A Monkey and Her Backpack: a year in review (Part 2)

KOH PHANGAN

on the ferry to Koh Phangan

I arrived into Koh Phangan the end of September and I honestly didn't think I would be staying very long.  As fate would have it, I absolutely fell in love with the island and the opportunities that arose were ones I'd always wanted to explore: teaching contact improvisation, mediation, spirituality, diving, and so much more.  I felt the desire to immerse myself in this place and really explore the possibilities the island had to offer.  It was 7 months before I decided to leave the island and continue my travels.

In order to stay on the island, I of course needed some kind of income.  I didn't have much and I didn't need much; a roof over my head and food in my belly was sufficient.

who says you can't do CI at dinner??

The thing that inspired me to stay on the island was the ability to teach contact improvisation.  I ended up teaching an impromptu class when I met with Tatiana, the mutual friend of a friend.  The class loved what I'd done and asked if I could do more.  Tatiana was wonderful enough to let me stay in her place while I figured myself out on where I could teach and a job so I could live on the island.  I ended up teaching at two different locations as time allowed.  It's funny though, my first class was a disaster...no one came!!  I was frustrated but not discouraged and just took it as a learning experience.  Word spread and I had some lovely classes and jams while on the island.

my first poster I made as PR

working the bar on St. Patrick's Day

I ended up finding two very different job opportunities through two very different means.  I first found a bartending gig through a conversation Tatianta had with the owner of a resort while standing in line at the immigration office.  The only catch was I wasn't needed until the high season which started in the middle of December.  This was when I found the position of PR staff at a tantra/yoga school.  My job quickly became events manager and I took over bringing in and marketing new workshops and events at the school.  It was a rewarding and yet stressful job in major part because I was living at the school while I worked there.  As many of you know, I tend to take my work home with me as it is, so this was an even more difficult task.  I learned about many new types of meditation and healing and also about the lights and shadows of the spiritual community.  Unfortunately due to personality clashes, I cut my time at the school short and focused on self care and diving, a decision I don't regret.

Working at Seaflower Bungalows at their bar called Heaven (come on, who wouldn't love to say they get to work in Heaven every night?) located right on the beach, it was a relaxing and social job.  I met people from all over the world and perfected my caprinhia cocktail.  ::chuckle::  With beautiful beach sunsets every night and the occasional seafood BBQ, this was a dream job.  Like any bartending gig, the hours were crazy but I met so many people and built so many lasting relationships that staying up till 4am was well worth it.  I love my Seaflower family!!!

my first scooter!!

While on the island, I didn't just learn new things while on the job.  I also learned how to drive a scooter!!!  Cars aren't very popular in Thailand other than to transport goods and this is true even more so on the islands.  So Kira had to get on one of the back of these and eventually learn to drive so I wouldn't have to bum rides.  When I decided to stay on Koh Phangan for a while, I actually bought a scooter and then sold it at face value when I left again.  This is a pretty typical course of action for farangs staying long-term.

jellyfish sting my first day  :-(

motorbike accident and still smiling

Now an adventure wouldn't be an adventure without some physical mishaps on my part.  I tried to keep things on the down low until I'd recovered so as not to freak out the parents.  Shhhhh!!!  But they know I'd tell them if anything major was going on (right Mom and Dad??).  Anyway, true to form I was stung by a jellyfish my first day on Koh Phangan about 10 minutes after getting into the water for the first time.  Of course no one knew had to actually handle stings (including the locals running the front desk of my hostel) so I just waited it out and listened to music to distract from the pain.  NO, people!  I did NOT let anyone pee on me.  ::chuckle::  The air con at the 7/11 became my best friend and I actually went out dancing that night at the jungle party.  The jellyfish stings made for some pretty cool designs as it healed too.

Next was the UTI from hell which you can read in my other post Always an Adventure.  I then got in a motorbike accident a few weeks after buying my bike in late October.  Luckily it was just me involved but it was still a scary situation.  My brakes froze going down a steep hill that had a sharp turn and lots of gravel around a hole where construction had been happening earlier in the month.  Basically all the cards were stacked against me.  I was going down; it was just a question of when.  I had never been so grateful to contact improv with learning to fall correctly as I naturally protected my head and expanded my surface area when the bike finally tipped.  I had a lot more scratches but not nearly as deep if I'd had a small point of impact.  The worst was my side where the gravel shredded my skin.  I have a nice Koh Phangan tattoo now to show off when I wear my bikini.  ::chuckle::

birthday celebration at the Chocolate House

the closest I could get to a turkey on Thanksgiving

New Year's Eve buffet YUM!!!

