Get to the island…
That was the one thought as restrictions and cancellations brought down by Corona virus mania rained down from our new feeds. With one day left before Air Asia suspends all national flights in Thailand. I boarded the last plane out of a burning Chiang Mai in the North for the islands of the South. Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province would prove to be an ideal shelter from the Covid-19 storm.
Nestled in between the tiny Koh Tao and the larger Koh Samui, Phangan seemed to be just right. Already one month into my shelter and still no cases of Covid-19 have presented themselves. Despite the repeated ferry trips to the less fortunate neighbor Koh Samui for the immigration office, Phangan remains corona free. Thankfully the Thai government put a stop to the crowded lines at immigration and finally granted the visa amnesty we'd all hoped for.
All arrivals get their temperatures taken and declaration forms signed. The pier is eerily empty but the island itself is hardly a ghost town. People are still walking about although I'm guessing much less than usual. The restaurants with take-away only signs and all the masks were the only signs of strange times. It's South-East Asia so the masks aren't even that off putting. Life here is surprisingly normal. Aside from the random police checks on the roads, you'd think it was just another day on a much emptier island.
The larger markets are closed but some remain. Without much room to social distance, The whole island seems to be at the main market in the evening. The 7/11 and Family mart in the market has funnily enough become the hangout spot where the gathering ban isn't really upheld.
Here the island life remains. Things are still slow, just less crowded. People still go to the many beaches, but nobody gathers. People swim, despite the signs. It would seem that I chose the right island to flee to as Koh Lanta and Phuket are definitely not fairing so well. As I watch another day go by with the amazing sunsets here I can almost forget that the World is in turmoil. It's not much different than any other island escape then isn't it?
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