tarotau - serenity exemplified

Quiet solitude in the isolation of Ao Molae - long stretch of sandy beach and the sea so smooth it may as well be a clear turquoise coloured swimming pool. Enjoyed the luxuries of a shower separate from the rest of the bathroom, a flushing toilet and a large white-linened bed, although we had to share it between the three (and then four when Bevan arrived) of us. Vin made the error one night of rolling over and snuggling up to Nick instead of me. Classic.

Bevan was lost to us for the first two nights due to the necessity of a visa run to Malaysia.

History lesson: Koh Tarotau is found in the Andaman sea, near the border to Malaysia. In 1938, Tarotau became an exile island for common prisoners and high-profile political prisoners at Talo Wao and Talo Udang prisons respectively. Fear of sharks and saltwater crocodiles in the surrounding waters ensured that few escaped. During WWII, supplies to the island were cut short and the desperate prisoners and prison guards teamed up and looted a passing ship. This proved to be such a lucrative ventures that the group became pirates - the most feared of the Andaman sea! In 1974 Tarotau and the 51 surrounding islands were declared a national park.

Where we stayed there was one tiny rustic restaurant which was closed between 2pm and 6pm. Electricity is out of order during the day as well and is really sporadic otherwise. We had lights one night we were there. This proved beneficial, though, for viewing the stars and the incredible phosphorescence in the sea at night, which provided us all with childlike delight. After-dinner skinny dipping became routine, resulting in shrieks of laughter and magical light shows put on for one another. An incredible phenomenon I'll never forget.

Nightswimming in the phosphorent sea,
giggling like children,
Nick, Vincent and me.
Swirling limbs surrounded
by bright points of light,
unable to grasp them
before they fade from our sight.
Never before have we seen such a luminous night.

The mosquito populations were drastically reduced in Taraotau when compared to Tonsai. Mosquitoes were replaced however by a a number of other strange insects that bite and a troupe of particularly cheeky monkeys. The former resulted in a 4cm x 4cm lump on my inner thigh which progressed from burning pain, to stinging pain to inconceivable itching and has now resulted in a purplish off-colour spot. The latter was lead by one mischievous looking male with big sad eyes, which I imagine allowed his to con tourists into feeding him quite often.

Had the feeling that I was existing within a dream or a movie, still struggling a bit to find the edges of normality and realism. I'm anticipating a rather dramatic crash-landing back to earth at some stage as money seems to be flowing evermore freely, and, although I wish it would, it's not going to last forever...