I hate holidays. I must be crazy right? But yes, I do hate holidays. I hate the hassle of having to make decisions about which flight to book, which hotels to stay in, which destination would give me the most fun, beach or city. I spend 5 days a week making decisions for the business, and 7 days a week making decisions for the family, so why do I have to make decisions just to go on a holiday? I just didn’t fancy cavorting with the great unwashed at the airport, the hotel and at the shops, and be at one with the tourists. I was in fact rather annoyed that David and Joel looked every bit the part with their cameras hung round their necks while brandishing a map in one hand, and a bottle of water in the other.
However, I had to put that selfish perspective aside and thought the family did deserve a break. It was a rare family vacation. My time spent being bitch boss and ogre mom for 365 days a year must surely warrant at least 5 days of rest for the sake of the sanity of my staff and my family.
So I agreed to organize a wee 5- day vacation with the family in the exciting city of Bangkok. I do enjoy Bangkok for it’s vibrant atmosphere and ultra friendly people. Oh, and I forgot the super delicious food. I actually violated my Paleolithic diet for 5 days by feasting on yummy Pad Thai (Thai style fried noodles with seafood), every day of that vacation. My personal trainer would have had a fit but hey, I was on a vacation then. I believed I was allowed to give my diet a wee rest.
No Rest For The Wicked
I think I never understood the word “vacation”. I am not familiar with the concept of rest and relax. Weeks before the trip, I did a lot of research to locate an organic soy wax candle supplier that could create package and supply candles under the Sun Goddess Tarot brand. I also did a lot of research about the Tarot community in Bangkok and arranged to meet up with them for an open Tarot reading studio session. All these research had bridged me with a group of Tarot enthusiasts as well as New Age/Spiritualists groups.
Coincidentally, I bumped into an old colleague whom I haven’t met for years, who was staying at the same hotel. Whilst catching up on old times, I also did a Tarot reading for her, over what felt like 10 bottles of champagne. The massive headache next morning did not prevent me from hunting for more candle suppliers and making more calls.
In between these activities, coupled with a shopping marathon and a massage session, I was on my Blackberry responding to work emails.
Definitely no rest for the wicked.
I found My Wat
So I came to Bangkok to eat, shop, get a massage, meet fellow Tarot enthusiasts and buy a truck load of candles. Ok, I perhaps needed to have a bit of rest too. However, I got more than I bargained for, pardon the pun. I actually found my Wat ( temple) here.
Let me explain.
We cruised along the Chao Phraya River over the weekend. I enjoyed that very much because I saw a different perspective of Bangkok, lived by the simple river folk. Truly, a colorful scene.
I saw an old man sleeping in a hammock hung precariously from a crooked pillar of his dilapidated home and a dead tree stump. He was enjoying the idyllic afternoon and oblivious that his hammock was swinging dangerously a few meters off the ground.
I took a sneak peek at a young man fishing using a huge chicken leg at the end of his line as bait. I did not want to ask what he was fishing for as I wasn’t sure what “monsters” were lurking in the murky waters. A “Kracken” perhaps.
I greeted a family feeding a shoal of hungry fish from the front porch of their home. They were laughing and chatting very loudly as the fish were jumping out of the water to grab the food being thrown to them.
I waved at 2 young boys playing with a torn tyre of a truck, using it as a floatie in the water. They were thrilled by that simple “toy” they had possibly found on some dirt road somewhere.
Even the animal life by the river was soaking in the idyllic river scene. A giant monitor lizard, the size of a motorbike was sunbathing by the river bank. A black scruffy dog popped his head out of the steel barriers by the river to have a closer look at what was going on along the river.
That cruise along the river brought a sense of calm in my mind. I remembered that I was rushing around trying to do multiple things in a short time, but I forgot why I was on holiday. I was supposed to enjoy every minute with my family, whether we were doing “tourist” things together as a family or just chilling out together over a drink. When we wanted to have a meal of Pad Thai. I shouldn’t be stressing over how hygienically prepared the dish was or if that eatery had a shelter in case it rained. When David made a mistake with the flight departure time, I should have realized that by hook or by crook, he was going to get us home anyway, which ever flight or whatever time it was going to be. Even when the wifi at the hotel was erratic, I should have just put away the Ipad, Blackberry and phone, and enjoyed a glass of gin and tonic with the family at the lounge instead.
Tread My Own Temple Grounds Like A Buddhist Nun
In Bangkok, you might come across many Wats of various sizes. These Buddhist temples are intricately carved, depicting stories that are a few centuries old. While the architecture of these temples are magnificent, the grounds are so serene.
A walk around the temple grounds would allow you to meet with worshippers who were praying intently with their joss sticks, either standing or kneeling. You might meet some monks chanting melodiously as they ran their fingers along their prayer beads. The air would be filled with the aroma of sweet incense.
This picture in my head reminded me of the words of an ex-boss and a very good friend L, who once said to me, “ Jo, you will need to learn to treat life like the Buddhist nun, sweeping the leaves one by one slowly as she treads the temple grounds.”
I have been sweating over the small stuff, attempting to squeeze so many activities in 5 short days, that I realized I was more stressed and harangued than I should be. I snapped at everyone, and was intolerant to waiters who took my food orders erroneously at the restaurants. I grunted at the Tuk Tuk driver who took the wrong turn. I got annoyed with Joel for leaving behind a bag of shopping on the conveyor belt at the airport. I blamed David for attempting to "ruin my holiday" just because he made a mistake with the flight departure time.
Actually, if anyone was ruining that holiday, it was me. The Wat was within me. I could choose to listen to that melodious chant of the monks in my heart or block my ears if I considered it a cacophony of noise. I could choose to wonder at the sights and smells of this exciting city from behind the Tuk Tuk, or scold the Tuk Tuk driver for giving me a distended cocyx. I could choose to savour the delectable flavour of that roadside Pad Thai, or walk across to the boring Irish bar for a fish and chips.
Ultimately, the Wat was within me. I could choose to make this 5 days in Bangkok the best vacation I have ever had. However, for several moments, I forgot that I was on vacation with the family.
Photos used in this blog post were provided courtesy of www.singaporemaven.com
About the writer:
The writer of this blog post is a 43 year old mother of one, who spreads her time between her day job as a marketeer at a financial institution, her hobby as a certified professional tarot reader and numerologist, and her family which includes a 19 year old son. She's married to a Scot who has been affectionately called "The Crazy AngMo" and prays that he does not find out that the term when translated, has labeled him as a "Ginger Head".
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