Saturday, October 2, 2010

the dark side of the moon

local time: saturday, october 2, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

i attended ko phangan's half moon party last night.  it was fantastic!  the dj's were great and played a heady mix of techno, house, and psychedelic trance music.  there were beautiful lights and decorations and some of the best fire dancers i've ever seen.  i danced like a madwoman and drank more than i should have.

although i went with a group of friends, it didn't take long for us to get separated.  we had agreed on a meeting place, and i met other people to dance with and talk to, so i wasn't too worried.  by about 5:00 a.m. my head was spinning and i was ready to go.  i went to the agreed upon place and couldn't find any of the people that i'd come with.  i searched the dance floor to no avail.  i went up to one of the bars on the hillside hoping i'd have better luck with a view of the crowd from above, but i still couldn't find them.  and at this point i just needed to leave.

i walked out of the party into a crowd of taxi drivers and asked for a ride back to thong nai pan.  i was a little out of my head and forgot that: 1) taking a car or truck taxi by oneself is always more expensive; and 2) one must always always always agree on the price ahead of time.  not having done this, i was astounded when we got back to my bungalow and the driver demanded over fifteen times the amount i had paid to get to the party.  i told him that it was too much and that i didn't have the money.  he would not let me get out of the truck but instead drove me to an atm and stood uncomfotably close while i withdrew the money.  having given him a sum equivalent to one week's lodging - all of the money, in fact, that i was going to use for rooms for the rest of this trip - i was allowed to go and returned to my room feeling defeated, angry, taken advantage of, and stupid.

i broke all of the rules last night.  i lost my friends; i drank too much; i left alone.  i made myself an easy target, and i got scammed.  i'm just glad that money was all he took.  looking back at the course of events with a clearer head, i see that things could have been much worse.  but they weren't, and i'm okay.  just hungover, broke, and upset that i didn't take better care of myself, but wiser for the lessons learned and determined to never put myself in a situation like that again.

my ticket to krabi is already paid for, and i had enough money hidden in my room to cover a couple of nights at a cheap guest house once i get there.  another unemployment check is due any day, and i will be just fine.

6 comments:

  1. Life lessons are the hardest and you have dealt with this one with courage. Love you, dear warrior!

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  2. It may be a lesson learned, but what a lousy lesson!
    I just emailed you; you're checking your email, right?
    Lots of love

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  3. And the Samurai shall not make the same mistake again.

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  4. This trip has been full of wonderful lessons... unfortunately this one was one of the not-so-wonderful, but equally as important lessons you were meant to learn and experience. Promise me you will not get down on yourself- do not judge Racheypie, just be grateful that all is well and the only repercussion of the night is a little less money in your account. If you need *anything*, email me and I will take care of it (including a little loaner if it will make the rest of your journey as delightful as you deserve it to be!). Love you. xx

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  5. An unfortunate turn of events indeed but clearly you are wiser for it. Love and hugs!

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  6. thanks guys. yes, wiser indeed.

    aicheypie - i'm okay, and no longer down on myself about it. your offer of help is the sweetest, but the money issue has been resolved. love you too. xoxoxo

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