Thailand’s best kept secret

In a few hours, I will be back at school again – this is a good time to reminisce over all the amazing experiences I have had in the past couple of months.

Sometimes you don’t need to travel long distances for the perfect holiday. Sometimes you don’t even need a fancy hotel or exciting daytrips.
Just settle into a simple daily rhythm, slow down your heartbeat, walk slowly, swim slowly, breathe slowly.
Welcome to the magical islands hidden somewhere in Thailand.

Wake up at daybreak, sit by a little hole in the sand, wait for the giant crab to appear, sit still, it will walk right up to you. Watch the hermit crabs walking around collecting scraps left behind by the tide during the night.

See the dazzling green of the thick jungle reflected in the shallow waters, each and every tree, one by one.
Look carefully, yet, in one moment, in the blink of an eye, it is not the reflection anymore that you see, but the deep turquoise of tropical waters.

Visit the village of the seafaring people, see the kids play, absorb all their laughter.
Hang out in the shade, take a nap, listen to the deep quiet of the middle of nowhere.
Go for a leisurely snorkel in a longtail boat – the journey is just as important as the destination.

Swim out far, far in the bay, discover the shark nursery underneath the mangroves, more coral, more fish, as far as the eye can see.
Enjoy the delicious seafood lunch.
Walk the jungle trail, take a dip in little coves, climb over fallen trees, cross ant highways.
Sit on the pier, take in the colours, as many bright colours as you have never seen before.

Take another snorkelling boat, search for the sharks, find only hundreds of clownfish, and smile about it – after all, the sharks can wait for next year.
Hang on, here is the shark after all! It’s a shark-shaped cloud in the sky. Smile. The world is conspiring to make all your wishes come true.
Walk over the beach at low tide, over the rocks, run like a mad centipede on the oven-hot planks of the pier.

Find your sandals somewhere, discarded under a bush three days before. Walk along the pier, slowly, this time.
Go back to yesterday’s snorkelling spot, you won’t even recognise it.
Watch the turquoise give way to the dazzling green reflection of the jungle in the shallow water of the bay.

Watch the hermit crabs collecting scraps left behind by the tide – an eternal cycle.
Let the salty sea breeze dry and comb your hair.
Walk over the wet sand, stand still, let the birds come near you.
Swat the mosquitoes.
See the simple, gentle curves of the boats.

Hold on tight to your tent when the wind picks up, find rocks to secure it, smile when the elderly Thai ladies tie your tent to a tree, just in case.
Find a broom and try to get rid of a ton of fine sand from your sleeping mat, in vain.
Hope and pray that the neighbours’ candles don’t set the tents on fire.
Watch the million stars, walk to the edge of the beach in search of the Big Dipper somewhere near the horizon.

Walk slowly, swim slowly, breathe slowly. Live. Simple, easy, as you always wanted.