Beachybec Treks

I have always been a workaholic perfectionist with dreams of floating markets, smiling villagers and exotic shores, drifting through my over stressed mind. I finally booked a flight when I couldn't handle the daily grind for another second. I made it through Bangkok with the obligatory stops and my first taste of SE Asia. An overnight train and a vomit filled ferry later, I was on Ko Tao. Diving, partying and a scenic tropical island I had, but nagging thoughts of "real life" preoccupied my mind. My guide books were highlighted and color coded and though I tried to resist my organizational demons, I stuck close to my itinerary. I had found the perfect travel companions; a lanky, adventurous Aussie, a tough Hampshire Bricklayer and a well travelled Italian diva. I hoped their vagabonding attitude would rub off. I wanted to be reincarnated by my travels, to shed the skin of 80 hour work weeks, but I was just going through the motions, nothing was penetrating. My aha moment came on the glassy surface of Chiew Larn Lake in Khao Sok. I tried to take in every drop at once. This is what I was chasing, things that blow my mind and reassure me there is still true, wild beauty. Dense jungle clinging to sharp karst cliffs rising from aquamarine waters, corkscrew vines tumbling down to the mirrored surface. The water warm enough to be inviting, but cool enough to be refreshing. Yes, I had found paradise! In that blissful moment of discovering why people forge uncharted paths, I shed the workaholic glasses. The lenses through which I saw an interminable stretch of meetings and assignments, late nights behind blurry screens and the pallor that comes with daylight spent indoors. The future that made me go home and cry, dissipated into the fluffy clouds overhead. I began to see life through my travel eyes, every beautiful day a new decision and adventure. My bags are always packed and reservations are never made and 4 months later, I am still loving every second and craving more.