Countdown to A Great Getaway Part I

There is something very fascinating about the beach to me in general. White sand....cool breeze....the sound of waves...water and sunny warm weather - picture perfect. I have always loved strolling along the beach with my barefoot and collecting sea shells. At night you spot thousands of stars acorss the sky. That translates a great sense of relaxation or what? If I had to choose between a mountain and a beach for vacation, I would choose a beach in a heartbeat. Does that mean I am a beach bum? Hope not.


{Nang Yuan Island in Surat Thani, Thailand: Photo Credit from www.lomprayah.com}

The most surprising fact though, I cannot swim ,or to say it correctly, too afraid to learn. The feeling of water entering my nose and ears are frightening. I remember I almost drowned in a public pool when I was young and that fear continues to haunt me. I can't get rid of it. So I will have to appreciate and enjoy from afar. Now, I know you are secretly planning a murder plot by taking me to the beach or on a cruise.

My parents took me and my brothers to the beach every summer break when we were young and that probably explains how my love for beach had developed. Thailand boasts ones of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I wish I visited more of them before I left my motherland. However I have to address that Tsunami did change many things. At some point when Tsunami devastated seaside villages down south of Thailand and many other countries along that attitude, my heart dropped and fear level escalated. It is hard to believe that once a paradise on earth could turn into a death zone in a blink of an eye. It swept away lives, memories and everything on the surface and left us with fears, tears and nightmares.


Flash back few years before Tsunami hit Thailand and Japan, my husband and I went to a few islands far far away in the middle of the ocean, two of them were Munnork Island in Rayong province and Nang Yuan Island in Surat Thani. Both are isolated in the middle of the ocean on the gulf of Thailand side (an opposite to Andaman site where popular destination such as Phuket and Krabi are situated). The view was out of this world breathtaking, serene, spectacular with white sand beach stretching as far as you could see and stunning turquoise clear water yet I woke up one night and found myself staring at the ocean thinking "what would happen if a massive wave hit" - I mean, what would happen. My answer was loud and clear because we were in the middle of the ocean.


{Munnork Island in Rayong, Thailand: Photo credit from www.phudoilay.com}

I first learnt about Nang Yuan Island from my mentor in college who used to work there briefly. He said that he once spotted a few dolphins and that truly intrigued me to go (I didn't spot any when I went though). Nang Yuan Island is also a very popular destination and a paradise for divers. My husband reported some beautiful and unique sea creatures while I could only stay in a shallow area of the beach. I missed out the fun part!! Check out www.nangyuan.com. On a very important note, be sure to check Monsoon season before you plan your beach getaway for your safety.

Since I am on the subject of beaches, this post would be missing something without mentioning seaside resorts. There are countless places ranking from affordable to super high end accommodations where you can rest in different level of comfort and luxury.

We are in the process of planning an "ultimate luxury getaway" for our future trip. I have never splurged on such five star facilites before but I really want to experience it and will tag my parents along as well (if only I can talk my mom to it, she is a big time work aholic and doesn't like to relax). I browsed countless numbers of resorts in the past few weeks which you will see some being featured in the future posts. Planning for a vacation is always exciting!