Flipping the coin until its side is right

Minutes before getting on the boat to Koh Phangan, I started feeling a very familiar pain on my right ankle. I immediately wondered why this was happening because I hadn't bumped into anything, I hadn't made any sudden and quick movements; it is true that I had spent the night sitting but somehow I was not convinced that this was the reason why I was in this situation again. Be that as it may, there wasn't much to do apart from accepting things as they were and dealing with it in the best possible way. This was why I decided to go and get an oil massage. By the beach. With the balmy sound of waves in the background. Nice.

I met V on the first leg of the trip to Koh Phangan. We started talking and it turns out that this pleasant French girl had already spent a couple of months on the island and was now coming back for a short visit. She had brought "foie gras", "camembert" and French white wine to share with her friends and was nice enough to invite me to join them. I gladly accepted and was definitely looking forward to meeting her at 9 p.m. in front of the local 7 Eleven. Unfortunately, I was so tired that I fell asleep and missed our "rendez-vous". I never saw V again.

When I decided to explore the island I didn't think that at some point I would have to deal with cab drivers, who charge ridiculous amounts of money for ridiculously short rides. So as I tried to get back from Haad Rin and a cab driver goes as far as to mention that the trip would cost me three times more than what I was expecting to pay, I felt that the right thing to do was to walk away. Consequently, I found myself on a hilly road with a bad ankle trying not to worry about the fact that it would start getting dark soon. All of a sudden, another cab driver comes along and, luckily for me, he was one of the good ones and charged me a fair amount of money in order to take me back to my bungalow.

In the end, even if nasty cab drivers crossed my way, what really matters, what I will remember and tresure, is that I also met the honest ones; even if I lost track of V, I am glad to have met her at all; and even if all the issues with my right ankle are a source of frustration and concern, the truth is that they can only slow me down, not stop me.