I’ll provide some subtle dramatisation to make the few days where I travelled on this island a little more interesting, because in reality had a brilliant time mostly sat on a beach.
Well I cannot begin to describe how traumatic my time on Ko Lanta was. I was being held against my will by an unknown antagonist. That much was clear. They had employed brain washing techniques to convince me that the island was some kind of paradise, but I was wise to their tactics.
Initially when I was shown to my cell I believed it to be a quaint beach hut a stones throw from the ocean. It was in the south east of Ko Lanta in a place called Kan Tieng bay. There was an eerie silence that pervaded the place. The handful of guests gathered in morose pockets on the silent beach. At night we were forced to watch a band and force fed bitter pints of Chang. I’m not sure exactly when it was but I soon realised the horrific truth that I was far from paradise, but in great danger.
This suspicion was confirmed on the second day. I was out attempting to contact my family when a hole was torn in the roof of my hut and a swarm of deadly insects was thrown on the the bed, forcing me to barter my way into a better cell*.
The ko lanta bar employed various underhand methods to break us down
I got to know 2 of my fellow captives fairly well: a couple of Danish girls attempting to flee the islands by going from one to the other, trying to find a way home. They made another bid for freedom when we were taken on a boat from island to island in (what I can only assume was) an attempt to break our spirits. Before we got to Ko Muuk where they were going to attempt their escape we were made to get into the salty water as some kind of psychological experiment. Snorkel equipment was given to us, and we were forced to look down into the salty depths where we could see shoals of bloodthirsty fish, that would swarm around us attempting to feast and we could only recoil in horror, or feed them bread in order to survive.
We got to Ko Muuk and the danish girls finally fled. I never heard from them again but I would like to believe they did eventually find a way home.
After this, as punishment for their escape, the rest of us were taken to the emerald cave. It was a featureless rock jutting out of the azure sea. One by one we were pushed into the water and ordered towards it. Once there we were herded into a partially submerged, pitch black tunnel. The waves inside swelled so much that we almost dashed our heads on the jagged roof. Each wave was accompanied by a current so powerful that it took all our strength to desperately swim in place and try not to kick each-other in the tight confines. It became so strong that one of the girls was forced to grab on to me to avoid being sucked out by the current to be lost forever*. There was a cacophony of wailing and weeping from the other prisoners.
To the disbelief of our guide we made it; and at the end of the tunnel found a cave where the roof opened out into the sky. There was a tiny beach and even a small forest in the cave where we took shelter, before being taken back.
After several days of resisting I finally managed to bargain for my release from a man who was able to obtain ferry tickets to Ko Phi Phi, I gladly accepted his offer and under cover of broad daylight jumped in a pickup to be driven to freedom.
* All of this bit actually isn’t dramamtised… it was pretty hairy stuff.
Well I cannot begin to describe how traumatic my time on Ko Lanta was. I was being held against my will by an unknown antagonist. That much was clear. They had employed brain washing techniques to convince me that the island was some kind of paradise, but I was wise to their tactics.
Initially when I was shown to my cell I believed it to be a quaint beach hut a stones throw from the ocean. It was in the south east of Ko Lanta in a place called Kan Tieng bay. There was an eerie silence that pervaded the place. The handful of guests gathered in morose pockets on the silent beach. At night we were forced to watch a band and force fed bitter pints of Chang. I’m not sure exactly when it was but I soon realised the horrific truth that I was far from paradise, but in great danger.
This suspicion was confirmed on the second day. I was out attempting to contact my family when a hole was torn in the roof of my hut and a swarm of deadly insects was thrown on the the bed, forcing me to barter my way into a better cell*.
The ko lanta bar employed various underhand methods to break us down
I got to know 2 of my fellow captives fairly well: a couple of Danish girls attempting to flee the islands by going from one to the other, trying to find a way home. They made another bid for freedom when we were taken on a boat from island to island in (what I can only assume was) an attempt to break our spirits. Before we got to Ko Muuk where they were going to attempt their escape we were made to get into the salty water as some kind of psychological experiment. Snorkel equipment was given to us, and we were forced to look down into the salty depths where we could see shoals of bloodthirsty fish, that would swarm around us attempting to feast and we could only recoil in horror, or feed them bread in order to survive.
We got to Ko Muuk and the danish girls finally fled. I never heard from them again but I would like to believe they did eventually find a way home.
After this, as punishment for their escape, the rest of us were taken to the emerald cave. It was a featureless rock jutting out of the azure sea. One by one we were pushed into the water and ordered towards it. Once there we were herded into a partially submerged, pitch black tunnel. The waves inside swelled so much that we almost dashed our heads on the jagged roof. Each wave was accompanied by a current so powerful that it took all our strength to desperately swim in place and try not to kick each-other in the tight confines. It became so strong that one of the girls was forced to grab on to me to avoid being sucked out by the current to be lost forever*. There was a cacophony of wailing and weeping from the other prisoners.
To the disbelief of our guide we made it; and at the end of the tunnel found a cave where the roof opened out into the sky. There was a tiny beach and even a small forest in the cave where we took shelter, before being taken back.
After several days of resisting I finally managed to bargain for my release from a man who was able to obtain ferry tickets to Ko Phi Phi, I gladly accepted his offer and under cover of broad daylight jumped in a pickup to be driven to freedom.
* All of this bit actually isn’t dramamtised… it was pretty hairy stuff.
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