The Language of Love - a tale from Thailand
The weather in the South of Thailand in January/February is what they call the 'warm' season. That's hot for a pale-skinned little fella from western Europe. In the hot seaon on the Southern beaches, even bathing in the sea can be uncomfortable, and you need to take a cold-water shower to cool off. This particular year, though, there was an unseasonal cold spell. I was stuck on Ko Tao, (Turtle Island), in the Gulf of Thailand. There was rain and windy weather every day for about two weeks, with occasional storms.
I'd been on Ko Tao three or four times before, and I always tried to stay at the same guesthouse. The owners were a young and friendly Thai couple. Each time I'd been, they had made some more money and had invested it in their business. The old bungalows were disappearing: no more oil lamps, quite a few now had bathrooms, and even one or two with air-con. The prices were still very reasonable, and the setting was nice and peaceful - quite a way down the main beach, in a wooded clearing. The island was developing fast though, and I got the felling that this was going to be my last visit: once a bar and a sound system gets set up, you may as well be in a bar in Bangkok with a sandy floor. Not for me.
The weather had the advantage of making island life a lot less attractive for many. Fewer new visitors were arriving on the daily ferry, and more were leaving in search of sunnier skies on the other coast. Those of us who stuck it out enjoyed a more tranquil island, and a totally different feel to the place. The guests where I was staying tended to pass slow, lazy days. We found our entertainment in easy converstaion, long mealtimes on the beachfront, (often sheltering from the rain), reading and swapping novels, and the occasional brave dip in the sea. We planned where we might go next and talked about where we'd been.
Breakfasts in other languages
One of the guests was a Frenchman with a great talent for languages. His name was Patric. He loved to communicate, and was fascinated by the different scripts used in various parts of the world - especially South Asia. He was currently improving his Thai with the help of a book by Marie-Hélène Brown: 'Reading and Writing Thai'. We could both speak some Thai (he much more than I), and we passed increasing lengths of our days trying to converse with each other in the language, while getting slowly and pleasantly drunk on Sang Thip at the tiny beachfront restaurant.
Of course, we practiced our language skills on the locals too, at every available opportunity. Business being so slack on the island, lots of local guesthouse owners and their staff were only too happy to pass some time helping us out. We even started to pick up in a small way some of the local way of talking, and distinguish the accent and tonality from that of Bangkok, and other parts of Thailand. We both started chatting to the maid at the guesthouse a fair bit too. Her name was Pat. Not beautiful, but pretty enough, and very sexy. She had been giving us both the eye, and had been teasing me since I had arrived. She had since diverted her attentions more toward Patric though, so I had backed off, for the time being.
At first, I had not even considered the possibilty of being able to read or write Thai, but Patric's enthusiasm was contagious. He told me that he was sure that his book (in French) was available in an English translation - he had seen it in Bangkok. He had to go to BKK to lengthen his visa. Maybe he could get me a copy? Well, I could do with a break from the chill. Pat had had to go away somewhere or other, and things were less interesting at the guesthouse. What the hell, I'll go with you. We paid a retainer on our bungalows and off we went.
An interesting but uneventful few days in BKK (that is, I can't remember). Patric got his visa, we found the book, and off back to Ko Tao.
Upon our return, Pat was back. I wasn't too sure what was going on, but the owners now had to go off to BKK for a few days, and would have to leave Pat in charge. Aware that my Thai was now improving, they asked if I would help Pat out if she needed help with any new guests, (her English was very poor). I, of course, felt flattered that they figured that my Thai was good enough for some basic translation, and was happy to say yes. Of course, it gave me a fine excuse to get closer to Pat, too.
Not that she was having any of it. Just more teasing. I was getting tired of this game, especially when she played me off so much against Patric. Of course, women being what they are, just as soon as I started to lose interest, - and show it, she changed her mind and came back at me like a hurricane. I don't think that Patric was best pleased. I couldn't have been happier.
