Big Wave, Little Wave

Tonight, I was reminded of a prayer (or question) I prayed (or asked) five years ago while on my honeymoon at Koh Samui, Thailand. We stayed on a lovely resort called Rocky's Resort. During that time (probably still true for me now), I told my new wife that this resort was probably the best that I've ever stayed in my whole lifetime of travelling (I'd been to many countries before). It's named Rocky's Resort because certain parts of the beach (Lamai Beach) at the front of the resort had rocky formations. I had many fond memories of this wonderful trip at this beautiful island (and the smaller islands up north especially Koh Tao was a real gem), but tonight I'm suddenly reminded of a prayer and its unique answer.

One of the rooms we stayed (yeah we switched rooms to experience the difference types of views because I couldn't make up my mind at the time of booking) in was the Beachfront suite. Right outside our suite was the rocky beach itself. One early morning, I woke up and sat on a big rock and prayed/asked something of God's ways. After a while, I was bored and was just observing the unusual waves raging and crashing each other randomly, different sizes and intensities at all angles. I was playing a "guessing" game in my head to see which wave would make it to the shore from a certain distance. The waves' propagation were unusual and irregular (sounds like a Physics class, huh?!) due to the spread of the rocks.

Some waves were intense and fast and I thought they would make it to the shore but somehow lost steam halfway. Some waves were huge and strong, I thought they would obviously go all the way but to my disappointment, were easily cancelled out by other waves due to their irregular rhythms and angles. As my eyes continued to follow many of them, most never reach the shore and I thought those that reached were products of some random combination of chance. Then somehow my eyes caught a small wave. My first judgement was: it was too small and weak, it would lose its steam, get swallowed up or cancelled by bigger waves. "Surely it can't", I thought. But to my amazement, it soon met another small wave at the same angle and became one. Before it lost its momentum again it met another small wave, consolidated and gathered speed and amplitude once more. This happened several times before it finally crashed the shore. I thought the answer (came with bonus explanation) to my prayer then was as obvious and clear as my former Physics teacher's lesson!

What a creative God I pray to! His ways are mysterious and often hidden. Be careful of how we easily judge things (or people!) we thought are strong or weak. What's obvious may not often be. Don't be surprised if the strong horse that you've placed your bet didn't last the race, and the one that you thought wouldn't, wins it!

Now that I'm thinking of the beaches I've been to, I really miss my beach holidays!

 Lamai Beach

Calm waves at Rocky's

Beachfront suites in the background

Time's Up?

Came back from our Young Adults' retreat in Genting Permai Resort two days ago. Actually came back rejuvenated though I can't remember when was the last activity I planned for my own benefit.

This retreat is kinda different from the previous ones. More newcomers this round and better balance of relaxing without compromising the objectives. Some things remain the same. The few strong people I can rely on and the same old excuses of why people couldn't come (though with creative twists this round! But it's still the same *yawn*). The usual criticisms are there, but then, many were blessed and that's what really counts.

I guess the biggest difference for me this round is the presence of my senior pastor. Up till the last minute, I wasn't sure if he would turn up for his session (though his personal assistant had confirmed he would come) because of how busy he always is. To my surprise and delight he turned up and decided to do two (instead of one) sessions and stayed overnight (instead of leaving early). He expressed his desire to spend time with us rather than his other ministries. Wow!

In my 20+ years in the church, I've never spent so much time conversing with my senior pastor like in this retreat. There's so much I wanted to share with him, but it was he who did most of the talking and I listening. Here's a man who'd done so much but yet burdened by so much with little time left. He poured out his hurts and regrets like I've never seen before. There are things he'll not share behind the pulpit.

The man is desperate for his sons (spiritual) to inherit his portion and take it to the next level. It's funny that he said the church is many years behind time, as I'd thought the time was already up quite some time ago. Maybe we're in 'injury time'....then it's by the grace of God how long this injury time will last. I felt some sadness as I think of what's gonna take place next. Those ravenous wolves in sheep's clothings....

Only the Redeemer can redeem....time and men. Mice and men.

The Greatest Journey (Your Christmas Gift)

I observed that many of you readers of my blog are strangers from different parts of the planet. According to the stats, many of you are interested in my travel posts.

Thanks for dropping by to read. I've a Christmas gift for you. Please read on.

Do you know the Christmas season is about the greatest journey ever made?

He (Christ) had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.

Not at all.

