I had a weird/disturbing/wonderful experience today (sorry it's a bit over detailed but I want to remember it)...
I was walking along Koh San road and my jandle broke (this meant I had walk barefoot on 36 degree heated tar seal - not nice) but straight afterward this Indian dude with a turban came up to me and asked if he could read my future. He said he would do a test first, and if I trusted him afterwards I could pay him to proceed. He got me to follow him down this quiet alley way and started reading my palm and asking a series of questions like "pick a number between 1 and 9" and writing down colours that came into my head. From this he was able to tell me some basic things about my physical condition and present mental focus (too much thought, especially logical thought he said).
This was all pretty interesting but nothing mindblowing. He said if I went with him futher down the alley way he could tell me specific things about my past on the condition that if he got them correct I would pay him to read my future - not inexpensive either - 2000B (baht) if I was a poor man, 5000B if I was doing ok and 10000B if I was rich. He already new I was doing ok - he had told me so. I was so struck with this guy with the long black beard and the deep brown eyes that I agreed to his conditions and said I would pay him between poor and middle price as I was travelling and needed to save dosh. So we walked further down (slightly scared at this point but there was a few thai's around so felt ok) and sat on a cool clean bit of the alley way. He proceeded to read my palm, tongue and eyes and ask me a couple of questions, all the while scribbling notes with a pencil and paper. He skrewed up the bit of paper put it in my hand and asked me to crasp it next to my heart.
This is the bit that freaked me out - he asked me to write down the names of my ex-girlfriend and mother (I could choose whether I gave him the first or second name), how many brothers and sisters I had, and my birthdate. As instructed I then blew three times on the hand on my heart and said aloud "Good luck stay, bad luck go" (yes, it was kinda funny at the time too).
I then opened the bit of paper he had written on earlier and it read:
Katia
Jilian
1 B / 1 S
birth 10/11/75
Oh my god! Except for a couple of minor spelling mistakes it was all correct (my ex-girlfriend's name is actually Katea and mum's Jillian). What was particularly interesting is that I had written down mum's name as Jillian and said it was her second name even though everyone actually calls her Jill).
At this stage I'm in a minor state of shock and my heart is beating a million times a second. He asked if it was correct and I couldn't lie. He said that starting in September this year and for the following nine years I was going to I have the most fortune in my life (and I think that includes money if I read him right). In September I would find a new job in a new country - and a girlfriend too. She would be a warm, kind hearted lovely woman (yay). All good I thought, but he had one word of warning. He said I should not tell anyone my deepest secrets. When I challenged him on this he tried to explain that I would be giving these personal things up and the listener would be taking them from me. He said I would lose my good luck. Stink!
So then he asked for the cash. 4000B! I said I would have to get some travellers cheques changed even though he was quite happy if I used credit card (oh boy). He followed me out onto the street and happilly waited at the entrance of the alley way. Luckilly I spotted Simon across the road - I really needed his advice at this point because I was totally spaced out and confused. Simon thought the guy sounded fascinating and wanted to meet him (phew - good ol' Si). We went back to the dude and after a quick chat he offered to take us both back down the alley way to explain what he does and believes. We must have sat there for about half an hour or so discussing (mainly listening about) religous matters close to him and ways to live your life. It was really cool and I managed to calm down a bit during it as Si was interested in what he was saying so asked most of the questions. Afterwards Simon declined to have his future read (he'd rather be surprised - very wise) but gave the dude some baht for his time. I was let off the hook on the 4000B and gave him everything I had on me (about 950B) - he seemed pretty happy about that.
So me and Si said goodbye and walked off back to the guest house - me with jandal in hand.
Grant and Simon's Travel Journal
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