Cham Island - typhoon edition

There is very little infrastructure for tourism on this Island. There is very little info on getting here, there are rumors of a ferry, it may or may not be operational the day of your arrival, and even if it is, you might not be allowed on as a tourist. There are speed boats that will try to squeeze as much out of you as possible, booking your return trip in advance with them will save you about 100k vnd with a total cost of 400k round trip. Although it seems like Koh Larn, in Thailand its a far cry, you still get the usual barrage of scooter sales from people at the harbor, but after that the similarities end. This island only recently received stable electricity in 2016. There is one main town where you land and one small neighborhood that is half way off limits to tourists. I would say about 70% of this island is off limits and guarded by the military, but the other 30% that is accessible is REALLY pretty. There are a lot of conservation projects and completely neglected roads. You can see everything you need to in just a day with a scooter (150-200vnd) 2 days maximum. This is a fishing village island but they only take what they need and keep their waters healthy.

Upon landfall I was informed by my Homestay host that he would not be able to accommodate me as there was a typhoon coming, that nothing would be open, he might lose his property to the storm, and the police would fine him for letting me stay there. I had three main goals I wanted to achieve during my stay on Cham Island. 1. To complete a book that I’ve been carrying with me for 9 months, then donating it to a hotel or person, lightening my load and giving someone else the opportunity to read it. 2. Do some work on this website and complete at least two blogs. 3. Get at least one good day of sun, enjoy a sunrise and sunset and veg out at the beach. My needs were not grandiose or impossible and i tried to explain that to my host but he wasn’t having it.. While I was traveling in Thailand I asked a backpacker what are the two best things she’s learned so far. Her answer was first, travel lighter than you think, even if you think you are light, you can do better. (I wouldn’t know as i carry my 36kg suitcase and 10kg laptop with me almost everywhere) And second try not to sweat the little things because it’s likely going to work out if you try - that much I can attest to personally. So there I am, homeless for the next 5 days, typhoon imminent, and faced with a decision… do I explore the island for half a day and catch a boat back, or do I find a place in town that will take me? I went to a coffee shop and considered my options. All the hotels said they were available so I found one that I could pay directly and booked it. When I walked to the hotel there was a lock on the door and no one home! I called the owner, he said he was off island and unable to facilitate my stay, to which I replied, I already paid you! As I was sitting on the porch of the locked hotel and looking for an alternative a woman shows up and unlocks the door and ushers me into the hotel. She checks a room and asks me if this is ok to which I say yes and are you sure? She hands me the keys to the hotel and shows me how to lock up when I’m not there. She pulls a dilapidated scooter around to the front and tells me its honors system and then disappears. I’m on my own, I am now the sole resident of Sunbay hotel in Cham Island! No staff, no guests, just me.. I go to the restaurant next door and ask the grandma working there if they are staying during the storm? Her and her family have been on this island for 30 years, she’s not going anywhere and assures me if I am hungry I will be fed for the next couple days. That was all I need, I have shelter and food, the sun is shining bright, its time for beach! On foot the nearest beach from the main port is about a 20 minutes away. The beaches on this island, although limited, are pristine and worthy of top beaches in the world conversation.. surely better than Boracay in the Philippines. I have the beach to myself today as they begin limiting the boats arriving on the island, exit only for the rest of the day. There will be no boats for the next 4 days. I crack open the book that I’ve been slowly picking through for months. It’s a biography/discography of Eminem and his troubles with addiction, and how it related to his music releases over the years. I sat on the porch of my hotel that evening as the rain clouds begin to roll in. I’m fully committed now.