When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!

Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges.

Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

(Philippians 2:6-8, The Message)

I'm blown away thinking of this, everytime. The greatest journey ever made has nothing to do with distance or geographical locations. It has everything to do with our ATTITUDE (see verse 5 in NIV), or our MIND (other versions).

Christ, in all his eternal glory and power, set aside his "God" status for a "man" status, came to SERVE the ultimate service: dying on the cross. Not one second of his life on earth that Jesus wasn't God. The devil knew this and tempted Christ to show off his power. Jesus never use his power to show how great he was, but always to serve, selflessly. He turned water into wine at a wedding, he multiplied bread and fishes to feed the hungry thousands, he healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. During his final hours, he could have ordered the legions of angels to rescue (did he even need that?) him from the cross. But the Son of Man chose to serve, right until the very end.

The cross is not so much of the journey to Golgotha, where he was crucified and hung out to die. But the decision to make the journey from preexistence (where he was God), to incarnation (becoming a man, born as a baby), to crucifixion (die on the cross).

He travelled the greatest ever journey for you and for me.

What will you do about it, now that you know?

Will you accept this greatest gift?

My prayer for you is that you'll make this most important journey for yourself.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

Lanta! (Part 4) - Glorious Sun, Glorious Son

Finally, the sunset pictures! Catching sunsets is one of the primary reasons why I chose to visit Lanta. Stunning sunset sceneries are common sights along the long western beaches of Lanta. But the first two evenings were rainy and cloudy, no chance of sunset. Suki earnestly hoped that I would manage to view sunsets before we left. I did!

It's so hard to select which pictures to upload from over a hundred photos. But here are some of them, unPhotoshopped, only cropped. A big thank you to Zlwin who was so kind to lend me his old prosumer Canon S3. He offered his DSLR but I declined.

The four pictures above were captured at a beach near Saladan town, at the top tip of the island., where we had our wonderful seafood dinner.

The following pictures below were shot at our very own Klong Dao beach at Ancient Realms. While Sherene was at the spa, I was alone with the Son, waiting and praying for the sky to bleed. It was a spectacular transformation.

I was so grateful for that moment, repeating 'Glorious sun, glorious Son' in my mind. How I wished I could fly up there, be one with the sky. That reminds me of a few verses from my favourite song 'Wonderful World' by Chris Eaton:

I am sailing an ocean of love
I am crossing the great big divide
Right out of the depths of despair
You lifted me high

There's a couple embrace on a hill
There's a child on the sand skimming stone
Over the break of the waves
Is the burning sky to which I belong

After all the rain
Comes the dawning of a brand new day
Oh, what a wonderful world
Oh, what a wonderful world

I almost wept at what I saw....simply because I don't have my DSLR anymore. Boo hoo!

I think the dog was bored of sights of sunset every evening

It was weird....while watching sunset in front of me, I suddenly realised the moon was already up, behind me. Rare to see the moon and sun share the same sky at the same time

Our final day in front of the reception with Suki the owner.
Goodbye Lanta, goodbye Ancient Realms, till we meet again!

I'll submit my pictures for the monthly photo contest at Ancient Realms Facebook page. The winner will win a week's free stay. You think any of my pictures stand a chance?

Lanta! (Part 3)

Been so busy at work, had to delay this post till now. But I had uploaded many pictures to my Facebook account. Will post some of them here with commentaries :)

Beachfront bungalow at Ancient Realm's. One of the few resorts that operates all year round, even during green season

The bed in our room with some fine decorations to welcome our arrival

Why can't everyday be as relaxing as this? Lying and swinging lazily with a good book on a hammock in a peaceful garden with the sound of gentle ocean waves in the background

The Spa! I loved the Thai and aroma oil massages there. One of the best ways to unwind and to release stored up tensions in the body and mind

The two pics above were taken at I-Yarade Residence. It's amazing how we ended up there. We were riding on the motorbike when it started raining. We stopped at this place because it was the nearest shelter. Soaking wet and looking pitiful, I requested to the reception girl for permission to stand outside the place until the rain stopped and for us to dry off a little bit. They gave us the warmest smile of the day and invited us in. One of them even took us on a tour of their 4 or 5 stars suite. Wow, such kind hospitality even to strangers like us!

My darling hasn't cease to surprise me. Discovered that she's quite good on the bike!

