“Mother, you ain’t going camping, you hear me?”
The dark eyes of the nurse were boring into mine as she kept repeating the sentence. Not seeing the agreement she was looking for she turned towards Boryan. “Son, you ain’t going camping! Tell your Mother so!” Her voice got more insistent. Boryan nodded in agreement and looked helplessly my way.
We were both her captives in a small windowless room at the Asheville Health Department. We were getting the vaccination shots she determined we needed for our trip based on our preliminary itinerary. We were a week away from our departure date and my anxiety was mounting. I was vulnerable, stressed out and all of a sudden felt possessed by fear. Of course I didn’t want to put our children in harms way. The trip was a dream of mine and I imagined it perfect, no serious diseases were part of the plan. I also didn’t plan to stick to resorts and big cities. I have confessed to the immunization nurse that we intended to stay off the beaten path and camp in a few national parks in Thailand, trek through Laos and Cambodia. Malaria and Dengue Fever warnings popped up on her computer screen immediately once she punched in our destinations.
That little piece of history explains why we arrived on the Surin Islands National Park with eyes peeled for mosquitoes. Surprise! For the 6 days we were there we didn’t see hardly any bugs at all. What we did see though were fearless monkeys (the local raccoons), crowds of hermit crabs dragging a variety of shells along the beach and so many fish in different bright colors that we lost count. We also encountered the most blissful weather: clear sunny days, cool evenings and a constant balmy breeze that made camping right on the beach a treat.
I am in love with this place. If the food offered by the National Park people was better and they were a little friendlier, the Surin Islands would be my number one beach destination. Still, the islands are very much worth a visit. The photos below do not do justice to its beauty.
So…back to the little windowless room in the Health Department.
From far away things might look scary and dangerous but often the reality is different from the picture painted by our fears and insecurities. We are finding out that the world is not a scary place and there are kind people everywhere we go. That doesn’t mean that there is no risk in leaving one’s cozy nest to replace it with the uncertainly of being on the road. Often though taking risks can pay off in unexpected ways. For us the reward of going against the nurse’s advice was priceless. We stumbled upon an island that is the closest to paradise that one would ever find.
For the New Year ahead I wish you to be brave in taking risks however small or big. As for my own family I wish that our travels are peaceful and sweet however high the risks we take are. Happy New Year and Love to you All!
