Ko Pagnan sits in the Gulf of Thailand. It is about 125 sq km with a listed population of approximately 15,000. There is no airport, so arrival is via ferry or speedboat from the larger island of Koh Samui. The island, like many, has been a decades old backpacker destination fueled by the full moon, half moon, and black moon parties. Recently improved island roads have changed things and there is an increase in development, more typical tourist traffic, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, ……. And smoothie possibilities.
There is certainly a vibe around the NW corner of the island, specifically the area of SriThanu beach/village. Now, I don’t know for certain who theses people are, but they are well groomed, Millennials, Gen Y’ers, Echo Boomers, Digital Natives, or…? . They have perfect teeth, polished chakras, fashionable hairstyles, are adorned in scarves, flowing wraps, and the latest styles from the ‘yoga gods and goddesses’ catalog. Their attempt at individual expression and style has pretty much achieved the goal of ‘being different, but the the same’ and thus, there is a uniform of sorts and they all look pretty much alike. From overheard conversations, there appears to be a rotation between Thailand, Bali, and Ibiza. Judging by physical appearance and the two large, and always busy gyms, I would venture that an important part of the spiritual journey is centered around self image and exterior development……..however, I digress and I really don’t know, I’m probably just jealous! But, what is important, is smoothies!
There is a particular street that goes east out of SriThanu and connects the coastal road with the middle of the island road. There are numerous yoga opportunities on this street, and subsequently, numerous smoothie opportunities. I call this road; smoothie street. Some of the smoothie stops have a crowd of motorbikes parked in front. These motorbikes are adorned with flowers on the handlebars, various colored cloth wrapped around the seats and lights, sometimes a small stuffed teddy tied on, a yoga mat strapped on back.
There is one smoothie shop that has no motorbikes in front, mostly because it is close to road and there is no parking, and because there are only a few tables, not suitable for hanging out. This is Madam Tan’s smoothie shop, and it is the only place this magoo gets a smoothie.
I got in the habit of stopping everyday, and I always had a banana smoothie. There are other options; pineapple, mango, papaya, etc, but I was a banana guy. Madam Tan explained that there are many varieties of bananas, like coconuts, and she was selective as to what she chose for her smoothies. Like my affection for $6.99 Trader Joe’s wines, it made little difference to me. After a week I felt I might have put on a little weight, thus was necessary to reduce smoothie intake. I explained to Madam Tan why I was absent for a few days, she said “smoothie not necessary everyday”, words of wisdom.
My guess is Madam Tan is in her mid 40’s. She had spent 20 years in Bangkok where she owned a used clothing retail store at the big night market. She has a style that is not typical Thai. We asked her once if she had lived in Europe at one time, because of her fashion, she was much flattered.
Every time I stop at Madam Tan’s she greets me with a smile that is so big and sincere that it borders on a laugh. It always feels like she has anticipated my arrival and is open for no other reason. You know, now that I reflect on what I just wrote, I think the smoothie is maybe the secondary reason I only stop at Madam Tan’s !
Wandering Magoo 