In the surrounding alleyways where I live, dazed teenagers breathe through fumes of glue.  Just recently police knew they’d get a result for the TV camera crew following them by coming to my place. They arrested 2 adult guys sniffing on my doorstep. Luckily the dozen usual suspects were inside my room watching a movie or they would’ve been rounded up for a mandatory 45 days in jail. These guys sniff to get life over with. There’s no hope of escaping poverty or dreams coming true.

As a kid I dreamed about going out to a deserted island and camping. So I thought I’d give it a go with these guys. The last couple of kayaking trips have been a lead up to this one. We planned together and borrowed 4 triyaks from Feelfree Kayaks for a dozen of us. We journeyed to a spot I’d checked out near Cambodia.

I didn’t want the boys to miss any school so we arrived midnight on Friday and slept on the gravel in a carpark under some shelter from the rain. The next day we caught the ferry and drove to the remotest part of Koh Chang. Waiting on the shore with the island in sight I rushed around securing our stuff to the kayaks as a downpour approached. Hey we were going to get wet anyway.

Luckily as we headed into the wind and waves only one kayak capsized on the way. It had the foam sleeping mats lashed on so wasn’t too hard to right.  The guys were stoked to finally set foot on the deserted island we’d paddled 4km to get to. Thankfully the rain cleared and we set up tents and prepared some food.

The guys had never been put in a situation like this. With no small shops selling pepsi around the corner or electricity it was a first. By the end of the time they realised the value of conserving the bottled water we’d brought over. We just had enough for the paddle back despite one of the boys using it to wash the night before. The two older guys that came with came into their own teaching the boys to cook and playing guitar around the campfire.

Despite the storm that hit us at 2am, the next day turned out to be blue sky. It was an easier paddle back with calm seas. With the heat, everyone was hanging out for a cold drink at the beach on the main island. Talking to the guys on the way back they were stoked to have this opportunity. The chance to go on an adventure like this is far beyond the resources of these guys or anything they’ve ever heard of. Beyond our team’s resources but thankfully Feelfree Kayaks helped us out. In a couple of months we’ll be doing it again for the teenagers that missed out.

Rod.

www.feelfreekayak.com