Took a walk through Chumphon
2 hour layover for my bus
Just got off the ferry from Koh Tao
/
Walking down the main street of the town
People smiled
Sawadee Kob
/
The cold food at the songserm bus station wouldn’t do
On a mission i search
Looking for fresh food
Every place has it sitting out
/
Walk past fisherman
People hanging out everywhere
Life here seems like chill fun
It smells like fish
/
Reach a bend
Its time to turn
I’ve walked in half an hour, its 6, and my bus is at 7
/
Some people say hi and smile
They seem nice and are cooking fresh chicken
I ask how much
5 baht
Ill take 4
/
I take the secondary road
Try something new
This side of town has less bustle and food
The sun is setting
/
I but some plantain chips
They’re sweet and delicious
/
Out of nowhere a huge, colorful temple arise
Wat Pak Nam Chumphon
I decide to walk through
/
Young men playing soccer
Ball ball ball
I gaze longingly
They invite me to play
/
Put my chips and drink down
Jump in
Immediately begin exerting energy
/
My team charges down the field
I fake a shot
Pass
GOAL!!!
We’re having fun and that’s just chance number one
/
Someone sends me the ball
I shoot and miss
That’s ok
No way to play it wrong
/
A few minutes later
I make a steal
Pass right away
Call for the 1–2
Fake a pass
Strafe towards the goal
Take a rip right after the move
GOAL!
/
Kab kon kap
I wish then well with hands folded
Thank them for the game
And hurry on my way
Gotta catch my bus
/
Shoot a couple hoops on the way back
Looking forward to future layovers in Chumphon
Ill play more pickup next time I’m at this crossroads
/
Get to the station
The bus is there
Luckily no one stole my bag
The thought had been lingering on my mind that I shouldn’t have left it there
But it was fine
/
The bus is there
But there’s a delay
I make 2 new friends from Bath
They are sitting there after 10 days in Koh Tao
Playing with a cute little baby kitten
/
We chat
I share poems
They share tales about the north
I feel Chiang Mai calling my name
/
We talk about mosquitoes
Dengue
Malaria
Rabies
My main worries as I explore
/
Dusk is setting in
I don’t want to get bitten
So I go inside
/
A couple minutes later
I hear yelling
Dogs begin to fight
2, 3, 4, 5
/
Courageous foreign women immediately grab water and towels
Yell at the dogs
Try to stop the fight
/
Watching it
Its intense
Dogs up on hind legs
Biting at each others necks
/
Eventually the women with the help of locals
Get in between the two main dogs in the fight
It ends
/
I ask my new friend to message himself on my phone so I can ask about the places they discovered in the north
/
The sun sets on Chumphon
Time to hop on the bus
