“A man who has been in another world does not come back unchanged.”
– C. S. Lewis
Happy day-after-Easter, friends!
In addition to celebrating the holiday this weekend, there was one more cause for celebration in the yurt – my first photo essay for BBC Travel was published on Saturday. The photos were taken in December 2012, when I spent a week with a village of Moken sea gypsies on the Surin Islands archipelago in Thailand. And as I shared the piece with friends and spent some time looking through other photos from that trip, it occurred to me that I’d never written about the Moken here.
The funny thing is, the week I spent with them was probably the most significant week I’ve ever had in my 5+ years of travel, and so I thought you might enjoy a quick break from the yurt living and sketching updates to meet this fascinating group of people.
The Moken in the Surin Islands are part of a larger indigenous group who are traditionally nomadic, living in dugout wooden boats called kabangs. Equally at home on the sea as they are on land, they’re known for being able to hold their breath for minutes at a time, free-diving down to a distance of fifty feet or more, and roaming from island to island along the coasts of Burma and Thailand.
In the conversations I had with the Moken, and simply by observing their lifestyle, I could see that this need to wander freely is very much in their blood. But as you might imagine, today’s world of strictly enforced borders and identities isn’t exactly friendly to such ethnic groups, and the Moken’s situation is actually an extremely complex human rights issue. After the 2004 tsunami struck the region, officials governing the national park of the Surin Islands brought the Moken there into a single village, and have required them to live a more stationary existence ever since.
Arriving at the Moken village on Koh Surin Tai felt as though I were arriving in a completely different world – and in many ways, I was.
* * *
Something that I wasn’t able to touch on in my BBC piece, but which I have been able to explore in another longer story (that I’ll get to share with you in a few months!), is that getting to know the Moken meant all the more to me because I was also going through a transition at the time.
Having spent the previous few years living overseas, I was beginning to desire a more permanent base in life, but wasn’t sure if some part of me would be lost in the process of coming home and settling down. During my week with the Moken, though, I discovered just how much their situation speaks to all sorts of adaptation in life. Transitions are inevitable, and it was remarkable to see how the Moken have held onto core pieces of themselves, even as the outward shape of their lives has changed.
There’s one set of images I particularly want to share with you today. When my translator Nui (a wonderful project coordinator for the NGO Childline Thailand Foundation) and I first made the journey from the Thai mainland to the Surin Islands, a Moken couple accompanied us. We picked them up on our way to the pier, and on the speedboat to the islands, they sat in the back chatting quietly with Nui. The man’s name was Khun Jao and his wife was Pi Juree. They had lived on the mainland for years, but it was their son’s house in the village we would be staying in for the week.
“Khun Jao talks about how his boat has holes,” Nui said to me at one point, giving me the briefest synopsis of their conversation.
We moored first at the largest island – Koh Surin Nua – on a floating dock made of connecting plastic blocks. We waded to shore, where a few backpackers went off to register with the park and our group boarded a second boat that would take us to the village – this time a faded Thai long-tail. We piled our bags and food in the bow, and while the rest of us sat beneath a canopy made from bamboo poles and thatched leaves, Khun Jao perched on the very prow of the boat, barefoot and legs drawn in.
There was something about watching him watch the water that struck me – as though the boat was more than just a means of transportation for him; and if it were, it served not to transport him to a particular destination, but to some deeper place inside himself.
Throughout my week with the Moken, there were a lot of boat rides – to the national park, to neighboring islands, to a nearby beach to forage for shells – and every time it was never long before one or more Moken, both children and adults, would make their way to the very front edge of the boat. Legs were almost always drawn in, just like Khun Jao’s had been on the first day.
I thought about their now-sedentary existence in the village, about the houses they have there and the lives they lead, but then I would think – they’ll always have this. They’ll always have the sea, and the sense of belonging they feel both above and below its surface.
“When we want to move, we would go and then come back again,” Khun Jao said to me when we first met. “Stay and move. Boat is home, we go everywhere.”
