Where The Stars Meet The Sea

My interpretation of the memorable ferry ride in pencil

We decided to leave Koh Tao on an impulse. Can’t quite advocate unplanned ventures or adventures but more than often have gone that way! Undeniably, it has failed me a few times. Nonetheless, the apparent escapist in me said, that planning and then failing is more defeating than not planning and failing! Or better still an unexpected result, win or fail is perhaps more gratifying than an expected one. Well, philosophies aside, we elected to head south.

Sunset at Koh Tao. Koh (Island) Tao (Turtle) Turtle Island is a beautiful island in the Chumphon Archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand. It is much known for its Scuba diving resorts. Though small it is a nice getaway for 4-5 days with serene beaches, a colorful local market,  and decent eateries. 

A few many knocks on the doors of half a dozen travel agencies finally got us two last-minute tickets for the night ferry to Surat Thani. The ferry was a complete chock-a-block! 8 in the night the little port seemed alive with festive exuberance. There were few Thai natives and a swarm of enthusiastic young Western tourists. Most of them were in their early twenties, I presumed. I could hear the excitement and eager introductions going around. ‘Hiya! I am John from the UK..oh kool I am Monica from Switzerland. A German couple… A group of students from France. Wow! The world had just come to a small South Asian port at this hour of the night.

Our big bags were stowed away in the cargo section with number slips handed out and then we boarded in a queue (I make a particular mention of this pleasant word because it's such a rarity in my part of the world, unfortunately!). On the basis of first come first serve, some got the cabins with beds and I muttered in my mind ‘Jeez what a miss!’ only to realize in the next hour, that it was a miss worth well.  The next in the queue were given mattresses and pillows and the final last-minute-ers including us got coir mats and the invaluable instruction to find ourselves a place (if we can) to safely rest our butts!

We were on the topmost deck. It was clean though crammed with people, drinking, laughing, and merrymaking; seemed like a partying cruise. Scampering through the crowd and dodging the carefree passengers sitting on the deck floor with beer bottles in their hands, we finally managed to get ourselves to a strip of vacant space exactly in front of the engine room. 

What lay before us was the last railing protectively separating us from the endless starry sky and the endless gurgling sea - almost inviting us to dive into that seeming limitlessness. I wasn’t sure if the gooseflesh bespoke the chill breeze brushing against the skin or the hypnotic panorama in front of my eyes. We spread the mat, leaned against the backpacks, and wrapped the stole around. The chill had started to pinch. Yes! it wasn’t a dream.

Countless stars had irradiated the clear January sky. The sea was calm, the air bore the moist seaweed smell, and often times I could hear the waves splash against the ferry walls. Before long I was in a trance. For the next many hours, while time stood still, I sat reminiscing and reflecting on all the myriad moments gone past in the last many years. Maybe this is how close one can get to peace. A quarry we pursue so relentlessly to actually chase it away most often.

Suddenly, the ship's haunting horn blasted through the dead silence of the night interrupting my introspection. I could see distant lights moving….another ferry….carrying another traveler from another distant land to another distant destination.. who might be wondering quite like me, 'Perhaps this is where the stars meet the sky!'