Paradise

I'm in the most amazing place. I left Bangkok on Saturday night (Saturday night for me, anyway) and arrived the next morning in Southern Thailand. One short ferry ride and I found myself in paradise. The island is Koh Tao, and it's beautiful.

I'm crossing one of my life's to-do's off the list: scuba diving. I'm enrolled in a dive school for my PADI open water scuba certification. We got in the water for the first time today and it was incredilble! Even though we were in super shallow water, just to learn, and even though I struggled a bit with some tests like taking my mask off underwater, I still thought it was fantastic! Schools of little fish swam around, some parrot fish came by, there were even some sea cucumbers. I can't wait until tomorrow, when we go on our first real dive.

The beach is amazing. Blue green waters, warm breezes, soft sand and an amazing view. The people here are great (although the Thai girlie-boys here threw me off a bit; too realistic!). There are so many westerners from all countries who've just packed in their lives back home and come to live here. It's completely relaxed and easy going. We got back from the test dive today and all sat around at the beach bar having a beer together. My bungalow is just feet from the beach, and restaurants of every flavor are at my fingertips. As I type, I'm listening to a light dance beat coming from a local bar mixing with the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

I'm an completely happy here. In two days I've become so laid back that I haven't even taken many pictures. I'll try to get some up soon, though. I believe that everyone should find relaxation like this from time to time. So many in the US feel that a vacation is a privilege or even something to be avoided, in order to further their career. Then, when they do go, they're so bent on making the most of their time that they schedule and plan right down to the last minute, going home just as stressed as they left. More people should see vacation as a right, something well earned and well deserved. Vacation should be a time to relax, to let plans slip through your fingers. It should be entirely about what you want.

I can't imagine living for work. I never will be able to. I'll work only to the extent that it allows me to live, and baby, right now I am really living.