The Frog Prince of Ko Jum

January 27, 2011.

The exchange is to take place in the open sea. Our worries, however, fade fast when we read the names of the longtail boats coming for the pick up. Freedom, Joy, SunSmile....how can we go wrong? Golden Pearl catches our eye. We notice a family on board along with a friendly looking boatman. He turns out to be Chang and he steers us to a stretch of beach dotted with coconut palms and orange lanterns dangling from bamboo rods. Our hut is rustic but comfortable- 2 mattresses with mosquito nets, a cold shower, toilet and a broom to sweep the veranda. We add a clothesline to the palm tree. Bella soon makes friends with our neigbour Laura, a friendly young lady with strings of shells dangling from her veranda. Bella is keen to start making chimes for our abode. We soon discover that the beach is littered with shells and coral washed up by the waves. The water is refreshing in the hot sun and we are soon doing starfish floats in the salty waters. The beach becomes our classroom today. We write the alphabet in the sand and make up math problems with shells. We look for alphabet shapes in the coral and discover that Y and V are the most common. A red hammock becomes our book room. Mark's reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, I'm enjoying Wade Davis' The Wayfinders and Geronimo still tops Bella's reading list these days. Swaying in the hammock, making sandcastles and wading in the waters occupies our afternoons. We are then treated to a brilliant sunset with Ko Phi Phi on the horizon. The sweet light of dusk catches our silhouettes as we wander the beach. Even I am adjusting well to the laid back tempo of this island. Agenda and activity are no longer priorities. The only monkey chatter left is from a troop of gibbons cracking crabs on the rocky outcrops by our guesthouse. Supper is tasty with fried rice, curries and noodles. A frozen Kit Kat satisfies our sweet tooth. The orange lanterns now glow in the night sky and neon lights festively wrap round the coconut palms while Bob Marley plays in the background. We head to the beach and set off the 'rocket laucher' that we bought back in Bangkok. The LED light blinks away as Mark, with his sling shot expertise, shoots it high into the night sky. With helicopter wings, it whirls down for us to catch. Bella is thrilled. Cheap nightly entertainment. One evening we are treated to a fire show put on by the nice lad who brings us our food. He turns up the tunes on his motorbike and ignites two balls of fire on chains. He swirls and whirls with the flames. Occasionally, he blow out flames from his mouth resulting in loud applause. Eight year old Muk, a chubby cute girl who lives at the Golden Pearl, follows suite and dazzles us with her fire skills. Obviously, the health and safety commission is non-existent in these parts. Muk also drives her own motorcycle to school. With the mozzies out in full force now, we make an early retreat beneath our mosquito nets. We are awaken in the early dawn by the call to prayer from the nearby mosque. The days continue here on the low key setting. Excitement mounts when a golden tree snake is discovered in one of the bungalows. Mental note to check our hut regularly but we are only greeted by the occasional coakroach, fuzzy hornet and scrambling geckos. The geckos are welcome visitors although they leave a scatter of gecko poop on our mosquito nets. Another burst of adrenalin happens when Bella spots another golden tree snake in the hollows of the bamboo swing. The gigantic swing hangs between two palm trees on which we enjoy our daily rides. Bella tells Chang that a snake is huddled inside the bamboo. Chang pulls it but only manages to get its tail. We back off. Eventually, the snake makes its way out and into the grasses. We decide to explore Ko Jum on motorbike and ride like a Thai family. Bella, in front, is takes her duty seriously to honk at the roosters, monkeys and dogs crossing. Mark drives with steady hand and I hang on in the back. A few paved sections lend to a smooth ride but most of the island is unpaved. We pass by rubber trees and stop to see how the rubber is tapped and then pressed. I drop by a Thai classroom to discover a chatty and lively bunch of Grade 5 girls having lunch. I give them Canada stickers and they practice their English on me. Thai spirit houses protect the residences along the way. They are decorated with garlands of white jasmine and yellow marigolds along with offerings of rice, sweets, tea, coconut milk and red Fanta. At the end of the road, we discover an even quieter stretch of beach. A cyclist from Romania is fixing his bicycle tube and Bella spots a hut selling ice cream. We play on the rope swings and enjoy the cool treats. A hermit crab joins our company. Some afternoons, the rains cool us off. It begins with a whisper in the breeze, then a rustle in the palms. We feel the temperature drop and a shadowy curtain darkens the beach. The sun is eclipsed behind the clouds and a few drops begin to fall. Store owners have already moved their wares in and you witness a peculiar scene of people riding motorbikes with umbrellas in one hand. You seek shelter fast because the monsoons rains fall fast and hard. Mark and Bella stay in the waters one afternoon as the rains pour down. They delight as the drops dance like diamonds off the waves. Needless to say, it is hard to say goodbye to Ko Jum. We hear a 'eek!' as Bella puts on her running shoes one morning. She is greeted with the combined emotions of surprise, shock, and delight to find a frog inside her shoe. We tease her to kiss the frog prince of Ko Jum. She's not a taker this time. The frog hops off the stairs and we leave the island wondering, what if?...