Originally posted on September 18th, 2006

Eight days have passed since I arrived on Koh Tao, an island located southeast of Chumphon in the Gulf of Thailand. I first thought I would only spend four to five days on the island, next bought tickets that were going to keep me here for nine, then pushed everything back a week so that I could obtain my Open Water and Advanced Open Water Diving Certification (capitals are mine). Of course, other factors that contributed to my extended stay include more time with the fantastic fellow ralliers of Team Aspiritus, Pix and Miles, the amazing group of friends I’ve met on the island since the day of my arrival, a chance encounter with a college friend, and the opportunity to swim with the sharks 30m below the surface.

So it’s with a bittersweet mentality that I write this post. I could not have imagined the time spent here so far - whether passing out in AC Bar’s bathroom and having my money courteously removed from my pockets or spending time in conversation with a fellow human who previously knew not of my existence and vice versa, and getting along with them in a fashion that only world travels could allow. I realize that my view of Koh Tao is heavily tilted toward a romantic ideal that I simply can’t maintain or contain. I can’t stay here forever and I can’t keep others. I also can’t take it home with me. What I can do is make the most of my time, make the most of the friendships forged, and move on knowing that something special did take place. I may not have the photos to prove it, but I’ve got something better anyway.

It’s strange that I sit here and pay for time to pass when I could easily move away from the computer and spend the rest of my time in a manner much more fitting for the end of a trip around the world. What is that manner? If you know, please tell me, because I’m so tied up that it pains me some just to think about it. I’ve seen the potential for a life of varied experiences and I know that home holds the standards and potential as well. Is it the finite nature of life that makes each event so meaningful? Is it knowing that we never know when or where or how our lives will unfold that makes the good so good and the bad able to be dealt with? Is it having so many questions and nearly no real answers? Or am I deluding myself and trying to hold on to something when letting it go would make it more rewarding?

I can’t say.

I leave Koh Tao this Friday and eventually make it back to Chicago on Wednesday. It has been very good to be here; it will be good to get home. This whole thing has got me wondering, though - what else is out there? If you feel like finding out, give this new world traveler a note. And I want you to know that it was one of my greatest pleasures to meet you here and now.

Vaughn