I just reread my Singapore post; it's interesting what I chose to write about (my haircut) and what I didn't (the fear of a corrupted population that runs so deep that anything "corrupting": alcohol, the casino, r-rated movies, get so heavily taxed and edited that you either can't afford them or can't stand them). Oh well, what's written is written. On to Thailand!
Thailand is heaven. Truly. Shear bliss. The energy, the food, the views, the water....it's all paradise. I feel like we saved the best for last with our vacation. I am so grateful we had eight days to relax, decompress and lay in the sand.
We spent five nights on Koh Lanta, a small island south of the mainland, and three nights in Phuket, on the mainland. Koh Lanta was perfect for us. Dubbed the "family-friendly" island, there were kids and babies everywhere. Oliver was in heaven. He had so many playmates (a dramatic change from our first four weeks of him being the only baby anywhere) he was able to "socialize" at his level again. It seemed we were the only non-Swedish family on Koh Lanta. Everyone at our hotel was Swedish and they all seemed to be either retired or taking their government-sanctioned eight weeks (!!!) paid parental leave. When we asked our new Swedish friends about why we only heard Swedish being spoken as we walked down the beach they explained that Thailand is very popular for the parental leave (no kidding!) and that everyone in Sweden speaks highly of Koh Lanta as a great place to get away to Thailand, but still be able to have your countrymen around you. Personally, it was fantastic to be surrounded by Swedish women, mothers in particular. They were very warm and welcoming and so confident with their mothering and their bodies; it really did my heart such good to talk with them. No matter their shape, they all wore bikinis with their heads held high, such an un-American thing to do. They thought it was fantastic that Oliver was eating fistfulls of sand and running around bare-bottomed (after he pooped through all his swim diapers one day). I felt a renewed sense of beauty and confidence as a mother in a way I have yet to feel in India. They all complemented each other and praised everyone's children. I kept thinking that this is how it should always be: a mother-hood. A sisterhood that supports and embraces and encourages. Never points fingers, makes accusations (never once did someone tell me Oliver looks cold), or belittles. It was refreshing. I fell in love with Swedish people as I fell in love with Thailand.
The food was out of this world. There was a couple of years in college when I would try to get out of ordering dinner with friends if it was Thai food. Ugh, not again. I really don't care for this. I rediscovered my love of Thai food in Chicago and then fell head over heels for it this trip. I swam through bowls of Tom Yum soup and waded through Thai green curry on a daily basis. Andy and I gorged ourselves on the fresh seafood and discovered that Oliver loves all things from the ocean. Since a growing portion of what he eats comes from our plates he would *scream* and point at our plates when they arrived at dinner and then sign "EAT! EAT! EAT!" until we would cut up a prawn, or a piece of fish or give him a spoonful of green curry (he loves it as much as I do). The three of us indulged at every meal leaving the table with round, happy tummies. Andy and I drank fruity drinks and lounged in the hammock outside our bungalow or napped next to Oliver in the sand. We discovered lemongrass margaritas are our new favorite drink (to my great dismay, you cannot buy lemongrass here) and had several. I would go back to Thailand just to eat and drink, the meals were a vacation themselves.
I had a Thai massage on the beach and ran barefoot from one end of our beach to the other every morning, my knees never hurt once. Andy went birding while Oliver and I built sandcastles and swam in the ocean. I didn't want to leave. But I got on the ferry to Phuket anyways and I am so happy I did. Our view of Phuket is exactly what our view of Koh Lanta was, the ocean and our hotel. We never left our beach. We didn't have to.
Our hotel in Phuket was quite tranquil, perfect for our last few days. We made some friends from Pittsburg, expats living in Singapore, and hung out with them during the days and nights. We again ate and drank everything we could get our hands on. We all slept soundly at night and Oliver would play until he fell asleep on a lounge chair by the pool. We were relaxed.
On our last day in Phuket, I very quickly came down with something. I was in the pool with my expat friend and suddenly was covered with goosebumps and my hands went numb. I got out and sat in the sun but couldn't stop shivering (it was only 92 degrees out). I tried laying down on a lounge chair but couldn't stop shaking. Everything hurt, from my scalp to my toenails, I just ached. I went to the room and fell asleep. After a few hours I woke up and started having hallucinations: I thought the Buddha statue on our porch was Andy. I thought I saw Oliver flying. I thought I was hearing things. I was freezing and in horrible pain. I know Andy and Oliver came in and out of the room. I know at some point Andy put on the movie "My Fair Lady" (one of my favorites) for me and I heard Audrey Hepburn's voice drift in and out of my consciousness. I had no concrete thoughts other than being scared. I had never felt so incapacitated. Not after my abdominal surgery; not after my cesarean; not after being depleted by Colitis; I was a shell and a barely conscious one at that. We had to leave the next day to go back to Singapore. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of the bed let alone survive a plane ride. I drifted in and out that night alternating freezing and baking under the covers. Andy found our reserve antibiotics and I took the first round and hoped everything would be better in the morning.
