Circumnavigating Kho Phi Phi - on Friday the 13th . In Memory of Zohar Aloni
Friday, March 28th, 2008We must go and see for ourselves
Gisela and I left to Thailand to follow Zohar’s steps during the last days of her life. Zohar, Gisela’s only daughter, arrived in Kho Phi Phi on the 25th of December 2004 with her boyfriend Eran. They wanted to spend their first annual vacation together in a dreamlike vacation resort in Thailand. Zohar, a flight attendant in El Al, Israel’s national airline, didn’t think of this heavenly island as a destination for their unplanned vacation. It was a spur of a moment decision, made in the last minutes of the flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok, to set sail towards Kho Phi Phi. The next morning, December 26th, 2004, a lethal tsunami wave hit the Island and killed thousands of tourist and inhabitants. Zohar was 24 years old when she died. Her friend Eran was miraculously saved.
Our route started in Bangkok, and from Bangkok we went by air to Krabi. The next morning we took a ferry from Krabi to Kho Phi Phi.
Gisela wanted to see the place where Zohar had spent the last day of her life. She planed to tour the island to view the same scenes viewed by Zohar during her last hours. Gisela also wanted to gather together a “Minyan” and hold a memorial ceremony near the memorial wall.
Logistics against logics
I wanted to express my feelings in a different kind of ceremony.Karel my good friend and paddling mate at “Terra Santa Kayak Expeditions” made some calculations and figured that the island’s circumference does not exceed 25km (app. 13.5 nautical miles). Instantly I made a decision to circumnavigate the island by a kayak. At that stage I had no idea how I was going to do it.
I was thinking of the following options:
• To rent a kayak in Phuket and ship it by the ferry boat to the island
• Hope to find a kayak on the island, and perhaps someone willing to join me.
• To borrow Avner’s folding kayak (Avner agreed)
• To get a folding kayak from a different source.
• To paddle on a “Sit-On-Top”
• To give up the whole plan
Early in 2005 I met Karin, Zohar’s friend, who told me that her father, Yaron, goes quite often to St. Petersburg for his business. I asked her to check whether he would be willing to go to a well-known kayak manufacturer and get a first-hand impression of their products. Yaron agreed with no hesitation.
On his return from St. Petersburg Yaron called, praising the kayaks that he had seen, saying that he brought for me a catalog and a price list. I met Yaron at his house and gave him a little bit over $500 so that next time when he goes to Russia he can get a brand new folding kayak for me - a single-seater type Ladoga I.
One day we heard the saddening news that Yaron suffered a massive stroke and died in the hospital. I only knew Yaron for a short period of time, but his warm and intelligent personality left in me deep impression in my heart.
Struggling with a Russian
In the end of 2005 our travel plans began to materialize. At that point, the most feasible option was Avner’s kayak – the Folbot cooper. We agreed to meet at his house to get necessary assembly instructions. And then there was an unexpected change of plans: Doron Eytan, a relative of mine who had heard the saddening story about Yaron, convinced one of his workers, who happened to visit her ailing father in St. Petersburg, to bring the Russian kayak with her. The kayak arrived just on time and the total purchasing expenses mounted to $680, a ridiculous price comparing to other folding kayaks on the market.
Assembly instructions were in Russian. Avner said: “don’t worry, we’ll manage somehow, bring the kayak to my house, together we’ll figure it out”
In no time we found ourselves in a big trouble, and after several hours of tremendous physical efforts we decided to quit.
Avner suggested that we take the kayak to Michael Hoichman (an experienced kayakist and a friend who had circumnavigated the island of Tasmania), as he reads Russian.
The three of us toiled over the kayak parts for three hours, employing hard physical efforts, but finally the kayak was assembled on the living room floor of Michael and Ina Hoichman’s flat. When we left, the kayak was still on the living room floor. That night Michael, Ina and the kayak shared the same bed.
Gearing up for the trip
On Friday, December 23rd, I wrote in my logbook the details of the sea trial of my new folding kayak: the sea was angry that day, so we paddled inside the marina. Later Sagi decided to try the open sea, and I decided to join the group, because only in extreme conditions is it possible to find out all the pros and cons. The wind wasn’t strong, but the waves were high, I noticed no difference between the “Ladoga” and my regular glass-fiber kayak. I dare to say that this one was even more stable.
I brought the kayak home and started to prepare for the trip. My checklist included two spare paddles, flotation bags and, most important, a rubber hammer that I received from Avner to help in fitting aluminum components together. Without this hammer I couldn’t have done it. Especially for this trip I purchased a two-wheeled trolley, which together with the kayak and additional accessories weighed 34 Kg.
A remote spot in Eden
We arrived in Kho Phi Phi around noon on January 2006. Gisela wanted to tour the island, especially the beach where the tsunami had hit, and where Zohar and Eran had stayed in those tragic moments. The next evening she intended to hold a memorial ceremony in front of the memorial wall.
The next morning I started to assemble the kayak. In the tropical weather it took me more time then I had anticipated, and by the time I had finished I was covered in rivers of perspiration.
The shape of the island is reminiscent of a saddle. In the northern part there is an observatory at an altitude of 185 meters, from which one can observe the sunrise on one side and the sunset on the other side. It took a great effort to climb all the way to the peak. When we arrived we discovered a small monument in memory of a young Englishman who had lost his life in the Tsunami. Together we lit a memorial candle.
Sticking a paddle in the waters of Andaman Sea
At 4 P.M I launched the kayak for a sea trial at “Ton Sai” bay. I wanted to test the kayak, make sure it was well assembled and that I can make the circumnavigation with no particular problem. After paddling for one hour I landed and made some improvements to the kayak. Now it was ready for the mission.
In he evening we held a ceremony in Zohar’s memory. David Erez, owner of the local Israeli restaurant, gathered some Israelis, so that together with Gisela and myself we had a “Minyan” plus two women. We told them a little bit about Zohar and we said “Kadish”.
On the way back to our hotel we met a skipper of a “long tail” boat who agreed to escort me through the whole route. The price we settled upon was equal to 150 shekels.
Friday the 13th
I am not superstitious, but the journey was set for Friday the 13th, a day which is known to be unlucky, especially for seafarers. In the past I had always tried to avoid traveling, sailing, or even flying on this date, but in October 2000, during a kayak trip in the Aegean Sea, I ignored the rule and nevertheless everything went smoothly. I decided to do it again. Karel supplied me in with frequent weather updates. The night before he had forecast northwesterly winds with a speed of 10 to 15 knots. Everything looked suitable for paddling.
Gisela is riding on a “Long Tail”
At 8:02 I stuck my paddle in the waters of Andaman sea, paddling northward in a counterclockwise direction. I paddled against headwinds for the first leg of the trip. Gisela was sitting in the “long tail” taking pictures with her digital camera. I paddled close to the beach, and after one hour and twenty minutes I turned around the north tip of the island, and started paddling southward. I didn’t get into bays, paddling straight without interruption. On the map my calculations showed a route longer than 20 kilometers. I only stopped once for an energy snack.
After two hours and fifty-two minutes, at an average speed of 7 km/h, I arrived back at the starting point.
Dedication
In my heart I dedicated my circumnavigation of Kho Phi Phi to three people: Yaron, Karin’s father, who inspired me to get a folding kayak; Eran, who faced hell but survived; and our beloved Zohar, whose young life came to a dramatic end on this remote spot of Eden.
Amnon Ram
start & finish point