A little slice of paradise

“For me, the sea has always been a confident, a friend absorbing all it is told and never revealing those secrets; always giving the best advice – whose meaningful noises can be interpreted in any way you choose.”  (from The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto “Che” Guevara)

I have always loved the sea, and in its presence, more than anywhere else, my imagination has a tendency to run away with itself.   In the summers of my childhood, I would sidle along sandy beaches, lost in fantasies of enthusiastic and naive ambitions.   As an adolescent those same walks would entertain hopes and wonderings of future love, and in later years, seek solace and repair for a broken heart, damaged as a result of those relationships that never quite matched up to the imaginings of my younger self.  Family holidays sailing in the Western Isles, my mind would be firmly planted in lands unknown with characters who, sadly, I never did have the chance to meet.

 

It is with some level of astonishment that we find ourselves by the ocean in the Southern Gulf of Thailand, at a stage of our trip which, on embarking, seemed so very far away.  Here on the beaches of Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, it is so wonderfully peaceful that finally we feel able to truly relax and recover from the sheer exhaustion that comes from never staying more than a few nights in any one place. 

These islands are the closest thing I have ever seen to paradise.  They are the Thailand that one sees in pictures and hopes for when they choose to go there, and the tranquility that we found on their shores is exactly what we were in need of after nearly three months of travelling.  I am firmly of the belief that the sea soothes the soul, and during the nine days that we spent on these islands, it did exactly that.  It is easy to get lost in your thoughts, sharing them only with the waves; meditating on what has past and wondering of things yet to come.  The time we had was enough to suitably recharge ourselves, both physically, emotionally, and maybe even spiritually, too, for it is easy to see evidence of God when you are in paradise.  I could, however, have quite easily whiled away many more days wandering along their stunning shorelines, lying on their golden sands and watching their spectacular sunsets.  The sunsets, in particular, I would never tire of, so breathtaking are they that it is easy to imagine, just for a moment - this moment that you have been privileged enough to witness – heaven has touched earth.