Thailand is heaven. Truly. Shear bliss. The energy, the food, the views, the water....it's all paradise. I feel like we saved the best for last with our vacation. I am so grateful we had eight days to relax, decompress and lay in the sand.
We spent five nights on Koh Lanta, a small island south of the mainland, and three nights in Phuket, on the mainland. Koh Lanta was perfect for us. Dubbed the "family-friendly" island, there were kids and babies everywhere. Oliver was in heaven. He had so many playmates (a dramatic change from our first four weeks of him being the only baby anywhere) he was able to "socialize" at his level again. It seemed we were the only non-Swedish family on Koh Lanta. Everyone at our hotel was Swedish and they all seemed to be either retired or taking their government-sanctioned eight weeks (!!!) paid parental leave. When we asked our new Swedish friends about why we only heard Swedish being spoken as we walked down the beach they explained that Thailand is very popular for the parental leave (no kidding!) and that everyone in Sweden speaks highly of Koh Lanta as a great place to get away to Thailand, but still be able to have your countrymen around you. Personally, it was fantastic to be surrounded by Swedish women, mothers in particular. They were very warm and welcoming and so confident with their mothering and their bodies; it really did my heart such good to talk with them. No matter their shape, they all wore bikinis with their heads held high, such an un-American thing to do. They thought it was fantastic that Oliver was eating fistfulls of sand and running around bare-bottomed (after he pooped through all his swim diapers one day). I felt a renewed sense of beauty and confidence as a mother in a way I have yet to feel in India. They all complemented each other and praised everyone's children. I kept thinking that this is how it should always be: a mother-hood. A sisterhood that supports and embraces and encourages. Never points fingers, makes accusations (never once did someone tell me Oliver looks cold), or belittles. It was refreshing. I fell in love with Swedish people as I fell in love with Thailand.
The food was out of this world. There was a couple of years in college when I would try to get out of ordering dinner with friends if it was Thai food. Ugh, not again. I really don't care for this. I rediscovered my love of Thai food in Chicago and then fell head over heels for it this trip. I swam through bowls of Tom Yum soup and waded through Thai green curry on a daily basis. Andy and I gorged ourselves on the fresh seafood and discovered that Oliver loves all things from the ocean. Since a growing portion of what he eats comes from our plates he would *scream* and point at our plates when they arrived at dinner and then sign "EAT! EAT! EAT!" until we would cut up a prawn, or a piece of fish or give him a spoonful of green curry (he loves it as much as I do). The three of us indulged at every meal leaving the table with round, happy tummies. Andy and I drank fruity drinks and lounged in the hammock outside our bungalow or napped next to Oliver in the sand. We discovered lemongrass margaritas are our new favorite drink (to my great dismay, you cannot buy lemongrass here) and had several. I would go back to Thailand just to eat and drink, the meals were a vacation themselves.
I had a Thai massage on the beach and ran barefoot from one end of our beach to the other every morning, my knees never hurt once. Andy went birding while Oliver and I built sandcastles and swam in the ocean. I didn't want to leave. But I got on the ferry to Phuket anyways and I am so happy I did. Our view of Phuket is exactly what our view of Koh Lanta was, the ocean and our hotel. We never left our beach. We didn't have to.
Our hotel in Phuket was quite tranquil, perfect for our last few days. We made some friends from Pittsburg, expats living in Singapore, and hung out with them during the days and nights. We again ate and drank everything we could get our hands on. We all slept soundly at night and Oliver would play until he fell asleep on a lounge chair by the pool. We were relaxed.
On our last day in Phuket, I very quickly came down with something. I was in the pool with my expat friend and suddenly was covered with goosebumps and my hands went numb. I got out and sat in the sun but couldn't stop shivering (it was only 92 degrees out). I tried laying down on a lounge chair but couldn't stop shaking. Everything hurt, from my scalp to my toenails, I just ached. I went to the room and fell asleep. After a few hours I woke up and started having hallucinations: I thought the Buddha statue on our porch was Andy. I thought I saw Oliver flying. I thought I was hearing things. I was freezing and in horrible pain. I know Andy and Oliver came in and out of the room. I know at some point Andy put on the movie "My Fair Lady" (one of my favorites) for me and I heard Audrey Hepburn's voice drift in and out of my consciousness. I had no concrete thoughts other than being scared. I had never felt so incapacitated. Not after my abdominal surgery; not after my cesarean; not after being depleted by Colitis; I was a shell and a barely conscious one at that. We had to leave the next day to go back to Singapore. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of the bed let alone survive a plane ride. I drifted in and out that night alternating freezing and baking under the covers. Andy found our reserve antibiotics and I took the first round and hoped everything would be better in the morning.
Wow! Can't wait for the next update.
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