* * *
I couldn’t take notes fast enough that week, and wondered if I would ever be able to make any sense of it all. I felt as though I were being handed piece after piece of a puzzle, but because I hadn’t been given a picture to work from, I could do nothing but keep moving the pieces around in place, never coming any closer to connecting them.
Almost a year and a half later, I finally feel like I’m beginning to understand what my time with the Moken meant. The more I read about their history and current situation, the more I identify with their love of movement – and with why the loss of it has been so profound. Although life took a few unexpected turns last year and I’m still as nomadic as ever, my week with the Moken was something of a watershed moment for me – I realized that whenever the time does come to settle down, I’ll be ready.
Isn’t that the coolest part about travel? The way that getting to know these other corners and cultures of the world helps us know ourselves better as well? It will never cease to amaze me how our experiences can become such vehicles for change in our own lives.
As C. S. Lewis so beautifully says in the above quote, every journey is a crucible – we never return home as who we were when we left.
If you’d like to learn more about the Moken, I highly recommend checking out this site: Project Moken, founded by a team of Norwegian filmmakers who are currently working on a documentary about the Moken. Be sure to visit their two interactive pages, “Hold Your Breath” and “The Ocean as a Place.”
Very interesting, as always;-), Candace. And gorgeous pictures. I admire your talent for a nomadic lifestyle.
Thank you, Anja! So glad you enjoyed meeting the Moken here 🙂 Hope you’ve been very well!
Oh, this has to be one of my new favs! I love this sort of story best–love learning insight like this, learning about the people. I was just thinking earlier today about how living in Asia is cheaper than in the USA–and I was thinking of how Matt over at Nomadic Matt lived in Thailand for awhile.. Wondered how plausible it would be for me–then I read your post about the Moken. How interesting. Thanks for the story, Candace!
I’m so happy to hear the Moken’s story resonated with you, Elora – I don’t know why I hadn’t shared it here before now, but I really enjoyed pulling the photos together for it. And what perfect timing as well, as you’ve been contemplating living in Thailand! At least from my own experience, Asia was a wonderful place to be based for a while – not only because the cost of living is so much less, but the different cultures there are also endlessly inspiring. It definitely has its challenges, but I’d recommend it! Please let me know if you have any more questions about it that I can help with 🙂
I almost felt like being with the mokens! Your pictures so compelling! Interesting account and I am looking forward to reading more of it (if you plan to write). 🙂
I’m glad to hear it, Renuka! It’s definitely one of my favorite things about travel writing (or any sort of story inspired by a journey or place) – just the way that it can transport you so vividly to another world and culture. I appreciate you reading, and look forward to sharing more stories with you soon!
I checked out your BBC photo essay, well done! I love that you are still deciphering lessons from a year ago. I would love to have the same experience with the Moken!
Thanks so much for checking out the essay, Corinne, I appreciate it! And I really am so grateful for my time with the Moken – some close family friends in Bangkok were the ones who enabled the trip to happen, and at the time I didn’t really know why I was going or what kind of story I could hope to find there. It’s been such a lesson in going anyways, and how the lessons can continue to unfold over time. Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you’ll have the chance to visit the Surin Islands yourself one day 🙂
This reminds of the nomadic families we met in Mongolia. Obviously modern life has affected them in some of the same ways as those who are living in the city, but they still do as they’ve always done – move and tend to making their living in the desert with their animals. It does make you wonder what will happen in the future, but with that kind of history, it’s hard to think of them surviving without movement. It’s as much a part of them as the air they breathe.
Congratulations on your essay, too!
“It’s as much a part of them as the air they breathe.” I love that thought, Carmel – and I SO love (and am a tiny bit jealous 😉 that you got to spend time with nomads in Mongolia! That is such a dream of mine. When reading up for last week’s post on the history of yurts, it was fascinating to read about how central movement is to their lives. Here’s my favorite quote from one of the essays:
“The primacy of movement serves as the basis of the nomads’ entire worldview. For them, everything that is alive is in movement, and everything that moves is alive: the sun and moon, water and wind, birds, and animals.”