Being abroad also meant celebrating the holidays island/Thai style.  I think the hardest part was not being around my friends and family during these different moments.  I made some wonderful friends but there is something to be said about family traditions at Christmas and a night on the town with my gals on New Year's Eve.

I also celebrated local festivals such as Loy Krathong, Songkran, the Colormoon Festival, and of course the infamous Full Moon Party.  You can read about my crazy experience in the bodypainting competition at the Colormoon festival HERE.

Many people confused Loy Krathong with the light festival which occurs in Chaing Mai around the same time.  This festival is also known as the floating lights festival, giving thanks to the ocean which provides so many gifts to the island.  We each light lanterns made from wood or coconut shells, decorated with banana leaves, flowers, and incense, and release them into the water.  You are supposed to leave a little of yourself with the lantern as part of the gift (a bit of hair, a fingernail).  With the intention to let go of the past and make a wish for the future, you set out the lantern in the present.  It was a beautiful experience both in having my own lantern and sharing this festival with locals and travelers alike.

Songkran is the Thai New Year and is celebrated with water... a lot of water.  I don't have many pictures from it.  In fact my camera had an unfortunate incident in which my dry bag sprung a leak.  ::sad face::  It still works but I can't use the display anymore.  Anyway, the water is meant to symbolize washing away the past year and starting fresh.  In present day, it has become an opportunity to use water guns, buckets, and hoses to soak those around you.  It doesn't matter if you're on a scooter or just walking down the street; NO ONE is safe!  ::laughs::  Locals will also mix water with a colored corn starch base and swipe on your face as a kind of blessing.  It was a great time even with the rain (the universe's joke on a day of water games).

my lantern for Loy Krathong

3rd Full Moon party

my first Full Moon party

body painting competition at the Colormoon Festival

Diving was something I've wanted to do for many years but despite my many wanderings, I've never lived near large bodies of water.  ::chuckle::  So living on a tropical island and near the top dive site in the Gulf of Thailand, I could finally take the plunge.  ::grin::  I went to Koh Tao for a week to get my Open Water certifcation.  It's known as the island to go if you want to dive and this monkey is always up for an extra adventure.  As recommended by a friend, I trained with French Kiss Divers.  I also want to send out a massive THANK YOU again to all of you who helped make this experience possible.  It was one of the most surreal, soul-inspiring experiences of my life.  To be underwater with a feeling of weightlessness, surrounded by brightly colored fish and coral, and the peaceful silence of only your breath in your ear....it was a practice in meditation I plan on doing as much as possible for as long as my body allows.  The dive shop was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn to dive while on Koh Tao.  Will, Oz, and the rest of the gang made my stay truly special and I was sad to say goodbye, but my new bartending job was calling.

my group with French Kiss Divers

Photo courtesy of Ian Hamilton Photography

Back on Koh Phangan, I started diving with Haad Yao Divers.  I discovered micro diving; nudibranchs and shrimp get me about excited as a giant school of barracuda!!  My fellow divers just sometimes just shake their heads with a grin.   I eventually was also able to get up to my Rescue Diver certificate when money and time allowed.  The more I have been in the water and shared the experience with friends, I've realized I want to do this professionally and slowly (much slower than I'd like!) I am working towards owning all of my own equipment and getting the training I need to work in a dive shop.  Even a bad day of diving is better than a great day in the office.  ::grin::






I had many other adventures during my time on Koh Phangan.  A group of us climb to Khao Ra, the highest point on the island.  A 3 hour hike through a jungle and probably the most interesting aspect was wearing shoes for the first time in 4 months.  I had blisters for weeks!!  I also introduced locals and travelers alike to jello shots (or jelly shots as Europeans call them).  It's rather funny to share these during my travels and see each person's expression.  ::chuckle::

JELLO (JELLY) SHOTS!!!!

Fire show on Sairee Beach, Koh Tao

Khao Ra, the highest point on Koh Phangan

While on Koh Phangan, I also had to do 2 visa runs to Penang and 2 visa extensions on Koh Samui.  You can read about my first adventure to Penang HERE My second time was eventful in a different kind of way.  By a random series of events, I missed getting to the visa office on the first day by 2 minutes and so had to stay almost a week instead of the planned 3 days.  On the bright side, it gave me an opportunity to explore Georgetown a bit more.  I also met some wonderful locals who took me for a few nights on the town.  Let me know if you want more details on those crazy nights.  ::wink::

Trying to figure out where we are.   Penang, Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia

