It was back in 1995, a perfect time to visit a Thai island, and this was my first trip to the mysterious East. Back then, it was like paradise on Ko Pan Gan. There was a healthy scattering of travelers, who were pleasant, interesting people, caused no trouble, and boosted incomes. We were most welcome.
I stayed for a month in a lazy resort right on a beautiful white sand beach in a sheltered cove. The weather was perfect and still cool before the onset of the hot season. The moonlit nights spent sitting on the beach playing music, drinking, and smoking weed under a smiling crescent moon were truly magical. The road to get there was a dirt track over rugged jungle covered mountains, so it was, by any standard, ‘out of the way’.
The resort had simple wooden bungalows right on the beach, and safe within my mosquito net, I could open the wooden windows wide to let in the sea breeze. The main building was made of wood with bamboo arches in between the posts. Each arch contained intricate designs of woven bamboo. Real old fashioned Asia and very evocative and mysterious looking. The service and food were excellent, the only time I ever experienced real old style Thai hospitality. Green curry with fresh sea fish, cooked in fresh coconut milk, was the specialty of the house. For dessert, there were pancakes stuffed with bananas and served with thick sweetened coconut milk.
I those days, travelers said, "Bad roads, good people, good roads, all kinds of people," and it was true. The other guests were interesting, diverse, and amusing. An unemployed film cameraman who was always looking for camera angles with his hands, a writer of ghost stories looking for Thai ghosts, and two strange, lovely artist girls who looked like twins but were unrelated. They painted beautiful pictures on silk and sold them to help pay for their travels. Every night, there would be plenty of lively talk about life, love, and freedom. There was a French guy who always told the most ridiculous stories. The most hilarious one was about riding a train in India. There were no toilets on the train, and it would have to stop periodically so people could relieve themselves by the side of the track. He desperately tried to avoid having to take a crap, but that night he could stand it no longer. He needed to shit so badly that he unenthusiastically stumbled across the rail tracks to join the line of Indians doing their business. Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet on his behind and, upon turning, discovered it was a pig licking his arse clean! Looking around, to his disgust, he saw many pigs all busy in the same manner. This story provoked howls of laughter.
It was one of the best times of my life. Sadly, I came very late to the Eastern traveler renaissance, which was soon replaced by concrete bungalows, bar girls, and tinned coconut milk in the green curry. I remember one island taxi driver saying to me, "We had paradise, but we sold it".
Traditional text for the hexagram
Wilhelm/Baynes : Approach has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune.
Supreme success is something of an exaggeration, as there is no promise of lasting success.
Line 1 Wilhelm/Baynes: Joint approach. Perseverance brings good fortune.
This line is spot on, and is one of the most consistently accurate predictions in the I Ching. This line means a short period of excellence, but it is not a good sign for the long term future. One should enjoy it to the fullest but not try to prolong its life.
Are you planning a trip, an event, or any other matter of short duration? On the condition that you promise to send me the result of your actions, I make you a free personal prediction.
Mail me at afriendoverseas@protonmail.com or go to the contact box on the sidebar of this blog.
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