Monks at Sunrise

It is our second morning on Ko Samet and the girls and I wake early to enjoy the sunrise. The Island is about 3 hours to the south of Bangkok and despite its proximity to the city, and how it is a popular get-away, there are pockets of the Island that are still quiet and under-developed.

The small stretch of beach we are staying at is one of the quiet ones, and at sunrise the beach is all but deserted.

We have purposefully woken early and at first feel a little disappointed when the sky lightens and remains pale. Though the ribbons of pink, peach and salmon are pretty, they aren’t spectacular. Our disappointment continues and then, when it seems that the day has certainly arrived, unexpectedly, the sky intensifies and the sun peeks through, spilling dazzling colours into the ocean.

It is absolutely breathtaking as the reds peel-into-tangerine-into gold-into-apricot and all of it cascades into the aqua-blue of the ocean.

Our early morning was a true test of patience and as we feasted on the beauty we were treated further as three monks, speared by the glow of the sun as it crested over the shallows, walked in front of us, along the beach.

We were further privileged to watch, what appeared to be, a simple ceremony (I use this word loosely but feel it is the most fitting I can find) as a couple offered food to the monks. The couple knelt before the trio and placed bags of food and cups of water into what looked like canvas cauldrons with lids, that the monks kept under their robes.

There was a simple beauty as the food was accepted and the couple bowed heads to receive blessings in exchange. In turn we were blessed to bear witness and to be left watching as the monks walked away chanting their blessing in unison.

tangerine-red slips

into ocean blue –

monks’ robes burn gold in early light