and truly like myself. I know who I am and I’m proud ofbeing that way. This trip has given me more than meets the eye—I feel at peace. It’s been good for me. I’ve decided to stay and live here forever… Just kidding! I’m joking! Although I really want to, there’s something here that’s missing back home— mutual respect even among strangers, smiles exchanged between strangers, and that “Sadawikaaaaa”— a “hello” spoken in a musical tone.

Anyway, there’s one thing I’d like to do before I leave: get a yantra tattoo. It’s a way for me to mark this country on my body for life. Since it’s already inside me. But I’ll tell you more as soon as I hear back from one of the best tattoo artists in Bangkok—one who’s trained in rituals—to whom I’ve sent an email to schedule an appointment.