A Little Slice of Paradise

You know that feeling when you go on vacation and you can’t quite relax? The nagging sensation that you should be checking your work emails, or taking care of that last project, or even starting something new so you won’t be behind when you return?  Our vacation time in Thailand started out that way.  We arrived in Bangkok at about 6 am after traveling all night from India (via Sri Lanka).  We managed to negotiate about 2 hours of sleep before loading all 22 of us back on another bus to go on another city tour.  It was lovely and interesting and entertaining, but we were all so tired (physically, emotionally, spiritually) that we just weren’t getting that much out of it.  By the end of the evening we were all so ready to go our separate ways that we hardly even said good-bye to each other.

The transition for our little family of five wasn’t much smoother the next morning. We were at each other all day as we checked out of the hotel and then traveled by taxi, airplane, van, long tail boat and pick up truck to finally reach our little island villa. Word came in that one student had lost an ATM card. Another was waiting to meet a friend whose flight had been delayed. We were worried but trying to let go at the same time. By the time we arrived and settled in we were frazzled and not exactly relaxed.

But the next morning, we woke to discover that we really had arrived in paradise. About 30 meters from our front door was the pristine beach.  It stretched out in both directions with no visible development and almost no people.  The small line of chairs under umbrellas beckoned us to come and relax. So we agreed to try.

Over the next six days we managed to give in to the desire to rest and relax.  We alternated between doing nothing and going on adventures.  The week included an elephant trek, a river canoe trip, pedicures, a snorkeling trip, thai massages, a visit to a national park, many hours reading under beach umbrellas, many hours playing in the ocean, daily walks on the beach at sunset, rescuing flow fish from the high tide, countless plates of pad thai and glasses of lemon juice (really a form of lime-ade that was DELICIOUS), numerous cheeseburgers for the kids, and access to internet communication with the world.  It was delightful and exactly what we needed.

Our trek back into Bangkok was far less exhausting.  And when we arrived we had plenty of energy to go out exploring the farmer’s markets and night markets. Our time in the “Land of Smiles” was far too short, but it was long enough to get our smiles back!