I remembered the days when I was young, reckless and carefree - where time and space no longer exists in my dictionary. I barely surpassed my Silver Jubilee in 2009 and starting to find my feet in a complex world which I barely understand.

So, there I was - trying to grasp the definition of marriage and found myself a recipient of an unrequited love that had no beginning to start off with. In an audacious bid to heal a broken heart, this foolish young man soon turned to an impromptu trip across the Andaman Sea to a fishing village also known as Koh Panyee. Alone.

Where on Earth is Koh Panyee you might asked?

Well, I barely had a clue and this village certainly wasn't part of my plans. In my spontaneity, I was browsing the internet in pursuit of the off-beaten path and this search led me to an image of a golden mosque sitting quietly atop a fishing settlement in the middle of the sea whilst surrounded by enormous limestone rocks. There was no extensive research ever since and I keep telling myself, "Hey, maybe I should go there".

Heck, I gave myself little clues regarding the place that the only important information that I gathered about the village was the nearest airport where tourists often flocked to ever since the film, The Beach, was released. If your initial guess is Phuket, 10 points for you! To be more specific, the fishing village is part of the Phang Nga Province in Thailand. 

Young and naive, I bought my first solo flight tickets to Phuket and booked myself in a small guesthouse located near the southern coast without any plans or prior knowledge to Koh Panyee. I reckoned that directions and transportation will be a breeze as it is in Singapore. Oh boy, was I wrong.

I clearly disregard the timing of my flight and ended in Phuket late at night. Dazed and confused, I proceed to the immigration and was stumped, along with other tourists, that there were no officers to welcome us upon arrival. As we waited and grumbled, a uniformed gentleman walked past us, with a frying pan, while engaging his colleagues in an amusing chatter before realizing that there is a group patiently waiting to have their passports stamped. Panicked, the staff ran towards the office where he left his frying pan and immediately resumed his position at the immigration counter. Honestly, I was baffled and amused but shrugged off the incident anyway.

As it was already dark and raining, I wandered aimlessly to find a transport to the guesthouse before choosing a safer option by booking a cab. The driver seems confused by the address and sought advise from his fellow drivers.

He later warned me that it will be a long journey due to its location and I agreed nonetheless. Halfway to our destination, the driver slowed and eventually stopped next to a shophouse before leaving me alone, in my anxiety, in the cab.

A sudden rush of assumptions raced through my mind as my imagination ran wild bearing thoughts of a possible kidnapping and robbery. I remained seated and waited for the possible outcome in the quiet street.

As he returned to the cab, a lady soon followed and asked me for the address to the guesthouse. Despite my answer, she invited me over to the shophouse to extract more information from me.

At this stage, I was puzzled and frightened at the possible events that might occur considering that it is already late and I am unaware of my whereabouts.

As I entered the shophouse, I soon arrived to a conclusion that it is a travel agency afterall - judging by the travel posters and pamphlets. The lady started to verify my address again before remarking that the guesthouse is remote and inconvenient. 

She later offered me an alternative at a local resort but I politely declined and requested for the driver to proceed with the rest of our journey. However, the lady was kind enough to offer me her name card in the event that I change my mind and true enough, I required her assistance afterall in my later misadventures to Koh Panyee.

There and then, my virgin solo trip begins.