Hope you and Shawn are loving your time in Spain so far!!
every journey is a crucible – we never return home as who we were when we left.
How profoundly true. I am totally with you. It’s picking up a lesson wherever we go. It’s bettering ourselves, adapting better to changes all the time and improving our abilities to deal with the cards we have been dealt with.
You mentioned,” I realized that whenever the time does come to settle down, I’ll be ready.”. My thoughts to share: settling is a matter of metaphorical terms – physically you might not be moving yourself from continent to continent but psychologically you could still be constantly be looking for changes and things to colour your life. The impression of settling has been linked with possibly: routine, dull, boring. That’s not exactly true – if you see it this way, it’s the process of growing up in an invisible manner. Growing up in phases at the same physical spot is still possible. When I was still living in my home country, I went for kayaking expeditions, learning German, learning the keyboard, going for trekking trips, running, taking up a data mining diploma – all of these of course happened at different points in life over five years. I consider all of these to be adventures. Totally different sort of activities and met different types of people – from musically-inclined folks to self improvement folks, sporty people to language folks. A couple of them I have managed to maintain friendships till this day. Hence I would say, I would still look forward to reading your adventures even when you are ‘settled down’, because I would imagine you will be initiating a different sort of adventures, totally ‘Candace’ 😉
And a huge thanks for sharing your inspiring adventures and thoughts 🙂
Clarice, I’m not even sure where to start! First of all – just *thank you*. Your comment was so inspiring and insightful and challenging, so it really means a lot that you would take the time to share your insights here. And I am truly so grateful that you challenged my phrasing of ‘settling down’ – perhaps a more fitting way to describe it would be, when the time comes to slow down or stop moving quite so often 🙂 As I briefly mentioned in this post, I’ve been working on another story about my time with the Moken, and through writing it I really asked myself some hard questions about what it is that I love so much about traveling and being out in the world. And you actually nailed it – it ultimately has nothing to do with moving around, but only with the sense of possibility and presence that travel has taught me. It’s exactly what you say – you never stop growing, never stop learning, never stop exploring, even if you’re doing it in a smaller radius of space, you know? So I couldn’t agree more with you, and I’m going to write a few key phrases you shared down, because they really hit home. Thank you again for your wisdom, and thank you as always for reading!
AMAZING PHOTOS! The cheeks on that baby- I can’t even handle it. Lovely, as always, Candace.
I KNOW, right? I couldn’t stop taking photos of her the entire time I was there. She was seriously the cutest thing ever. Hope all is wonderfully well on the road! xo
Amazing story and photos! I have never heard of the Moken before, but I’m glad you decided to share it with us here on the blog. Also, congrats on being published on BBC Travel! That’s awesome!
“Almost a year and a half later, I finally feel like I’m beginning to understand what my time with the Moken meant.” Isn’t this the beauty of travel? The lessons just keep rolling in even AFTER you are done with it. Moreover, as you start thinking about what you learned, ALL the memories come flooding back and in an instant, you are back to the moments of traveling *sigh* 🙂
Thanks so much, Pauline! Your kind words mean a lot, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed getting to know the Moken a bit here 🙂 And YES, I truly do love the way the lessons from each journey never truly stop unfolding. Hope you’re looking forward to your trip out west soon! xo
Beautiful story and gorgeous pictures. Being only six months into my new nomadic life I can only hope to have many awakening experiences like this. Isn’t that really the greatest reason for traveling in the first place? Thanks for sharing and congrats on your BBC photo essay!
Thank you, Sarah! And I have no doubt the experiences will come – as indeed they already have 🙂 I think the most important part is just being open and on the look out for those moments of awakening – they’re inevitable when you’re truly open to change. Thanks so much for your kind words and support, and I hope all is very well with you and Nathan!
