eat . prey . write: secrets of the island

Remember the monks everywhere in Siem Reap and Chiang Mai? They're still there.

The Buddhist temples and the monks of northern Thailand have transformed into huts and bungalows in southern Thailand, and those bright orange robes of the monks have morphed into purple and gray hijabs on young women. However, along the stretch of guesthouses and restaurants by the beach, there is no sign of any religion or culture other than the occasional woman wearing a hijab. Like Siem Reap, everything I see, at least in this area, seems to exist solely for and because of tourists: restaurants, guesthouses, convenience stores, laundry services, tourist agencies, and tuk tuks.

At dinner tonight, I flipped through a Thai magazine called "Secret." Even though the writing was like a series of ancient incantations, the photographs were interesting and informative enough to tell me that this was a life magazine for the middle class. Glancing through the articles, I came across two sentences in English in two separate interviews, the first of a young man on a bicycle, and the second of a middle-aged woman projecting success and confidence.

"Say what you would be, then do what is required," said the young man on the bike. Simple yet so difficult. I would be a filmmaker. I would be a decent cello player. I would be a speaker of several languages. I would be a husband and father. Yes, I am greedy by nature, and I want it all. So where do I start? I suppose what he meant was to recognize and know what one wanted to become, then take the necessary steps to reach that goal - without detours, without stopping along the way to check out what existed elsewhere, and, most importantly, without questioning the validity or possibility of one's goal. I was curious about what he had achieved.

The second sentence in English, spoken by the well-dressed woman, was "You are not all-knowing. Forgive yourself for not having all the answers." Suddenly I heard "Hallelujah," saw a white light just ahead of me, felt shivers going up my spine, smelled the flowers of Elysium, and tasted stir-fried egg noodles with prawns in coconut milk. Anyone else? All right, perhaps not the egg noodles, but did you have one of those moments where it seemed like a random observation was actually a secret message meant specifically for you?

Well, I did. Earlier in the day, I had to work on some issues related to the GLTF tennis tournament that I am directing again (I know, glutton for punishment). I was trying to come up with solutions in anticipation of every possible problem that could arise, and it was not an easy task. I am not all-knowing. I will forgive myself for not having all the answers, especially when I am not compensated for this work and am working as a volunteer.

Earlier in the day, I noticed how perfect everything was at my guesthouse - the room was impeccably clean, breakfast was more than satisfying, and the services were thorough and efficient. I asked the manager the secret to his success. The answer was to train the staff: you either have staff members who share the same vision and goals as you, or you hold the staff to the highest standards and the most minute details then compensate them well for their work. There you have it - the secret to a successful business.

As for me, I would be a filmmaker, finding people who share my vision and telling stories of people who don't have all the answers.