On the 6th of April 2005, cousins Jamie Mackenzie and Ben Wylson set off on their bikes on a journey which will take them to over 50 countries and to every one of the worlds great continents, all without the use of an aeroplane.
Monday, November 28, 2005: Turtle heads
'Kipper' is born. A modification on the popular Pool table game of 'Killer' has been created. New rules and a revised points system have thrilled and delighted the team as the rainy days on the Rock continue with ferocious intensity. Jamie has successfully scaled the rankings and currently sits proudly at the top of the listings; consistently knocking the balls about the green velvet with the skill and mastery of a seasoned pro. Does his sporting prowess have no limits, we ask?
Monty the White, grows more anxious by the day as we await our first snorkel outing and bathe on a beach. The outlook is gloomy, desperately gloomy, but Kipper has staved off boredom. Will the sun shine? Will the Turtle head poke through once more? We hope, we pray, we wait to see.
Sunday, November 27, 2005: Montgomery nut
In this time of Stationary Wheels East there is a surprising volume of tasks that require attention; Ben has spent the last few days working on the second coming of, The Skillywigglers. After the success of the original evening of Skillywigglers, there is anticipation rippling through the island's people. This second performance is to be held tonight at the Prestigious Dragon Bar, one of Koh Tao's most successful venues. Today Ben will hare about on his Dream with the intent to entice, handing out flyers for the ensuing musical extravaganza.
I should say, there are many people we have made envious by continually bringing up the fact that we are living in a place that is the closest thing to heaven on earth. If you are one of those people, you will be pleased to hear that Turtle Island has been awash with heavy rain, the last of the monsoon. Roads have become rivers, puddles developed quickly into lakes which almost rendered parts of the island inaccessible. The sky has been black, the sea has been murky with white horses dancing across it as far as the eye can see, the wind has lashed, nearly causing a fatality by blowing a coconut out of a its palm. The coconut fell from a tremendous height and dropped like a falling canon ball onto the road, missing Jamie -who was on his motorbike- by inches. The nut fell very close to his head; he was shaken by his near nut crack; thankfully he survived to tell the tale.
Since our last entry Jamie has been on a journey. He took to the high seas to collect an old friend who recently flew into Bangkok. The age of Monty has arrived. On the 24th of November after a battle with 5-metre waves, Monty, the chum of old, joined us on Koh Tao. Montgomery currently occupies Hut 28, next door to hut 27 believe it or not, and is fitting well into FWE life. He will be part of our contingent for 3 weeks. Unfortunately the poor fellow has seen nothing of the sun; in fact, it has rained since he arrived and threatens to do so for the duration of his stay. When his time is up he will return to London. We can only hope the sun shines for him.
Monty brought with him a package from home. It contained Christmas gifts, new pants, books and lots of letters from loved ones. The appreciation we felt for all of the lovely little things we received cannot be put into words. I will say that as I read my letters alone on the balcony, a great big lump formed in my throat.
Friday, November 18, 2005: Huskinson Submarine
A friend of Jamie's, Huskinson, gave us the pleasure of his company for a little while here on Turtle Island. Huskinson relished his snippet of island life; it was a sad thing to see him leave. He left us with happy memories: he instigated the game of Misere on the balcony, he racked his brains for Charlie Chalk, Charlie Chaplain, Corey Harris and Harrison Ford.. He stayed on the pool table at A.C for 9 unbeaten games, he witnessed the playing of guitar to the bay of Chalock, he even sang the blues. He came to our night, the night hosted by FWE at Reggae Bar, "The Skilliwiglers play Bat Jazz, Folkmendleson Rock, Indyquack and Blues Cowboy at a secret location...." 400 flyers posted. It was to become an intimate evening of what we believe to be the best music in the world, unfolding on a deck before the sea, bathed in the warm light of naked flame, with laughter and merriment rolling into the dark.
Ben's Buddha View dive course is complete, he is PADI qualified to dive to 18 meters, a ticket to the sub-marine world! A video of his underwater escapade will appear - along with our two appearances on Chinese national television - as an extra on the FWE film to be edited and released on our return.