The BBC! That’s amazing, Candace. Very proud of you and adore your photos as always.
Thank you, my friend!! That means the world to me. Sending lots of love to Atlanta, and I can’t wait to hear more about where life is leading you next 🙂
Incredible photos and a lovely story. Thanks for sharing these lives and stories with us. I have never heard of the Moken people, which surprises me. It is quite amazing how those little moments over the course of our lives have so much impact and we often don’t even recognize it until years later.
Absolutely, Anwar! It’s a true honor to be able to share a small part of the Moken’s story here with you – I had a feeling you might enjoy reading about them 🙂 And you described so perfectly how I’ve come to understand my time with them. It’s funny – with some experiences, you can sense their significance almost instantly, and yet others take months or even years to process. Thanks again for your epic email this week – reply coming soon!
The photos are simply stunning and the story is so inspiring! It just shows how much traveling, getting to know different cultures and finding ourselves experiencing things that we would have never otherwise if we stayed at home, can enrich our own lives!
Thanks so much, Franca! And I couldn’t have said it better myself 🙂
Beautiful pictures, and oh, the children! It seems to be a life filled with color, not just in the clothing and painted boats but the whole outdoors as well. How wonderful that you could revive those incredible memories and we are so grateful for the pictures. Time marches on, things change, adjustments are made and we learn and grow on our journy through life. Thanks for a wonderful story.
Roberta, it is such a joy to read your insights here. I love your observation about how the Moken lead a life filled with color – that truly did seem the case to me…a life of color and texture and movement. Time does indeed march on, and I’ll be very interested to keep following the Moken’s story, to see how they continue to evolve and adapt as a people group in this ever-changing world. Thank you as always for reading!
Absolutely adorable impressions and I also really like the front edge series of the people with the gaze riveted to the horizon or the surface of the water. Seems like each of them is compiling a “mind patchwork” made from memories and moments – reflecting on water and the flow of life. The concept of “panta rhei” (everything flows) comes to my mind right now:
“Ever-newer waters flow on those who step into the same rivers.” or “Everything changes and nothing remains still … and … you cannot step twice into the same stream”…
Really fascinating culture, it must have been a remarkable experience Candace! The idea of “staying in motion” instead of simply “staying” and perceiving life as a river…
I also adore your quote selections Candace, spot on as always! And “crucible” already became my word of the day… Thanks for another wonderful journey! 🙂
Oliver! I can’t thank you enough for yet again taking an idea – in this case, that of movement and evolution in life – and exploring it from a completely different angle…I had never heard of ‘panta rhei’ before, but I absolutely adore the quotes you shared, and even in doing some quick research about the concept, am in awe that it connects to ideas of impermanence from Buddhism and Latin phrases such as omnia mutantur – “Everything changes, nothing perishes.” It all really is connected, isn’t it? 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading more about it, but in the mean time, thank you so much for sharing that!
Wow, such an amazing inspiration you are!
Well thank you, Allane! I feel incredibly blessed for the experiences the world has brought my way, and not a lot makes me happier than getting to share them here. I appreciate your kind words, and hope you’ll stop by again soon!
What amazing photos. And an amazing experience. Often life teaches us things in the most unexpected places.
Thank you so much, Rhonda! And indeed it does – I don’t think life will ever cease to amaze me in that way 🙂 I hope all is very well with you and Jim!
we are all helpers one to another…. thanks for sharing, beautiful.
Hi, my name is Gabby, I am currently living in Chiang Rai Thailand, working with an organization that acts as a prevention home for girls at risk. I have been in Thailand two years but I am very interested in going to see and help with the Moken people in Thailand. I read about the surin island project, and was wondering if I could have the contact info or a way to get in touch with the organization there, to see if I can come help. Or any other information of organizations currently helping these people… Thank you so much for your time. Loved your writing. My email is [email protected]