Unfortunately my time on Koh Phangan drew to a close in April as the high season ended.  I had found a new love of diving and wanted to pursue it further.  I was also ready to move on and experience more of what the world had to offer.  It was a hard decision as I'd made many dear friends on the island.  My final night was a celebration of getting my rescue diver certificate, another diver getting his DM, and my goodbye to the island.  There were a lot of drinks, seafood to put in the belly, and even some slightly drunken tap dancing (I still need to put up the video).  ;-)  And as tradition of the island, I lit my first and last paper lantern.  And in typical Kira-fashion, I also broke tradition by having all the friends around me help to send it off.

my "goodbye lantern"

And so my stay on Koh Phangan ended.  I was off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to figure out my next move.  The world was once again my oyster and Monkey was hungry!!  Stay tuned for Part 3 to catch up on the remainder of my first year abroad.

**Please Note: All Photos are Property of Kira Zebroski**
unless credited otherwise

Colormoon Festival 2014

The Colormoon Festival back in the beginning of December was happening as a way to bring more positive attention to the island (rather than all those crazy Full Moon parties and the stigma that came with a “40,000-drunken-tourists night of debauchery”).  One of my friends tagged me a few other gals in a post for a woman looking for models.  There was a body painting competition happening that night and they needed bodies...literally.  The fact they were also going to pay 1500B for a model wasn’t a bad thing either.  ::grin::  I got the details from the gal, cleared my schedule, aaaaand Let’s Do This!!!  

Photo property of Kira Zebroski

A couple of gals I knew also showed up and the group totaled about 9 of us, all farangs (foreigners) and women.  They ushered us into an air conditioned room and we relaxed with bottles of water.  About 10 minutes later, a group of Thai guys walked in and one was wearing slacks and a white polo shirt.  This fact alone made the guy unusual.  I noticed he has some writing on his shirt and reading it, realized it said Tourist Police.  I then looked up to his face and SHIT! I knew the guy!

Side Story Time:

So about a month ago I had to go pick up one of the new students for Samma Karuna at the pier.  Not a new thing but this time I was holding a piece of paper with their name and Samma Karuna typed on it (a way for them to identify I was their ride).  Standing at the pier with the sign and suddenly there’s this guy next to me starting to rapid-fire question me.  “What’s your name? Where are you working at?  Where’s your work visa?  Why are you here?  Where’s your work visa?  How long have you been here for?  Where’s your work visa?”  I’m sensing a theme here.  I was flustered and trying to figure out what the hell is going on when I saw on his shirt he’s with the Tourist Police.  I tried to answer his questions as honestly as possible without going to jail or getting deported.  “I’m just another student.  I’m not working.  Helping out a friend to pick up another student.  We just do yoga and stuff.  I’m not working.  I’m just on vacation.  I’m not working.”  He continued to pester me with questions and left with a jab of his finger that the next time he saw me, he wanted to see my work visa.

Back to the Colormoon Festival.  In case you haven’t figured it out...this was the same guy!!  I started freaking out.  ::covering face with hand, slouching down, just trying to not attract attention::  I was suddenly worried this was a tourist trap.  They were just waiting for us to take the money so they can throw us in jail and deport us.  The guy was standing with his hands behind his back and surveying the crowd.  Total cop stance.

Pre-painted face

Photo property of Kira Zebroski

Everyone sat down and waited for a bit.  A guy then assigned each of us girls a number and when he started to go to the men for them to pick out a number, I had this horrifying suspicion.  He’s one of the painters!!  There are 9 painters and 11 models.  I had pretty good odds in getting one of the other artists, right?  I was sitting there, thinking Anyone but him.  Come on, anyone but him.  They got to him…. “Number 3.”  F*#k!!!!!!!

I walked up to him and we shook hands.  We introduced ourselves (don’t ask me to remember his name.  I was freaking out too much) and he paused at my name.  Shit!  He remembers!  Lying just seemed like a bad idea so I just glossed over details as he asked some basic information.  Probably innocent enough questions but my mind was racing to not giving away anything incriminating.  He asked me what I had to wear and I showed him some different tops.  He picked one and I rushed to change.  When he asked about my bottoms, I had a limited selection.  He chose my bikini bottoms but they didn’t match the top so I had to change again.  By then end, I’m standing in my swimsuit.  The girls around me were getting dressed down also.  Some apparently didn’t wear/bring swimsuits but luckily everyone was wearing underwear.  ::chuckle::  I had wondered if they’d ask us to go topless but I figured with the Thai culture, this probably wasn’t going to happen.  I figured out how they got around this fact when one of the painters started painting over the girl’s clothes.  ::shrug::  Guess I was happy I had no attachment to how my swimsuit looks when I go to the beach.  :-)

He looked at me briefly, squinting and moving to different angles.  He nodded and then quickly started to paint.  He hesitated before he put the first splash of paint on, airbrushing before he took a deep breath and put it to “canvas”.  It was kind of endearing.  He started with my face and it was an odd feeling.  Where do I look?

