Landed on a tropical island: Back home on Koh Phangan

Els van Wijlen regularly stayed with her husband 'de Kuuk' on Koh Phangan. Her son Robin has opened a coffee cafe on the island. Unfortunately, 'de Kuuk passed away after a short illness.

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follow, follow the sun
and which way the wind blows
when this day is gone

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These are tough times, but I am back home on Koh Phangan. Without my buddy. The Kuuk is dead.
It is not yet comprehensible.

The lives of everyone who loved him will never be the same again. We continue with the Kuuk in our hearts.

This afternoon I see a small snake slip in. Bunch, my cat, sits next to it and looks at it.
I see a thin brown string of about 20 cm going around the corner, into the kitchen.

So I went in to wipe the poor animal out again. It's hidden under the counter behind some plastic boxes. Fortunately, everything has just been cleaned properly, so I don't have to worry that there is also a big spider living behind it. I'm not afraid of a snake. Carefully I pull the plastic box forward.

Ooh gottegot, I'm totally scared.

I'm face to face with a snake of at least a meter. That's a different story than a big worm.
The snake is also frightened and raises its head. We looked into each other's eyes for a split second. I dart out of the kitchen and seek help.

Because I don't know what kind of snake it is, I'm very careful. There are also poisonous species here. A Thai who lives nearby comes to watch. It turns out to be a cobra, a very poisonous specimen, professional help is needed.

Stefan the contortionist gets a call. That is a German who lives here and has been researching snakes for years, especially the cobra. In addition to being a researcher, he is also the right person when snakes need to be removed. There are many snakes on the island, Stefan is quite busy on his own.

Calmly he catches the snake and puts it in the bag. It turns out to be a yearling, which will molt within about 5 days. Well he just watches what he does, as long as he stays out of my kitchen. Stefan takes the snake to his house until it has shed and then releases it back into nature.

He explains: venomous snakes are generally not really aggressive and they won't just attack. In the evening in the dark, he advises to bring a flashlight. They are then difficult to see and if I were to step on them, the snake could bite through the fright. They don't always bite, sometimes they 'hit' their heads to scare them off.

Even when a cobra bites, it doesn't always release venom. But in the worst case that a cobra does bite and release venom, I always have about 15 minutes to take her to the hospital, there is antivenom there.

In the hospital they first wait until they are sure that poison has been released during the bite. Only then is the antidote administered. Because if they immediately administer an antidote and there appears to be no poison in the blood, you will die from the antidote.

Well, what a relief.

Do I want to know all this??

According to Stefan, the snake man, it is good to know this, because then you panic less quickly.
That's better. Because if you get poison in the bloodstream and you panic, your heart will beat faster and your blood will flow faster and the poison will work faster.

Clear story; in case of a cobra bite..don't panic...

It is also good to be aware of the fact that we live on an island that is infested with cobras.
'My' cobra will also return to our neighborhood soon, because it belongs there. Cobras are smart too, and this young snake won't be crawling into my kitchen again. They have a good memory and are rarely seen in the same location a second time. The contortionist has been taking DNA from the cobras he has caught for years and has never caught the same cobra twice.

To properly estimate my chances of survival on the island, I inquire about the statistics: 2x a year, someone is bitten. In the past 10 years, only 2 people have died from a bite. One was taunting the snake and the other wanted a kiss from the cobra, where the snake bit the man's tongue. The victim was the former contortionist here on the island. So Stefan's predecessor.

The figures reassure me somewhat and I put the danger into perspective, especially when I think of the number of fatalities in traffic here on the island.

To cope with the shock and to celebrate the good outcome, we drink with the auxiliary troops
but an ice cold one, after which I get on my scooter without a helmet to eat.

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breathe, breathe in the air
set your intentions
dream with care
tomorrow is a new day for everyone,
brand new moon, brand new sun

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