In Europe, we often said  that “this is travel, not vacation.”

In Asia, we said “this is adventure, not travel or vacation.”

This, my friends, is vacation.  Pure, simple, vacation.

I guess we are due a little R&R. After all, it is the holidays.

For 8 days, we will be on the beautiful beaches of Thailand.  We have been reading, making sand structures and eating too much.  It is the ultimate contrast to Nepal.  There, we were cold, lived in ultra-rustic accommodations, exercised vigorously and ate sparsely.

Here, the days are warm, the resort luxurious, the exercise sparse and the food glorious.  All the weight we lost in the Himalayas will soon be found here with the sand and surf.  Wiley talks about eating so much that he creates a “food baby” that he needs to “nap off”.

Susie is in heaven.  As I have mentioned, she is a great lover of beaches.  I love seeing her staring blissfully at the horizon with the wind in her hair and sun on her face.

The kids are each finding something that they love.  Virginia is in the water - pool or surf it does not matter.  Terrill is reading and watching movies.  The boys are playing ping pong, snooker and pool.

I, on the other hand, am struggling somewhat.  I realize that I do not do “idle” all that well.  While everyone else is hanging out, I find myself looking for a project.  The projects are harder to find here, so I have found myself working on sand structures.

You saw the buddhist stupa yesterday.  Today, I tried to recreate the Home Plate expansion we will are doing for camp.  It will be the site of improve Friendship Circle and Man Cave (with slushies!), senior camper meetings and special events.  The smaller structure is meant to be the OCP.

I envy Susie’s capacity to relax deeply.  I strive to match it.  I can say I am better now than I was as a youth, but I am working on it.

Happily, Regina needs no such help.  Here she is again.

Tomorrow, we will go to the sight of the movie “The Beach” and snorkel for the day. In the meantime, it is time to watch a movie with the family!

Steve Sir