Lethargic still, but pleased with the short break away and with the blue blue skies and green green waters.
They never fail to make me truly happy.
On the last day of the trip before I left, we took a boat ride out to the Phi-Phi lslands.
Lovely, and where we snorkeled in the clear green waters, the islands were peaceful. Uninhabited.
Lovely lovely lovely.
I was in the waters on my own, peering down with deep concentration to make sure I didn't miss any 'rare' sight, when suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a 'balloon' floating next to me in the waters.
Balloon? I turned my head to take a closer look and very much to my horrors, I realized the 'balloon', not less than six inches away from my face, was a jellyfish.
I scrambled away.
I didn't want to die in the Phi-Phi Islands, though the idea isn't really that bad. Ha.
We didn't stop by the isle where tourists would stay in resorts. That part of the Phi-Phi Islands that was demolished by the tsunamis slightly more than a year ago.
More than seven thousand people perished in that isle alone. When we passed by, much of the isle was still under construction.
It was just one of the many moments where I felt a pinch of bitterness in my heart.
We spent almost the entire day on the island-hopping trip.
I like the brown tinge on my skin now.
Phuket doesn't exactly offer the nicest beaches I think I would expect, but I am satisfied. I might not return for a while to come, but I am definitely going in search for more beautiful beaches around the world.
Much of Phuket seemed restored. Business was brisk and while I imagined it would have been an off-peak season for the tourist industry right now, the island was still pretty full of people.
The only tell-tale signs of ongoing construction were some parts of the beach. And the very treacherous pavements. If you didn't watch your step, I wouldn't be surprised if you tripped over the half-completed stone pavement or twisted an ankle.
Many a time, as I was walking amongst the crowds, I imagined the number of people that were on the island, walking exactly where I was, during Christmas of 2004.
Everytime I was in a restaurant or in a massage parlor or just about anywhere on the island, I imagined what it would have been like if I were right there in that spot when the waves hit the island.
I would have nowhere to run.
Whenever I had the chance to chat with a local, I never failed to ask where they had been when the fateful tsunamis hit.
There were many times during the trip I felt these tinges of sadness inside.
I cannot lie. There were also times during the trip where I felt uncertainty about my safety - though there didn't seem any impending danger in sight.
You'd never know what might happen, and when they might happen.
Just like those sun-revellers didn't know what tragedy was in store for them, the very next day after Christmas.
Things like this, they are the very reason why I never failed to tell him "I love you" everytime before a trip away from home.
I'd never know.
Despite the calamity, people in Phuket looked happy.
If I had never read the news or learned about the calamity before, I might never have known something that terrible had plagued the little island not too long ago.
I drew some strength from them.
Nothing can ever be that bad, as long as you get the chance to live on.
Life goes on and only in a uni-directional manner: forward.
It wasn't a trip of peace and tranquilty for me.
I was always drifting away from the group and sitting quietly deep in my own thoughts.
I thought of many things, and half the time, I was disturbed.
I felt sadness for the people who perished in the waves, but I felt happiness for the ones left behind who were facing every day with a smile on their faces.
The blue skies and the green waters gave me a peace in my heart that, at the very next moment, I wished I could've shared with someone else.
Up and down. To and fro. As I searched for something inside and outside of me.
That was how Phuket had been for me.
P.S.: Am loving my Lumix. =)
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