Sitting here on a Monday afternoon listening to the gentle crashing of waves on the eastern coast of Koh Yao Noi island feels surreal.
I have often thought about this very moment in the past 2 months. Almost planned that I should take a deep dive into self and connect with nature in a different part of the world.
The daily mundane and familiar environment is around 6000 miles away and nearly as far from my thoughts too.
This trip was a long time coming not only to soothe the eyes with some of the most amazing views of the Avatar like jungle islands peppered throughout the Andaman Sea. Or the body feeling the immensity of the Indian Ocean and humbling at the tenacity of nature.
It is the opportunity for reverie and allowing the mind to focus on the big questions of life.
So it starts now, once the little pleasures of kayaking and swimming and fiddling with snorkeling equipment are out of the way.
Locals on Koh Yao Noi island
Crickets interrupt my thoughts with their chatter and from nearby trees babybirds answer calls. A hornbill bird is flying from tree to tree bringing nourishment to its young.
The lovely people who look after the hospitality at Touch Villa set down ripe fresh bananas for the hornbills. Black small squirrels are sneaking to grab some too.
For the local islanders this is their village, for tourists like us it is paradise.
I take notice of the ways of the people here. I guess travelling blogs may start describing them and their environment as exotic, taking plenty of photos to show the first world how far flung civilizations live.
Travelling to Koh Yao Noi island before Songkran (Thai New Year) brings a wave of colour, sound and beautiful aromas to soothe the body and soul.
We watched the ceremony in the morning on the beach, in awe of colorful yet delicate outfits worn by the locals, as well as the intricate frangipani flower arrangements in their hair.
Self discovery
It is a privilege to travel so far and I guess for some of us it has developed into a right over the years of making it a habit or a ritual.
Travelling gives me a different type of self awareness, the kind that brings contentment each day.
It brings the understanding of what surrounds me into perspective. People we meet in our travels are not to be pitied, they are making a living in their environment and allowing us to enjoy a different way of life for a little while. Even though we are definitely looking from the outside in. It always looks and feels prettier.
Life is sometimes good and sometimes hard and this is a fact.
It’s useful to pause from life often so that you can get a different view.
It will reveal something new about your own self. And it may help with a different direction for your onward journey. Or it may help seeing the beauty in staying right where you are.