I glanced around and noticed sketches he had of different underwater creatures: turtles, squid, a diver, and more.  He had some outlined on a female figure too.  They were good!  There weren’t any mirrors and so I had no idea what I looked like.  People would stop and nod with a smile or take pictures.  I saw the rest of the girls first getting changed and then turned this way and that before the artists finally started painting.  Most of my face was already covered by that point.  He wasn’t shy with the paint and so as my skin became more and more covered, my movement became more and more restricted.  I didn’t want the paint to crack and ruin all his hard work.

Photo property of Kira Zebroski

They interrupted the artists’ work to have all the models practice our “runway walk.”  They had a woman who was obviously a model take us through our paces.  As a result, there are so many random pictures and videos of half naked, half painted farang women practicing their haughty walks.  Let’s just say the guys seem to really be enjoying the practice.  My cop artist was even loosening up, telling me I had a very good walk.  ::chuckle::

I stayed standing for the majority of the time, turning as he’d motion this way or that.  He was very precise and focused.  Can’t imagine why.  ;-)  They fed us at one point and it was the most awkward thing as I couldn’t move my arms very far or open my mouth very wide.  People were entertained though so at least I was putting on a show.  A woman came and asked my artist about how come he started painting so quickly compared to the rest of the painters.  He said he just looked at my body and knew what to do.  Awww!!!

Photo property of Kira Zebroski

While painting me, I learned a few things about my cop-artist.  He was also a painter.  Watercolors.  He’d never painted a person before.  He also asked me questions and I did my best to be honest without saying anything incriminating.  Always on my toes!  He also got up close and personal with my swimsuit.  We’d realized after a girl was painted, her clothes would shift and then skin would show, disrupting the line of the paintings.  He decided to get around this by painting under my bathing suit.  He yoinked the back of my bottoms and painted it black, both the top and the sides.  And then he did the same for the front.  All I could think was “I’m so glad I shaved!”  ::laugh::

He was definitely a perfectionist, painting down to the wire.  They counted down the last 30 minutes and he became more and more anxious, making little touch ups here and there.  In the end, he was the first to start and the last to finish.  6 ½ hours of painting.  I was covered from the top of my head down to my ankles and still had no idea what I looked like.  They drove us to the festival but he’d painted my butt last (he realized he hadn’t put anything there) and it was still wet.  So I stood in the truck and waved to people as we passed them.  The looks on their faces were priceless!

Photo property of Kira Zebroski

We arrived at the stage and I had one of the girls videotape me so I could see what I looked like.  It was first time I’d seen everything.  WOW!! Click Here

The competition started and we did our runway walks.  Our first walk. They also changed things and had us walk a second time with our artists.  They also had the artist describe his/her paintings and their inspiration.  We seemed in sync, walking and turning together, holding hands as we walked.  In the end, we didn’t win or even make the top 3.  I was surprised.  Come on, who doesn’t want to win?  He told me why as we walked out.  He’s a cop and so can’t win, but I was the winner in his heart.  Again...Awwww!

Some of my friends came to see the competition.  They didn’t recognize me underneath all that paint.  I was telling one of them, Filippo, about my artist and being the tourist police and suddenly there he was!  He pointed to both of us “you are friends?”  And then began asking questions “Where are you from?  Where are you staying?  How long have you been here?”  I then explained what I’d been telling them about the painting process and he nodded.  He stood another minute with us and the walked off.  Whew!!  Filippo and I laughed.  He’d been terrified he was about to be hauled away in handcuffs, but I had learned it was just a part of his personality.  I asked my fellow models for their contact information and my cop-artist seemed to be disappointed when I didn’t ask for his.  I was tempted but I just couldn’t bring myself to share contact information with the police.  I didn’t want to find out what would happen if he was put in a position of choosing between me and the law in case I lost.

Photo property of Kira Zebroski

The models were all paid and taken back to the resort where our bikes were.  A couple of us went out to the 3 Monkeys bar where they had black lights.  I can only imagine what people thought when they saw a blue creature driving around the island in the dark.  Aliens!!  I was tempted to leave the paint until the following morning and greet people at work in my getup but that stuff was starting to itch.  It only took about 20 minutes and a lot of scrubbing to get it all off.  It was fun turning the bathroom different colors.  But I was clean again!

And so ended another day in Thailand.  Cheers!