My Anthony Bourdain Moment

An impactful experience fueled by adventure, kindness and gratitude

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A few years ago I felt stuck and had a calling to go do a solo-trip around Asia. I knew I wanted to go to experience large city as well as beaches + scuba diving so I booked round trip tickets in and out of Hong Kong. Once I was there, some new friends recommended I check out Thailand for beaches and scuba diving, specifically Koh Lipe which is a tiny island off the coast of Malaysia known for coral reef diving.

a little geography

On the way to Koh Lipe I stayed in the Phi Phi islands for one night and booked a hotel that seemed to be on-top of the bell shaped curve of cost and quality. I didn’t really have anything I wanted to do in Phi Phi other than hike to the top of this trail that overlooked the islands. When I checked into the hotel, there were two Thai women working the front desk. One was a bit older than me, and the other a bit younger, and it was clear that the younger one had a big crush. They were very sweet and asked if I wanted to go to the local beach with them for sunset after my hike - I agreed.

at the top of the hike overlooking the main beaches of Phi Phi

We met in the lobby and went to check out the local beach for sunset. We got to the beach, walked around for a bit and made small talk.

new friends on the beach for sunset

After the beach they invited me to join them for dinner and I accepted. The older of the two said she was making green curry crab and needed to go back to their place to do the final prep. The younger one and I wandered town in the meantime - we grabbed a couple of sides, including durian which is their local fruit delicacy that smells like a hockey bag but remarkably tastes OK.

To my surprise we set up shop to eat on the sidewalk near one of the docks. Over dinner they told me about their lives. They both were from about 12 hours away from Phi Phi and had moved to the island for work. At home their conditions seemed humble but nice - they had loving parents and siblings, they grew their own food and made their own cloths. While working at the hotel however, they slept 2 - 3 to a bed and worked for an entire month straight before getting a few days off. Since both of them were so far away from home, they were not able to go see their families during their breaks.

green curry crab with our hands on the sidewalk (with a seating mat)

They asked me questions as well about my family, my friends, what I like to do for fun and my dreams - it was warm and refreshing. Throughout the night I had many moments where I felt emotionally stirred - here were two people that had very little by material standards and didn’t give a shit about any of the things I had given a shit about my entire life - they didn’t care about school, work, money, traveling, parties, being cool, superficial relationships - they were happy and showed love for me for no reason at all. There was something so simple about it that broke me open. We went for a walk after dinner before splitting up. The next morning before leaving the hotel they presented me with a dream catcher that they made for me as a token of our friendship.

Two of the most important things to me are kindness and beauty - at a pivotal point in my life, these women made imprints on my heart with their presence and pure humanness. It was a reminder of how the simple things are the most important.

If anything resonates with you, let me know by reaching out or leaving a comments.

i still have the dream catcher - it is one of my prized possessions and a reminder of the kindness received from these friends