My Golden Quest in Koh Phra Thong (Copy)

I went into the ANFT immersion in Thailand without knowing what was going to unfold, and yet was blessed with huge gifts of wisdom, knowledge and enrichment to my soul.

I completed the ANFT Forest Therapy Guide Training back in May 2022 and have been eagerly waiting for the 5D4N in-person training immersion to happen. After nine months of longing, I finally arrived in Phuket, Thailand.

This immersion was meant to offer the trained guides who have been learning mostly virtually with a physical experience in the forest as a collective with our trainers. These overseas immersions paused during covid due to travel restrictions and finally opened their doors this year.

While we know that forest bathing will be aplenty and living in the wild is granted, the specifics of the program were not intended to be shared ahead of time. This is how it usually goes for ANFT - we prepare sufficiently, but allow the forest, our teacher to guide us. We go in without expectations and allow the events to unfold.

In the past, I tend to have a strong tendency to over-research so I make the most out of my rare and precious time in a foreign land. Later on, it would ease into mindfulness with some gentle efforts of intent-setting so I am clear about what I wish to receive in an experience. This time around, I simply chose to go in as an empty container. I had no intent and no asks.

After arriving on the island, our trainers shared with us the story of this land. The island’s name, Phra Thong, actually meant “Golden Monk”. Holding this loosely, I went on with my journey.

Day 1

We met our trainers, Youmin, Amanda and Vix, who came from Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand respectively. We started the first afternoon with a series of greetings and introductions. The first one is ‘greeting the land’, simply introducing ourselves to the nature of this island and allowing them to be introduced to us. We did it in our own unique ways and allowed our feet to take us around.

Shortly after, we were invited to play a ‘name game’ since there were 32 names to remember (yes it was large!). As we were sharing laughter and joy in a circle, we were nearing sunset and the skies changed colour. It was however an unusual tone hinting of a… rainbow! The light rain had brought this rare guest to greet us, before letting the picturesque sunset take the stage.

We ended the evening with dinner and enjoyed the starry skies as we traced back to our ‘baans’ (villas) in the dark.

Day 2

We began the morning with a trainer-led walk in the savanna of Koh Phra Thong - a rare landscape in Asia and the only one in Thailand. The forest bathing that ANFT practices differs from other nature walks as it brings us into a liminal space of timelessness, and we fully awaken our senses to experience the land.

The savanna is special as it features a sandy floor, like a desert but with some vegetation and short trees around. Our feet kissed the warm and soft sand as we wandered around the space. To experience our seasoned trainer’s guiding is the true highlight as we breathe in the gentleness of their language and openness of the invitations.

The savanna was vast and majestic but it was harsh, to say the least. The sunlight was immense and we soon recognized how important the shade of the big trees were for sheltering heat. While it is not the usual easeful and gentle environment we would offer forest bathing in, it held meaning for us trained guides to experience new landscapes and expand our headroom.

By the final tea invitation, we were all trying our best to bear with the red ants biting at our feet and the sun scorching our skin. It was a true initiation to this island. Treasures are not for the faint-hearted.

Just as we wrapped up and headed for the exit, the few of us who left behind to help with packing were treated with the encounter of the Golden Dragonfly. It circled a few times as more of us approached it, never failing to return to the same stalk it was resting on, generously offering its gloriousness to us.

After lunch, we shared a debrief with our trainers, to receive the richness of their process and the level of thoughtfulness exercised during the pre-walk preparation. They are, after all, foreign to the land, and to partner with an unforgiving landscape like the savanna, the learnings were a precious blessing to the rest of us.

Day 3

We broke out into smaller groups for forest bathing sessions in different areas of Koh Phra Nong on the third morning.