There then passed a few very intense days...after which she began to talk about her family in Isan. She was separated (divorced, she said), and had two daughters at home in the North-east. She had some problems and had to go back to see them and her family. Would I go with her? Well, I couldn't now refuse, could I? In any case, I was getting kind of addicted.
Off we went, on the long haul up to Surin. Once there, she left me in a hotel, and told me that she'd meet up with me in a couple of days. Oh, and would I like to meet her daughters? Urrm..weeelll. I said yes.
Two days later, we meet up again in a department store. Very uncomfortable. Her daughters don't take kindly and all that - understandably. She has her sister with her, who has obviously come to eye me up. Ooh, I don't even want to talk about this any more: makes me cringe.
Stormy Weather
We headed back to Ko Tao together. On the overnight ferry to the island, she was in an apprehensive mood. When we arrived she said that she had to go to see her cousin, who lived on the island. Back at the bungalows, I awaited her return. An hour or so later, she turned up saying that she had to return home again, as she had some 'problems'. Could I go with her, as she was nervous? If we hurried, we could take the powerboat back to the mainland.
Not having the faintest idea about what was going on, but being so curious, and not wanting to have her disappear on me without finding out something, I said yes. I was pretty exhausted, having just done a three-day trip. All I really wanted was a rest.
The powerboat was a new addition to the island's transport system. Until recently, the only route to the island was via a once-a-day ferry. The journey took about five hours. Coming to the island, you had to leave the mainland at around midnight. Arriving at the island, the ferry would wait off the island for about an hour for the tides, before mooring up. Everyone would watch the sunrise over the island's lovely turtle-shaped silhouette, (hence Ko Tao - Turtle Island). It was a very tranquil, lovely introduction to the place.
Now there was the option of the powerboat. The journey time was only about 2 hours. It cost about twice to two and a half times as much, and was noisy and frenetic. I hadn't used it and didn't want to. We got on board.
As soon as we did, and had stowed our baggage, she had me sit down, then went to the back and sat with someone else. Fifteen minutes out from the dock and things got very uncomfortable in more ways than one.
It became very obviuos very quickly that this was her husband. The boat was small and we could all see each other clearly enough. Maybe the rough weather worked somewhat in my favour, as the ride was fast and very bumpy. Quite scary in fact, as the boat would leap out of the water and seem to hang in the air for quite some time before crashing back down with a hell of a crash. My nerves were jangled enough by the boat ride, let alone by wondering what the hell was going to happen to me, and why she had brought me along - perhaps to protect her?! What was I doing here?!
Two long hours later, we arrived on the mainland. Not a word was spoken between us. The ride from the jetty to town was in a songthaew, and those vehicles can be a little cramped to say the least. I was dreading the journey. No; I was scared. Pat's husband got out of the boat - she following meekly behind. There were two songthaews: they both got into the first one, and I in the second.
Pat was publicly humilitataing herself, for the benefit of her husband. She was 'wai-ing' as if to a monk, and obviously making it plain that he could treat her as he wished. You didn't need to speak the language, believe me. It was embarrassing, especially in such a culture, where public displays of emotion are limited, and it was done so that everyone knew it.
That was that. She didn't look my way again; he held his head high and aloof - very much the man in control; the songthaew disappeared, and I never saw her again.
I have some photos, some letters, (in Thai), some of which I was able to translate myself. But she was a terrible speller: something which you don't really take into account when trying to translate a foreign script - it doesn't really occur! Language was always going to be a barrier...
I went back to Ko Tao to try to find out some some more about her. Who, what, why? But everyone was very tight-lipped. I was a problem that was going home, I guess. They would all deal with the consequences when I was gone - in their own way, not mine.
I left the island within a few days, feeling very sheepish, foolish and out-of-place. Also quite lovesick, if truth be told. Though, I've always been a little too ready to show my emotions. I needed a change of scenery to shake all of this off, so it was back to the mainland. I wasn't going to another island, either. And I wasn't going to take that damned powerboat again, that's for sure. I was going back on the ferry - on a boat ride I would never forget...
Tale last updated: Monday, April 5th, 2010