CARPE DIEM
Chapter 1
For months I've been complaining to my friends and family about how badly the travel bug has been creeping through my veins. I long to travel. I thrive on the thrills of life. Don't get me wrong, I was made for New York-I love living here. But I'm constantly in a state of curiosity. I want more, I need to know so much more. There's loads of life yet to experience out there. Whenever I tap into one new place it unravels a whole new craving for the insight of another.
So when I came to work that dreadful Thursday and to my surprise was let go due to cutbacks, I first mourned. Nothing a few dirty martinis can't fix. But then 24 hours later I made the decision to act on those feelings and booked a flight to the island of Phuket in Thailand. A dream destination I've always wanted to visit but had always seemed like a distant fantasy that would never come to be. I was to leave the following Tuesday morning. Some friends were shocked, some doubtful of my rash decisions but my true friends just nodded, smiled and said "of course you are."
The second that I chose to go everything fell perfectly into place. And I mean it, everything. A good friend hooked me up with a buddy pass for the flight, reducing the ticket to half the price. Check! Then I booked a cheap hotel on a surf beach called Kamala towards the central west side of the island, just 10 minutes from Patong. This hotel, I later found out, was brand new and had made a mistake in my booking, therefore giving me an even nicer room for the same price as well as throwing in a free first night as an apology. Check! I posted my brand new apartment (that I had only lived in for 1 week) on a site called Airbnb that connects people with real homes/apartments to stay in while visiting New York in lieu of overpriced hotels. Soon I received an enthusiastic email from a couple from Spain coming for the exact days I was to be gone. They immediately booked the room and the payment was exactly one months rent. Check.
I packed with haste, prepared my apartment for the guests, gave a heads up to my over-protective credit card company, added an in-case-of-emergency international data plan to my smart phone, applied for a few jobs (to satisfy my conscious), and attempted to sleep (but failed miserably). I first flew through Detroit , then was rewarded with a business class seat for my flight to Hong Kong. [I kid you not, ]I cried in complete joy. Check. Within the first 10 minutes of the flight I made friends with my neighbor over a glass of campaign. She just so happened to be flying into Phuket the following day with a completely open itinerary so I invited her to join in my adventure, thereby splitting the already ridiculously cheap hotel. Check. I arrived at 2 am into Thailand with a very sweet sincere welcome from the customs officer. I also had my first lesson in patience from the group of Chinese tourists that insisted on standing an inch from me on all sides. All 6 of them. Whatever, I'm in Thailand. Check.
After a 30-minute [overpriced] taxi ride, I arrived at Baan Kamala Hotel and crashed into my extra large extra firm bed, falling asleep out of pure exhaustion. I woke up with a smile, threw on my beach garb, and found a place surrounded by palm trees, heavy heat, and smiling faces. I had my first Thai meal just next door at Isaan Popeye. The restaurant was small but obviously well known. Both locals and tourists filled the place. The lady in charge welcomed me in with her broken English and as I was leaving said, 'I see you lata, dinna.' I honestly wouldn't have minded spending every meal at this place. It was absolutely delicious. Green curry in coconut milk with eggplant, peppers, chicken and steamed rice with an iced coffee. Breakfast of champions. The meal was a total of 85 baht ($2.75). Check. I rented a motorbike from my hotel for only 200 baht/day ($6) and ventured off to find the beach. Kamala Beach is known for their longboarding and surfing- hence why I chose it. After an hour of flat waves, I gave up and got my first thai oil massage right on the beach. 60 minutes and another $6 later, I climbed back onto my scooter in complete satisfaction. I rode around the town purposely getting lost and finding the most beautiful side streets filled with shops, massage parlors and street vendors.
I stopped for a fresh smoothie for 30 baht ($1). The juice was so fresh the woman must have picked the fruit herself directly from the tree! I stuck around and had a broken conversation with her and her family, photographing the children that stared at me with curiosity, and then I drove south, discovering a stunning viewpoint where I followed the path down to beach #2 of the day. On the way back I found a market with fresh fruits, grilled meats and full on curry plates. I bought a half of a watermelon for 50 baht ($1.60). (If you know me, you know how big of a deal this is.) Check.
I met my first lady boy that I consistently saw every day thereafter, each day in a new pair of spectacular leggings! I did a little shopping, wandered around the local grocery store then went out for Tom Yum soup at a fancier Thai spot in the area. Not nearly as good as Popeyes.
Day two I woke up starving and immediately went next door for a typical Thai breakfast of noodles and meat in a curry broth. I walked around the local streets, photographing anything and everything that inspired me. It's difficult for me as a photographer to photograph something just because I have to feel something to take a picture. But I had no problem at all getting inspired in this town. The buildings were handcrafted with colors that pop from a block away. Brick layered with concrete, palm trees towering over everything, and scooters carrying full families and their groceries zipped around me. Hundreds of wires in complete chaos on every corner.
My new friend Kellee arrived that afternoon, after a quick bite we jumped on the scooter for a trip to a nearby beach called Lamsung. To get to the beach we had to climb down what felt like was a whole mountain. Halfway down we met a monkey that welcomed us very inappropriately...we later bonded with him over a beer and after he slapped me, I knew we would be friends forever. After a few hours at the beach, we took a drive touring the north-west side of the island, photographing a temple and stopping for our first Thai iced tea. I took Kellee to her first hot yoga class at Evolution studio which just so happens to be run by my favorite yoga instructor's original teacher. The class was just what I needed. Mind, body, spirit. Check.
