Bhang Lassie

An original reggae tune, sung in Jamaican patois....

Two hundred baht for a spot on the beach
A little bungalow.......in the jungle, yo
Rain a fall, I hope the rain a stop soon
Yah mon, soon
See what I did with the fake Jamaica
For the sake of the flow, I make a
Play on the words and see where the story go
Ya never know

Bhang Lassie bhang bhang lassie, yeah, oh yeah
Bhang Lassie, bhang bhang lassie yeah
Can ya feel it?
Just a little bit

A little island in the south of Thailand
Calm for a reason, off season
Flyin' high lookin' down on the China Sea
My friends and me
Some of us on holiday
Some of us had to chuck it away
Fly over the rainbow
To see what we might see
Ooooweee

Bhang Lassie bhang bhang lassie, yeah, oh yeah
Bhang Lassie, bhang bhang lassie yeah
Can ya feel it?
Just a little bit

To make me happy doesn't take a lot
Food in my belly, a song in my heart
Leave America? Sure, why not
In Thailand you get more bang for the Baht

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I realize that if you can't hear the music, it's just words on a page, but this time, if all goes right, you'll get to hear it and see it too. Last night was a bit of a farewell as the two German couples were spending their final night with our group. One of the guys, Harry, has a good video camera and he set it up for us to record the song, (our theme song) sitting around a couple of tables. It came off perfectly on the first take, almost as though it were meant to be that way, like there was a light on this group and this experience.

Then Neil grabs his little speaker from his Iphone, Chris grabs his mini-computer and cables, and within a minute, we're watching and hearing ourselves on the screen (in the middle of the jungle, basically). What a world, and for me, it's a revelation, some kind of a dream come true. I really don't want to do the technology piece. I provide something else, the creative spark, so in my ideal community, I get to do my thing and the tech people get to do their thing and everyone benefits. Last night was almost the epitome of that idea. And Harry promises to post it on Facebook and tag us all. I'll send the link when it appears.

Speaking of 'ideal community', this was exactly that. We bonded like we were kids at summer camp; it had that kind of magical feeling to it. Rather than sit at separate tables, we immediately became one group and everyone had the experience that this was one of the best places ever on the road. It doesn't hurt that we're staying in a beautiful, off-season spot on a remote part of Ko Phangan island. There are about 4 different sets of bungalows in the immediate area, but the other three are closed for the month, so it's super chill and super quiet. The food is fantastic, and the vibe has been unbelievable. Couldn't be better.

Days are spent hiking, swimming, relaxing and then partying in the evening. Yesterday Neil and Asta and I walked up the river which feeds into our little cove. We picked our was along rocks and boulders, heading to some of the small waterfalls and swimming holes which make this place even more special. Beaches are everywhere, but a fresh water stream is something special. So much so that there is a history of different Thai kings coming here to visit and enjoy the waterfalls. By the way, they're not waterfalls like in Oregon, but rather small cascading sections of the river with little pools to get in and out of. The water is pretty warm, as you'd expect, being that we're not all that far from the equator.

Every other day, I hike over to the town and check the email and make a little contact. It's part of the rhythm, and a big part of it is taking a sweaty jaunt on a dirt track that one time allowed for auto traffic between the two towns, but due to monsoons and the erosion they cause, it's now just for foot traffic. A gorgeous sweaty hike there and back. Feels awesome.

My favorite folks that I've met so far are this couple Neil and Asta. He is a Brit, 38 years old, fit, funny from Leicester (pronounced Lester) in the midlands of England, He had a very big career in finance, team leader of Europe working for JP Morgan and was on the fast track to huge 'success'. No one in banking walks away from that, but to the astonishment of his contemporaries, that's exactly what he did, partly due to his love for Asta, a beautiful 26 year old blond from Lithuania. She is a charismatic, talented funny woman, and everyone loves her when they meet her. The two of them are on a two year, round the world odyssey; they're six months into it now, having trekked in Nepal, motor-cycled through India etc.
Nick owns a flat in London which he has rented out for 1200 Euros/month and that money fuels their adventure.

We all arrived here within minutes of one another, and I saw that he had a ukulele with him. Great, I thought, we could jam. Turns out that he didn't know how to play it, but had carried it for 6 Months! apparently waiting to find a teacher. His dad was a jazz musician in England and figured that Neil needed an instrument on the road, so he bought him this uke. Well, it turns out that I'm that teacher, so part of our connection has been me showing him how to play and how music works. I know that it's a life changer for them, because she is a great singer so now we're getting them going on their first songs. So far it's been 'Dream' 'In the Jungle', 'Ring of Fire' and 'Blowin in the Wind'. Asta sings with a Lithuanian accent and she couldn't be more charming. I'm so happy to be able to get them rolling with music, and the fact that he carried a uke for 6 months without playing it is mind-blowing. Either that or just one of the many stories you run into on the road. It's a good one.