Day two and heavy clouds continue to roll through, I frequent my neighbor for nourishment, the locals all come to her for a 10k banh mi and morning coffee before returning to work in the rain. I sit on my porch and read while listening to the albums that are being discussed in the book. It was a really fun way to experience a reading as you can kind of see where the artist’s head was at as you’re learning more in this deep dive. Dark clouds migrate from far to close to far again throughout the day. I’ve procured water and snacks from the only convenience store in town. It was a chill day. Heavy rain begins around 7pm. Waves are crashing against the sea wall, they lul me to sleep, it’s a different story at 2am. Each time the ocean meets the barrier a small earthquake shakes the foundation of this concrete building. I go downstairs to assess the situation and the waves are billowing from the dark void onto the road. My patio is about 4 feet higher than the street but I begin moving the furniture to ensure it wont get damaged or swept away by a rogue flood. I try to catch some more sleep while the ocean continues to batter the ground beneath me. Dawn comes and reveals the war from the night, occasional waves breaching on to the now un-drivable road, rocks and sand everywhere, the barrier steps that I sat on two days prior now an empty void, reduced to rubble in the street in front of my hotel. But at my neighbors hotel its business as usual, the locals smoking and joking with each other over their morning coffee. Occasional OO’s as a big wave smashes the barrier and breaches.. laughing at people trying to navigate the road and timing the waves. Grandma asks me if I’m scared, to which I reply no one seems concerned so why should I? By the way, Grandma doesn’t speak a word of English, and my Vietnamese vocabulary is worse than a toddler at this point, what an incredible time to be living with technology where we can still communicate via translator apps if both parties are patient and willing. I got to know her decently during my stay, a mother, now grandmother, her dream when she was my age was to travel a lot and she did before settling down with family life. Two years back she was in a motorbike accident and broke her leg, which impedes her ability to move around but she’s still quite spritely for being almost 70. Her husband, a stoic mustached man that rarely dons a shirt or a smile, lives there with her son, daughter, and granddaughter. They’ve endured many storms and floods on this island and this seemed like a light one for them. So back to my shelter I go to continue reading. The army comes through and makes light work of the street, within an hour all the debris has been put into a flatbed and carted off to who knows where. The rolling clouds come and drop their rain and move on, its a fairly unremarkable day, but I accomplish my first goal of completing my book! I’m an incredibly slow reader be it distractions or my own will to sit in one place and focus my attention on something. It’s difficult and its been years since the last time I’ve physically read a book from start to finish.

Day 4 comes and the ocean is tame, the clouds are high, its 4:50am and I can see hints of pink teasing me from the other side of the island, so I hop on the scooter and bolt over.. I’m greeted with one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve had in a while. I feel sunrise is the unsung hero compared to sunset. It asks for nothing, waits for no one, ushers in the new day with new possibilities, it’s so fleeting too.. a good sunset will last an hour or more, but you only have a 20 minute window for a great sunrise! And the fact you have to make an effort to go and see it, its far more precious than sunset. But thats just my opinion. After I’ve taken my obligatory 6000 photos, I head back into town to get my banh mi and coffee from my neighbors, delicious as usual and now the locals are warming up to me, offering me smokes and trying to practice their English with me. The entire community came out today to do a deep cleaning of the street that was ravaged by the storm. The big rubble was already removed but there were literal tons of sand congesting the street soon to reopen to tourists. I did my part in helping to clean, I took over grandma’s shovel and got to work. After an hour of cleaning I received a reward for my labor, one free over salted rice dish and a coffee. It was more than I could even ask for. I was so grateful for them to stay open and keep me fed during this typhoon, they could have told me to kick rocks but instead they showed me such immense hospitality. I wasn’t mad that my meals were more expensive than average, would I rather starve? It’s so easy to get caught up in nonsense of day to day living instead of paying attention to the world around you with gratitude in mind. The little things are everything. I look at Eminem and the struggles he’s been through, how he dealt with recovery and found an outlet suitable for him to say what he needed. I think this blog is going to be somewhat the same. Yes I’m going to do my best to share the beautiful world around me and the things I see along the way. But if my words reach even one person struggling, be it with addiction, depression, failure to launch, or even just taking time to know they aren’t alone in their struggles. It will be worth it to me. Things do get better, life is worth living, you are not alone.

Day 5 comes and its time to pack up and close out, after tidying up my room I come downstairs and meet the owner of my hotel. He’s a younger guy in his mid 40s and has his music playing loud for everyone to hear, he was a DJ before his family bought the hotel. We jump around to different genres of music and ended up on rap. He tells me Eminem is one of his favorite artists, it was perfect, I pulled out my book and asked him if he wanted to read it and pass it on? He graciously accepted my book and I successfully completed all of my goals on Cham Island. The sun was bright this day, tourists were arriving on the island and spoiled by the stunning water and pristine air. Grandma comes over to check on me several times to make sure I’m fed before my departure. I print off my last polaroid in my roll for her and give her a nice message. It brings her to tears and I give her a big hug. I get helped to my boat and get a proper send off. One of the craziest things about this world is when you embrace it and stay positive you never know where it will take you, the opportunities and lessons presented to you, you never know who you might touch or bring joy to, even if for a moment. I’m extremely grateful for my stay at this island, it will forever be special to me.