Ohhhh Ohhhh Sometimes, I Get a Good Feelin', YEAH!

Koh Phi Phi Don, Malaysia

Evening

So, what had happened was...

Got back from our tour and had a nice Indian dinner. We then made our way back to the room to freshen up and recuperate. Upon arriving at the hotel, it started to rain. Perfect timing, really. Our whole day was great weather and right when we got back to our spot, the rain came. Since I was planning on walking the island anyway, I omitted showering, left behind my shoes and shirt, and took off in the rain. (Shoes are frequently left outside the door here in Asia. At stores, hotels, businesses, etc. "Shoes, no service".)

I went down to the beach where it was basically a ghost town because apparently a lot of people are allergic to water. Every night, the bars and restaurants that line the beach set themselves up as dance clubs by laying out dance floors on the sand, complete with music, torches, fire dancers, and lighting. Various spots use bamboo stages, plywood floors, raised platforms; you name it, I saw it. They each have their own sound systems and play competing music just as loudly as their neighbors. The only thing the rain had an effect on was tourist attendance (and the fire dancers got the night off).

As I ran out onto the beach I got a wild surge of adrenaline. The rain was coming down in sheets and lightning occasionally took the beach from darkness and flashing neon lights to startling white–like the world's farthest reaching strobe light. The island is beautiful with the progression from ocean, to sand, to trees, to mountains and seeing this landscape light up like this was inexplicably gorgeous.

There were only probably thirty people on the beach along this stretch of about 10-12 clubs and every one of them was at a bar under cover from the rain. I was soaked, hair down and matted to my face, so I ran along the water and dove in. I was like Forest Gump, I just felt like run-NING! I ran down the beach thinking to have a late night workout in the rain but when I got to the end of the string of clubs, I was pulled to the dance floor by some invisible force. I don't know what was playing, I don't even think I liked the music, all I know is that I began at one end of the beach and started dancing all by myself and if you'd tried: Nuh uh, you couldn't tell me nothin'! The few spectators that were present watched me curiously and I couldn't care less. I'd dance for a minute, maybe two, even an entire song if I was feeling it and then I'd jump down from that dance floor and run over to the next one and do the same thing. I showered under gutters as I moved along, took a dip in the ocean if it felt right, and never stopped moving!

Eventually, a few people started to come out of the woodworks to dance with me. I'd get them out to the dance floor, get the party started, and move on to the next. Seriously, club owners should have been paying me for drawing business for them! I danced my way down the beach, soaked to the bone and loving it. My hair was dripping, my shorts were soaked, and my heart rate probably on the verge of cardiac arrest! I whipped my hair, jumped around like a fool, and danced with wild abandon until my natural high was finally taken down a notch as the rain eventually slowed and people started to emerge from the shadows. I flying high for at least an hour before I came back to earth.

I have no photos. No video. Just a memory and a feeling that I don't ever want to forget. It's great to be alive!