Fire Show Night!
At a beach club in our relatively quiet town here on Koh Pha Ngan, they happen to have a fire show every Monday and Thursday night. On queue, each of these days, around 8:30pm, we hear a couple of fireworks go off. Just for about thirty seconds. Then all done. It seems cool, but nothing spectacular. It is a small beachside bar, after all.
On Thursday, we decided to give it a look firsthand. Even if there wasn’t much of a show, it still presented a nice reason to actually go out for dinner and maybe even have a drink. Surprisingly, this is something we’ve hardly done at all to date, despite how accessible it is.
It was already a wonderful night before any show. We timed our ride down there to perfectly coincide with the post-thunderstorm sunset, right over the water, and nab great seats—in a corner, facing out towards the ocean. Unintentionally, we’d just stuck into happy hour, too! $20 each bought us four cocktails, plus two mains, and a starter, in total. You probably couldn’t even buy one of those items for $20 at a bar in Australia.
As we ate our food, we watched the performers set up for the fire show, but, more so—followed the very painful-looking, cumbersome movements of a stumpy black bulldog cross who we’d given the title: king o’ the beach. He was always there! Sunrise, sundown, midday, or nighttime, you could always find him waddling along in the sand. We realise that he must have ties with someone from this specific bar. A very close friend at least. They would always play together with coconuts. He even gets a front-row seat for every show! Albeit, on a leash. It may sound made-up, but yes, all of the dogs here play with fallen coconuts more than any ball or stick!
Anyway, back to the fire show. Essentially, it was really cool. I don’t know, this isn’t a post with any kind of meaning. It was just fun. More fun, and more involved, than we’d expected. Beyond the fireworks, there were also two main performers—fire acrobats of sorts, and they were amazing! It really prompted my thinking about the wonder artists of any ilk bring to society. It isn’t inherently that they’re skillset is useful, per se, but rather, that their performances can’t be easily replicated. They are enigmatic and mysterious in that way, and it’s captivating. You’re constantly left wondering, for those moments when they’re on stage, in front of your very eyes, how it is possible to create such art. It is admirable, too—any specialist is. They’ve dedicated huge portions of their lives honing a craft to such a degree that you can’t even begin to comprehend where they started.
Watching such a show, even small and perhaps mundane in the grand scheme of things, allows you to see mastery in its purest form. Observing others simply execute their obscure craft is, for me, always a spectacle to cherish. This show was even completely free! Yes, we bought food, but we’d happily go for the food anyway! Basically—it was a lovely surprise, and a very nice evening.
