It was August 2008 and I was on Ko Phangan in Thailand.
I had just come out of my first retreat - 10 days of blissful silence and Vipassina meditation.
This was to be the final act of my six-month quest through South-East Asia.
This was the thing that made my entire journey worth it, and I didn't want to come home without this under my belt.
Now, my heart was warm and my mind was lucid and chilled.
Never before feeling so darn awesome I headed to my favorite spot in the island: the beach of Haad Yuan.
It is a semi-secluded spot, accessible only by taxi boat from Haad Rin, or spending half a day by climbing through that god-forsaken mosquito-infested forrest.
When I got to Haad Yuan, the sun was as bright and beautiful as ever. I checked into my my Bungalow at the Stone Bar, and while hanging out downstairs, I got this insight:
"How awesome would it be to swim further around to island to the next beach?"
With my board-shorts on, I jumped straight off the rocks down from the bar and straight into the beautiful turquoise water, and began circumnavigating the clifface that obscured the view of the next beach.
As I got to the furtherest point out, I noticed a wooden raft floating out from the beach.
"What a perfect spot to land!"
On the raft there was an interesting young man - about my age - with a shaved head, a snorkel, and a special energy about him.
I climbed on the raft, and greeted him...
I knew this was the start of something...