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| Way too many people! hehehe |
5-1-01 My last few days of vacation turned out to be a surprise. Due to a long story and a change in plans, that I won’t boar you with, I ended up at Paradise Island Resort on Koh Yao Noi Island. The last day I spent with my parents enjoying a little bit more of Bangkok I also spent booking a flight to Phuket and arranging a yoga and climbing retreat for myself. This is something I originally wanted to do while on break and was going to do it at the beginning but because of my brother and friends encouraging me to scuba dive I gave up the retreat. I sure am glad I did because it meant I got to do it all during my 2 month vacation. I had been in contact with the guy that runs the retreats throughout my break trying to find a time to spend some quiet time to myself to reflect but the time was never right until now. So I spent another night in Bangkok giving up my bus ticket home to NKP and made my way to more beach time. Once landed in Phuket I had to take a 500 Baht taxi to Bang Rong Pier where I caught a 100 Baht long boat to the island where a sawng tao brought me to the most remote part of the island for a cheap 800 Baht ride. Just getting to the resort was the most expensive part. The yoga retreats are run out of two locations: the posh resort I landed at and a backpacker’s location which I had originally hoped to go to but it was now closed for the off season. To my advantage the backpackers place was closed because the guy David gave me a 10% discount on my housing along with 2 free yoga classes and an extra night at 35% off and a day of climbing with himself and my 2 yoga instructors. I think I may be the only leprechaun who has ever found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I arrived to the resort thinking that the sawng tao driver took a wrong turn and was taking me into the middle of the jungle on a dirt road to kidnap me but really I landed at the right place. My first afternoon was spent in solitude as I think I was one of 10 people at the entire resort. It was peaceful but I must admit it took that afternoon and evening to wind down from the busy past two months I had spent with people all the time. My retreat officially began at 4:30 with an hour and a half yoga session with Tammi. It was there that I met a wonderful mother daughter team Karen and Nathalie. Yoga was just what I needed to get me in the mindset of spending the next 4 days alone. The view from the open air studio was a help. How could I sulk in sadness about my parents leaving and coming to this 5 star resort alone when I was fortunate enough to be able to be in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Once relaxed by yoga my new friends Karen and Nathalie invited me to eat dinner with them. I was thrilled to have company to eat with. At dinner Nathalie and I found out we had been living the past 6 months only 50 km away from each other. She taught high school for a semester in Sakhon Nakhon and was now enjoying the retreat with her mom after traveling with friends and family for the past 2 months just like me. It was nice to be able to have someone to connect with about my experience. 
5-2-11 My first full day to enjoy “paradise”. My day began with a still meditation on the beach at 7:30 followed by an hour and thirty minutes of yoga. It sprinkled a little during the class which gave a refreshing feel to the air making the yoga class that much more enjoyable. It was followed by an all you can eat breakfast. The rest of the day I had a stressful schedule of swimming in the pool and ocean when the tide was in and reading my book in a hammock overlooking the ocean and mountains of the mainland. Ending the day with an hour and thirty minutes of yoga to take away the stress of the day. After yoga I cooled down by taking a dip in the pool that I shared with me, myself and I. After eating the most delicious pizza for dinner I climbed into my queen size canopy bed in my suite and rested my sleepy eyes after a tough day of being Queen.
5-3-11 I am really getting into this retreat and am loving that Thailand is 30 Baht to the Dollar so that I can be so fortunate to spoil myself with a 5 star vacation. This morning we tried a dancing meditation since yesterday we were all pretty wiggly during the still meditation. I liked it a lot more and felt my mind was a lot more still and quiet although my body was rockin’ n’ rollin’ to the music. We had only 5 of us in yoga this morning too. Another mother daughter pair showed up last night, the daughter just finished teaching for a year in Korea and was headed to India for a month intensive yoga teacher training. After the usual relaxing morning and breakfast with the yoga retreaters I spent the afternoon at a private climbing wall with David the manager of the retreats and Tammi and Akikko my yoga teachers. We had to paddle a little boat across an inlet of the ocean to get to the not well traveled path through the jungle before reaching the remote wall. The other 3 did lead climbs while I worked on getting back into climbing with a rope. David set me up with a variety of climbs from 5B to 6A. I was able to complete 4 climbs without feeling too fatigued. David gave me some great climbing tips and was patient with me when I asked to take a minute at the top of my climbs to look out over the ocean and the surrounding islands only to hear the crashing of the waves below me the birds chirping and my own breath. It was truly spectacular and a far better climbing day than I had in Releigh. Not to mention my 3 climbing partners are such thoughtful and inspiring people. We all come from 4 different countries but share a bond of all living in America and now time on this island to enjoy some of God’s beauty enjoying the outdoors.
