Thanks to Water...

Loi Khraton... our offerings.
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We arrived on the small island of Koh Tao after 23 1/2 hours of straight traveling.  We are in great need of a nice sandy beach and some clear waters.  This is the place to be.  Our own little paradise.

Chicken fights.  Watch dogs.  Bungalows.  Jungle.  Nature everywhere.  These six days will be something worth remembering for many years to come.  The first night was spent in the tourist town of Ban Mae Haad.  A good place for meeting other travelers and being completely surrounded by tourists.  We were quite nervous about what was to come after seeing how touristy this little town has become.  After some research, we decide to leave the next morning and set out for some privacy.  Little did we know just how much privacy we were going to be granted.

hiking in koh tao
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The excursion to the southern tip of the island began with frustration towards boat taxi's trying to charge way too much money.  We finally had a taker... a drunk thai man that was lying in a hammock under the pier agreed to take us where we wanted to go.  We sat and waited for him as we watched several other travelers hop into boat taxis and take right off.  (I guess there is a small benefit to paying more).  Our dear friend had to swim out to his boat that was filled with water.  We then proceeded to wait while he emptied the boat with one small plastic detergent container.  There was doubt in all of our minds that he was even the owner of this boat... that's still not clear.  We wait.  He continues to wave to us to reassure us that we will be taking off soon.  He then looks around numerous times and slyly swims over to another boat.  Hops in, looks around and hops back out.  Looks around and swims to another boat.  Jumps in and proceeds to take a can of petrol from this owner.  He finally gets the boat to us, we hop in and make it safely to our destination.  Moondance.

Chris and Bateman on the water taxi
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Moondance is a small little strip of private beach on a hill in the middle of nowehere.  There are ten bungalows... all of which are hidden in the trees, so that you can't see one from another.  This little paradise was about a twenty minute walk from a main town where we could grab our water and snacks.  For the next three days our lives consisted of lying on the beach, eating, snorkeling, reading and writing.  Oh, and don't forget the card games.

While staring out at the full moon, sitting on our porch I realized that never again in my life will I be surrounded by such beauty.  Never have I ever looked out into the ocean to only see one boat floating in the water.  I could see for miles and there was not one sign of life to be found.  A still night on the ocean.

river taxi driver
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After three days of this bliss we agreed to skip out on leaving for Koh Phangnan and the infamous Full Moon Party.  A sight worth seeing, but it could hardly compare to having one's own private beach.  We hike back into Mae Haad to celebrate the Full Moon and take part in the Loi Khraton Festival.  Little did we know that we would become such a part of this event.

While eating lunch this woman and her fellow friends try to communicate with us about the beautiful khraton that they are making.  It seems to look like a crown of flowers with a candle and some incense.  They are absolutely beautiful and each one is completely different from the next.  We come to understand that there is a celebration once a year for the water and that the locals flock to the water all night, light their khraton's and let them float away.  We are intrigued.  We decide to make our own, but out of coconut shells.

noon... all smiles.
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Later in the evening Laureen stumbles across a woman that is willing to help us make our Khraton's.  We spend the next couple of hours around a small table filled with banana leafs and flowers constructing our very own celebratory floating devices.  As I poke fun at my brother's ability to build such a beautiful floral centerpiece, a man rides by on his moto laughing at us.  He stops and decides to share some more tips with us.  We thank him and he drives away to a local bar that he works at.  The women that are helping us, Meow and Noo-ee, share the guidelines that we must follow.  You must include three incense sticks (each representing yourself, Buddha, and the King), ten toenail clippings and ten fingernail clippings, seven strands of hair and a small offering of money.  We are told to clean/shower and take the offering to the ocean before midnight, walk into the water and pray, push our khraton into the sea (this symbolizes releasing one's bad spirits and also acts as an offering to water) and watch it float away.  When I feel finished with my work, I decide that I want to learn more.  I can't stop soaking up this new idea.  I walk over to my moto friend at the bar and ask him all the questions that one can think of.  I gather that this is a celebration for Nature and Water.  Water is seen as the "Protector" in thai culture and we need to take one day out of the year to remind ourselves how much nature/water play a role in our daily lives.  We construct the khraton to give thanks and make an offering for the water.  You can only use all natural materials (no plastic, etc.) b/c you don't want to taint the water.  He reminds me numerous times to place my nail clippings in before going to the ocean and make sure that I clean (at this point, I'm starting to wonder if I forgot deodorant).

view from our bungalow
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We clean and prepare our offerings.  Set out all smiles down the beach.  Every thai person that we cross path's with is impressed and overjoyed by our offerings.  They stop and ask us questions... making sure that we have taken the proper steps.  We are the envy of many tourists.  At the pier there is a large festival going on, music, dancing, floating candles in the ocean and a great wealth of beer.  You can't do anything without Beer Chang here.

We run into our dutch friends and the woman that helped us make our khraton.  We all set out to sea and pray.  (This is where I get all gushy).  Never in my life have I prayed and felt it so strongly.  There was some new connection made between standing knee deep in water holding this work of art that was created with all good intentions.  As I watched it float away I had a rush of emotion and a tear fell from my eye.  Apparently I wasn't the only one.  Our five year-old buddy Hector was crying immensely because his Khraton had tipped over in the ocean and he was afraid that now his dreams wouldn't come true.  Truth be told, I would have had the same reaction if mine had tipped over.

moondance.
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The night continued from there... dancing, eating, drinking... just enjoying all that was surrounding us.  I will never look at a full moon the same again.  I have also promised my moto friend that I will bring this celebration of water back to the states.