Mystery Island

This is the true definition of paradise. This is where people go to escape. This is where there are no showers, but only a hose. All the accommodations are full, but you only see a handful of people on the whole stretch of beach. You’re morning alarm clock is replaced with the squawking of roosters. Every bungalow has a gecko, and you find little presents in your bed in the afternoon. This is where your biggest daily responsibility is to find the reservoir, hike to the ranger station, read a book, or journal. Most things and food are handmade. The island only has electricity from 6 pm to 9:30 pm. The only way off this island is a longtail boat that comes twice a day. To catch the boat, you must stand on shore, wave your arms, and jump up and down until it sees you. This is where life is simple; you eat when you’re hungry, you sleep when you’re tired, and make new friends every day.

Everyone has a different reason to be here. Some are escaping their old life, some were born on the island, other people vacation here, some come for a week but stay for a lifetime, some visit friends, and some, like us, stumble upon it by mistake. A friend of Suzie’s suggested we go to an island with the same name but to our surprise, the suggestion was for a northeast Thai island and we are in the southwest. It was a pleasant surprise and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve met so many beautiful souls of all ages and from all over (but defiantly a lot of German). We swam in the ocean, did yoga on the beach, explored the tide pools, discovered the reservoir, tasted cashew wine, trekked through a cashew plantation and stopped to try the fruit, saw rubber trees tapped for their sap, and even found time to sit down for a beer and hear other travelers’ stories.

 

 

This island draws a specific type of person. Materialist, over-consuming people wouldn't fit in. It's for people who enjoy simple times, people who don't need much in their life but a bed to sleep in and a roof over their head. It's refreshing. It’s nice to force yourself to relax and have no worries at all. I hope this island never changes. I hope it stays uncharted and over looked. Until next time mystery island, keep those biting sand fleas, blood-thirsty mosquitos, unsanitary food, polluted waters, and rabid dogs, or at least that what we tell other tourists.