After a hot sweaty climb I stretched out in the pool before heading to my afternoon yoga session and last class with Tammi. It felt so good to stretch out my body after climbing. After yoga Karen, Nathalie and I went to the spa and enjoyed the steam room followed by dunks in the cool waterfall pool before getting massages that were included in our yoga package. The massage wasn’t so much on my back but legs and arms which is exactly what I needed after a day of working my legs and arms to their max on the rocks. After I felt rejuvenated and relaxed.
5-4-11 Akikko is our new instructor. She is one interesting lady that I would love to share her story with those of you who are interested. She is an inspiration to me in all that she has done in her life and I hope to follow in her footsteps of some of the adventures she has gone on. Not only does she specialize in yoga but also in healing with singing bowls. We did a singing bowl meditation this morning which was so amazing. For those of you who have never heard the ring of a singing bowl please make a visit to my house to hear one. Akikko is a great yoga teacher and I really enjoy her style of teaching! After yoga and a huge breakfast I enjoyed more beach time and a long conversation with Karen, my surrogate mother on this yoga retreat that turned into being two mother daughter teams and me, in the water. Before yoga I got a facial, I splurged and treated myself to it since I have never had one before and Karen and Nathalie raved about theirs. It was even more amazing than my massage. My face felt so refreshed after it and not to mention I got a back massage while the mask was on my face which was perfect since my back didn’t really get much attention during my trip to the spa the other night. And my day of course ended with a final evening yoga, a splash in the pool and dinner with Karen and Nathalie. We went to the Italian restaurant and celebrated with drinks and dessert tonight since it was my last night at the resort.  |
| Nathalie and Karen |
5-5-11 My last few hours of “paradise”. I enjoyed a final singing bowl meditation with Akikko and hour and a half yoga class. I feel rejuvenated and a whole new person from who I was a few days ago. I followed through with my goal of really enjoying the week to take care of me and only me and to find inner strength to complete 8 yoga classes and a big day of climbing. I learned to let life flow and enjoyed the many blessings of my life. This retreat proved to me how important yoga is in my life in order to feel balanced and energized so that I can have happiness in my life and share it with all the other people in my life. I found peace within and found great new friends. I felt comfortable with the fact that I was enjoying a beach vacation alone and learned that even when I am alone or feeling lonely in my life there will always be people around me, even if they are strangers, to fill the emptiness I may be feeling.
Thank you mom for encouraging me to spoil myself and go on the retreat. Thanks to Karen and Nathalie for making me feel so welcomed to join you on your own retreat. And finally to David, Akikko and Tammi for helping me to grow spiritually and physically through yoga and climbing.
Thank you Jes and Abe for hosting me for one final night in Bangkok after my retreat and before I had to return home to Chok Amnuay to teach my beautiful students. I am glad your eyes are better Abe and I am also glad I got to spend some more quality time with Jes and Pie before Pie became Lily.
To all those people out there that I met from around the world, the Thai toddlers I shared sour candy with or made scream for hours on the bus to the people that shared their wisdom with me while zipping through the forest of Chiang Mai or restoring my diving light on Kho Yao Noi, and those close friends and family that I got to enjoy touring Thailand with, thank you for sharing part of who you are with me. I will always remember our fun although short times together and how you touched me and made my year here in Thailand that much more special.
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| my bed |
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| sort of outdoor shower |
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| Vanity area |
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| My little friend outside my house |
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