Pussy has forsaken us. I saw her last on another balcony, curled up, content, a plate of half-eaten food close by. I quietly said goodbye to our old Tortoise shell friend, feeling warm inside, knowing that pussy will continue to give those living at J.P pleasure for the rest of her days. We were lucky enough to share her company.
Thursday, November 10, 2005: The Ants, Mosquitos, Pussy and Me
Time moves on and the days melt by; we are slaves to our lethargy. Ants, there are ants all over our balcony and mosquitoes too. The ants get in our beds, in our clothes and munch on all exposed skin. A single crumb or fragment of crisp is enough for an entire army to infiltrate our hut. Column upon column of the red devils march in relentlessly until they are discovered and beaten from our home with a broom.
Pussy continues to lose weight as we maintain our strict no-feeding-of-solids policy. Every morning she mews pitifully, desperate for sustenance, something, anything. We do not relent or waver in our resolve, though; it's for her own good, you must understand. Her hips protrude like jagged mountains from her deteriorating Tortoise Shell coat, her mews growing weaker by the day. 'Poor beast' we say as we trot down to the restaurant for a slap-up meal and coconut shake.
While Ben completes his Open Water Scuba course with the Buddha View dive crew, Jamie spends his days exploring the island, zipping around on his 'Dream', prying into the smallest corners of the island. Bays of crystal blue, fringed with sweeping hills, flush with the drooping, gently swaying palms that bathe in the glory of a cloudless Thai sky. Brightly-coloured coral, Parrot Fish, Banner Fish, Angel Fish and even a Giant Turtle have all been spotted at one point or another.
Its a marvellous time for team FWE; with the bikes out of sight they really are out of mind. The days unfold, here on the rock, around a loose pattern, central to which is our date at 'Croissant' the French bakery in Mae Haad that celebrates a daily 'Happy Hour' at 5pm. Earl Grey tea, fresh pastries of the most exquisite taste and texture, toast, jam, and Ben's personal favorite, the lemon slice, are all served with a smile and a half-price tag.
Come the evening after the sun has set, we retire to the balcony for fine whiskeys, beer, chat and music. At the summit of the hill we rule the bay, surveying our twinkling kingdom below and proclaiming ourselves to be the luckiest folk on earth. Life is just about perfect!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005: Settled on a hill by a bay with a cat
The wanderers cease to wander, for a short period of time, that is. For the rest of November a small residence -a little hut (Number 27) with a balcony, on the side of a green hill, looking over a bay of long-tailed boats, boulders and beach -currently belongs to us for one month. We made payment in advance to the big boss of the family of employees at J.P Resort to secure ourselves a better than half-price deal.
Two motorbikes are ours now too, also for one month. Their price - another special deal for settled wanderers - is a little less than 1 pound sterling per day. They are called Honda Dreams, not the most masculine of vehicles, especially when their slogan is 'supreme elegance'. They serve a purpose.
One day whilst drinking a delicious beverage and looking over the gorgeous bay, a persistent, unpleasant, whining, meowing sound shattered our reverie, and there, on the top step stood a sorry bag of bones. The cat had a fine tortoise-shell coat and eyes that said "feed me now damn it, I'm famished". Jamie popped off to prepare the cat a little something, while Ben stared at the cat and the cat stared back at Ben, all the while letting out the most dreadful sounds. "It's all right," said Jamie in a cooing voice, "there you are," and he set down a travel saucepan lid full of what looked like milk. "What's that?" I asked. "Coffee Mate," said Jamie. The cat lapped in up in seconds and demanded more with its dreadful meow. "Quick, give it some more!" I yelled. From that point on we've had a furry friend to add even more to the domestic flavour of hut 27. I should expect that 'Pussy' -as we've named her- will be lying curled up in a ball on the door mat right now, as I type.
Most of our time here on Turtle Island is spent with a snorkel, underwater with thousands of beautiful, vividly-coloured, psychadelic tropical fish that surround you and nibble at your mosquito bite scabs. Outside this underwater world you may find us on the beach, absentmindedly drawing in the sand, or reading a book.
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