YA LEUM.3 — The night that changed everything
In one of these evening routines,Madalena and I decided to return “home” after dinner. We had an easy-going dinnertime: we walked around, ate Pad Thai, tried bites from different stalls, did stall shopping (we could not dare to buy anything in our third week of traveling) and felt great to return to the Pai Zen Hostel.
We started heading back to the hostel when a group of five people recognized us and waved:
- “Aren’t you from our hostel? Join us for dinner” — the group of friends asked
- “Oh, thank you! We just finished, we are on our way back” — Madalena and I answered somehow sad that we were about to miss an opportunity to meet other travelers
- “Join us, anyway!”
We looked at each other– Why not? Let’s go!
We took 2 seconds to exchange names and started walking back to look for dinner. Our new friends were tempted to stop in some places, but they preferred to continue walking. Meanwhile we found 7/11 on the way. Irresistible stop. We got in directly. Some got the beers and water, others were in charge to get snacks and the others rested outside. When finally we all met outside,it started raining.
- “Great, this is rainy season, it may take 5 min” — We said.
Right, after 40 minutes we were still waiting outside of 7/11. Telling the truth, nobody is never really on rush around here, so didn’t we. So we opened the beers, got loempias from the stall in front and started the first introductions.
You know the drill. Always the same questions.
- “Where are you from?”, “ How long have you been traveling?”, “How long will you be traveling?”, “Where have you been?”, “Where are you going next?”,” Do you like Thailand?”, “What did you do back home?”…
Two girls, one boy, two brothers, Madalena and me.
First introductions done.
First picture taken. Let us go!
The rain did not seem to stop anytime soon so we activated plan B: come back to the hostel and play games. We all looked more like seals swimming in a pool anyways.
Apparently, everyone had the same idea as the hostel was packed with our fellow backpackers. After a while there were fifteen people playing rings of fire. That was fun!
The rain was over, our glasses empty and our mood back. Time to shake our tanned butts!
The master plan: move these fifteen people to whatever bar that somebody recommend. I do not know how, but it worked.
In 30 minutes, unbelievably, we were all at the bar. A big group of people, bare foot, dancing together, dancing alone, singing, trying to talk, drinking, making new friends, finding new loves… In our group you could see it all: the spiritual traveler, the hippie, the one that hasn’t been home for years, the couple, the digital nomad, the partier, the gap yearer…
All of them left home for a reason, not knowing the next step, some for undetermined time, looking for something bigger than themselves. Maybe looking for a path, an answer, an idea, new perspectives, different feelings…somehow what we all look for.
It was the first time I realized we are all on the same boat, we are so accompanied and so alone at the same time, everyone in its own journey. Wherever we are.
We are from different countries, we have different goals, interests, stories, ideas, values and fears. But, we are here searching for some sort of feeling and finding more about this whole new world in front of us.
No one could know about the future of these travelers, neither me couldn’t know that night would change my life forever.
Naturally, as we were a big group, people started splitting in different bars, smaller groups or new couples. It was our case until all bars closed, except the mythical Don’t Cry.
Do you remember the crowded bar street of your summer capital? That was the scene! Although less people, flip-flops and no make-up. My mental image is loads of people moving towards the only open place in town — Don’t Cry — basically a club for the survivors.
We arrived, we lined up and repeated the whole thing again.
Drink, dance in-group, dance alone, drink again, shoes off, find your flirt and make fun of the first one leaving the club.
As I was getting tired, I took a seat on my own. One of the brothers from the group who invited us for dinner, sat by my side. We had the 4 am chat!
Probably, I was running out of questions so I may have thought that it was a great time to ask:
- “What is your dream?”
- “Well I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it”, he said
- “Close your eyes and describe what you see” — me feeling I was in a coaching session
Promptly he took his two hands to cover his eyes and started…
“I would like to wake up in the morning in a house built by myself, pick fresh ingredients from my own small garden, prepare breakfast with my wife, eat it with her and my kids. Then I would drop my kids off at school, come back, spend free time with my wife and work from home on my own project…”
He continues talking but I stop listening because I was interrupted by my own thoughts…
- Shit, that is what I want to!
As he opened his eyes, I continued with my coaching thing …but now this guy I barely knew happened to have the same dream as me.
We kept talking and our group dancing until the bar closed. So we all left at same time and started walking back to hostel.
We talked until we arrive;
We talked until everybody went to sleep;
We talked until nobody was awake anymore;
We talked until this guy then said
“ You see life beautifully. Never change. Maybe we should travel together.”
I smiled and left to my dorm.
April 2017
