The Loudest Silence in Koh Samui

For me, the best part of solo travel is the freedom to hop on opportunities as they present themselves. Sometimes it’s an opportunity to check out a new place, travel with a new person, or both. I never book accommodation for more than a night or two at a time and it only takes me 15 minutes to pack up my backpack. At any given time I can just pack myself up and follow what comes my way. This spontaneousness makes travel 10x more fun and worthwhile. You never know what’s around the corner and in Koh Phangan I took a chance with someone new and will remember the following week for the rest of my life. 

A little over a month ago I was staying at a hostel in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. I noticed a couple of guys using sign language across from where I was reading. I studied American Sign Language in high school and somehow it’s stuck with me since. I don’t remember every sign but it’s easy to pick up and French Sign Language is not too different from ASL. I told them I know ASL and we began chatting. I think it was fun for all of us. The guys are friends from France, solo traveling but meeting up in Chiang Mai for a bit. They invited me to join them in checking out the jazz club that night but I was still too wiped out from the trekking I did in Vietnam a few days before. We exchanged instagrams and that was it… until weeks later one of the French guys, Samuel, happened to be on the same island as I in the south at the same time. 

Sunsets are a big thing on Koh Phangan and every west facing beach is filled with people each evening to watch the show. Samuel and I met up on the beach for sunset. We shared travel stories and it was amazing to learn about how Samuel travels the world without the ability to hear. He travels silently, but I’ve never met someone that is such a magnet like him. Even on the beach that evening, minutes after meeting him, strangers approached him like they’ve been friends for years. We got dinner and realized we’re both pretty big foodies, especially when it comes to Thai food. We spent the next few days hanging out on the island & eating good food here and there. We met up with some of his friends and went dancing. I had so much fun. 

Samuel’s next destination is a neighboring island, Koh Samui before he heads back to France to resume his graphic design career. Before he left he asked me if I’d like to join him. I hadn’t been to Koh Samui yet, there was nothing in my way and I enjoyed his company. I signed “why not?”. 

We took a ferry the following morning to Koh Samui. We rented a motorbike, got a map and made a plan. We choose our top destinations and spent the next days exploring. We visited different beaches and smaller islands, went snorkeling, ate at the local markets, paid a visit to the dog rescue organization on the island, and went to a Muay Thai fight. 

This was first time in my life I didn’t need to speak. The only time I was speaking was when I was talking with the locals, which was in Thai, and an occasional tourist here and there. By the time we parted ways I barely spoke English for over a week. It made me realize how much time and energy is wasted when we don’t say what we mean and mean what we say. With sign language it’s direct and straight to the point. It’s a very emotional way to communicate and most communication happens in facial expressions/body language. There’s no hiding here, wearing my heart on my sleeve. 

Samuel and I are both story tellers and we’d spend countless hours in restaurants not even realizing the time go by. We went for a sunset swim one evening and didn’t notice the sun go down until we suddenly we were swimming in the dark. I leaned about his childhood in the country side of France, travel stories like the time he took over behind a bar in a village in Vietnam, learned how to scuba dive but got terribly sea sick for the first time, or the marathon he ran in Chiang Mai.

He also told me about his life in Angola, Africa when he was a baby. Samuel was born during a war. A bomb went off near the hospital where he was born which took his hearing. When his family noticed he couldn’t hear the doctor advised they take him somewhere with more opportunities for deaf children. Samuel’s dad went to university in France and decided to move the entire family, including their six children, to France so that Samuel can have a better shot at living his best life. He grew up being the only deaf and black kid in elementary school. It was soccer that allowed him the chance to prove himself to others (it's sad that we live in a world where he even has to) and he eventually became the team captain in high school. He studied hard and is fluent in both French and English. He can read lips in both languages. Now he’s traveling the world, is successful in his career and is living his best life. He’s humble and wouldn’t admit it but I think he’s one of the most incredibly brave people out there. Plus this guy just radiates happiness. His favorite sign is “nothing is impossible”. 

One of my favorite memories from this little part of my trip is when Samuel and I went to the Muay Thai fight. We approached the ticket counter and he told me not to speak. He began signing and using his phone to talk with the Thai ticket sellers, letting them know we are both deaf and maybe they have some kind of arrangement for people with disabilities? The workers were so shocked to have two deaf foreigners at the fight we ended up getting our tickets for half the price with multiple free drink/food coupons. I felt wrong not speaking when I’m able to but it makes for a good story, Samuel thought it was great. I know sometimes for Samuel encounters like this can go the other way where people aren’t so eager to be supportive. Another reason why I’m convinced Thai people are the kindest in the world. 

On our last day Samuel and I took a boat trip to “pig island”. As soon as we heard of pigs swimming in the turquoise blue water we knew we had to check it out. A few years ago a Thai local from a small neighboring island went to the market on Koh Samui and saw a family of pigs in separate cages ready to be sold for butcher. When he realized they were a family he couldn’t bare to let them be separated like this so he purchased all three pigs and took them on his fishing boat back to the neighboring island. Since then he’s saved more pigs from the market and now they roam this island. Lately it’s turned into kind of a tourist trap, no pigs swimming in the sea like we thought but the pigs were cute. After this we went snorkeling in a bay near by, this was so fun with Samuel because we could sign under the water and have full conversations about the sea life as we explored. Again, we lost track of time and our boat driver had to yell for us to come back because it was getting late. We spent our last evening together doing what we do best: eating. We found a local Thai food stall. Sat on the plastic chairs, drank Changs, and ordered enough food for a family of five. Once again we were the last ones there before they closed. 

This world of traveling has become one without barriers. Language, origin, race, class, abilities, etc. are only surface level definitions and who we connect with goes far beyond this. Sometimes you meet someone and it feels like you’ve known them forever, and then wonder how it’s possible to continue apart. When Samuel and I had to say our goodbyes he reminded me to be grateful for the time we had together instead of being sad about having to go separate ways. It's a simple thing we all know but a reminder every once in awhile doesn't hurt. He tied his bracelet around my wrist and wished me the best with what’s ahead, which is a lot of unknown for me. I wished him the same. There’s so much uncertainty in life, we never really know for sure if our paths will cross again but how lucky are we that they did. This week ended up being one of the best “why not?”s of my life. Thank you Samuel for a whole new perspective on this world 🤟🏼