We are pleased to publish this heart felt essay written by Ms. Kamkaeo Maneerot, an English student from Chiang Mai University.  In this story Kamkaeo recalls her memories of her southern Thailand home and of her very close and spiritual bond with the sea.  This essay is full of imagery that creates a very special picture of the sea in the vivid and emotional recollections of a young Thai girl who has moved to the complete opposite end of a country to pursue her education.

Life as a Gift of the Sea

They say “life is like a gift”.  I had not really seen the truth about this until these recent days when the path of life takes me so far from my beloved home region, the place where I was warmly nurtured by my family and by the sea for nearly twenty years.  Looking back it seems like these were precious moments that had been wrapped up; like gifts for me to open as memories.

After I finished my grade school I made a decision to move from the South of Thailand for reasons of my own academic pursuits.  I moved to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand and to a new environment that is so very different from where I came. There are wonderful things about the North, as I had expected, but I cannot find the smell of salt wind, seashells, white beach, and the fine line of small pebbles that nature places at the point where advancing tidewater and sands meet. Yet, the beautiful sights of the sea are preciously contained as memories of home; memories of this young Thai student.

My family has lived with the sea for my whole life.  The first beach I ever encountered is Samila Beach, my home, which is set in the intimate seaside of Songkhla province along the great Gulf of Thailand. This is the place where my parents built up their young lives, had accomplished their goals of education and career and, above all, it is the place they met. Then there came a girl whose life now cannot be parted from the scent of the ocean.

I will always remember running along the seaside, collecting the seashells that looked similar to those I had seen in the books. I remember swimming in the warm water and letting the waves take my body up and down gently. I remember the graceful mermaid statue and how I had tried so hard to touch her breast so that, according to the local belief, I would have a chance to come back to that place again.

I remember sleeping in the folding chair in my aunt’s seafood restaurant and feeling the salt wind rubbing my cheeks. The memories are of a long and white beach where the scene of family warmth and happiness was set and where my childhood unfolded like the shifting sands on the beach.

There are a few times as a young girl that I had the chance to go visit other beaches whose beautiful views and fascinating activities attracted tourists from many places. I remember a few days at Patong Beach in Phuket Province that added excitement and refreshment to my peaceful life. I still recall the moments when I witnessed scenes of so many people, both Thai and foreign, having the finest times enjoying our beautiful country. I became more excited when I knew from my father that the beach was along the famous Andaman Sea on the west coast and seeming so very far from my home.

Along the seaside, colorful sights such as boats and beach goers flashed before my eyes. I can remember the bright yellow of the banana boat that made me scream with delight one afternoon.  I found many types of food to buy and fill my empty stomach and at night I remember the exciting night scenes of well-decorated pubs and restaurants and shopping places all along the beach. The tourist beaches were a place that made me gain a broader view of southern Thailand from a place that had so very many people compared to my home town.

I remember when life took me to the opposite end of the excitement of Phuket and also very different from what was my regular life. One time my family had a chance to travel to Khanom Beach in the province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat; the reason for the trip is all but blurred away except for the stunning sights of such a tranquil and hidden seaside. I had never seen such a calm and quiet place in all my life. The white sand and blue sea unfolded along the small ridge of a mountain whose greenery was still wild and intact. The further we traveled along mountain road, the more beautiful things there were to discover.

When I stepped from our car I buried my hands in previously untouchable sands to feel the warmth of the land. I soaked my body in the salt water, climbed the slippery rocks, and exposed my dark skin to the strong light of the sun. In this place my voice could reach its highest pitch freely without any worry to disturb anyone else. As far as my eyes could see there were very few people here and the few that we encountered were calm and welcoming, just like the sea.

I remember sitting down beside my green tent and listening to my father’s old stories about the sea and sipping sweet, fresh coconut juice. The burning campfire heated my body and the starry sky painted my imagination with heavenly dreams. At night when everything went to sleep, it was only the sounds of the sea that remained; whose melody never stopped singing. I slept soundly that night in the small world of our tent with the warm bodies of my beloved family nearby.

Staring at the northern hills and mountains these days sometimes makes me think of the mountains alongside the beaches of my not too distant past. Though not as high or as large, the mountains along the sea stand ever so proud.  The blanket of salt water warms their lower parts and the upper parts are poised to stand against the sea wind for all the ages. My eyes are on the high mountains of the north but my thoughts are in the embrace of the salt smells and the beautiful sights of southern Thailand, my home.

To view all winning entries, please click 2008 ThailandTravelOnline.com Essay Contest Winners