One of the few restaurants in Lanta that many were raving about. Since it was green season, we didn't see any customer beside us. We enjoyed the ambience of the rainforest-concept restaurant and the lovely beach, all to ourselves!

Really yummy fried fish


After having so much fun with wife at the strong waves, it was so relaxing to just lie down on the bed of soft sands and let the waves washed me over and over


We rode to the top of a hill to the Viewpoint Restaurant. Had a nice pancake with thirst-quenching fruit juices while enjoying the view of the distant islands. After quite a while, we realised there was a telescope beside our table!

View from the Viewpoint

Lanta Old Town. Where the gypsies reside. They were the original people that inhabited the island. The old buildings made the place looked like Malacca to me!

At a pier just after Old Town

Overlooking the fishing village of the sea gypsies

We actually went diving again! Diving wasn't essential to our holiday plan this round but it was good to have that option. First time diving without Ps John, I told Sherene that we had to be independent, decide on our own where to dive and which dive company to engage. We initially wanted to dive at Hin Muang and Hin Daeng (famous for whale sharks and manta rays especially) but the weather conditions during the low season meant they were not easily accessible, at least beyond our affordability level. So we went to Koh Haa instead which was very near Lanta. Visibility down there was great. Made good use of the dive "stick" given by Ps John.

The lady on the right Bianca, was our operator and personal dive guide from Holland. She's really good in what she does. Gave us wonderful personal service and attention since there weren't many divers that week. Normally there'll be many boats around the island but for that day (and thank God the weather was great), our boat was the only one. We had the deep blue sea all for ourselves!

This was our first time diving in this sorta small speedboat. New experience. There were other new divers in the same boat doing their open water. Sherene and I were considered the experienced ones. Haha. But we barely had time to assemble our gears (had to do it ourselves this trip) because we had to jump first before the new divers. Surprisingly I remembered how to do it easily even though our last dive was a year ago in Manado, and we didn't have to assemble our stuffs then!

My next (final?) post on Lanta will be on the sunset pictures (loads of them!) which I haven't upload to Facebook. I think the process of choosing which ones to omit is longer than the time to upload the pictures!

Lanta! (Part 2)

At the beginning of our five-day trip, we were disappointed by the conditions of the green season. The weather was very windy and wet, but it gradually changed for the better. Towards the end of our stay, we could go diving and see glorious sunset along the beaches. I even got a little sunburnt, not that I mind! The beautiful thing of the green season was, we had the perfect privacy: private beaches all to ourselves, private restaurants, and a private dive guide. And ohh...I paid the resort at almost three times lower than the high season rate.

Talking about the resort, we stayed at Ancient Realm Resort and Spa. All the raving reviews of Ancient Realm at TripAdvisor.com helped me made up my mind to book for this Lanta trip. It's a charming little boutique resort owned and run by a young couple Clinton (Australian) and Suki (Hong Konger). Unfortunately I couldn't meet Clint who was away at Bangkok. He was very helpful in our email exchanges prior to the trip. But we had the pleasure to meet Suki who provided great hospitality and great tips on the island.

Ancient Realm is located at the famous Klong Dao beach. This Thai-Balinese-Chinese styled eco-friendly resort is very affordable, probably the best value for money of its class. The rooms are fully equipped with all the needed amenities and more. It even has free WIFI access almost anywhere which is rare in Thailand, let alone Koh Lanta. I could use my PDA to surf the Net on my bed, the toilet bowl, the hammock at the garden and the beachfront. They even have cable TV, DVD player with hundreds of DVD titles to choose from. Oh, at the shower area in the bathroom, there's an opening where I could see the moon and stars at night!

Suki's a bartender extraordinaire. For Sherene's massage on the evening before we left, the masseur had forgotten to use the hot and cold stones. Suki was gracious enough to admit the Spa's fault and treated us to free cocktails that night at the resort's '360 Bar'. We contemplated whether to accept that offer, especially after a hearty western dinner that evening. We were glad we did. What a night it was! Sherene chose her usual favourite Margarita and I requested for Campari Orange. Unfortunately their Campari bottle was empty. Suki thought for a little while and said she'd make me a "surprise". Minutes later, she presented me The Zombie! Suki commented there were heavy mixtures of alcohol in it but they're well masked. She was right, I don't normally enjoy alcoholic drinks but The Zombie tasted just great! Suki then taught us and other guests (from Finland and Poland) how to play the drinking game called 'Bullsh*t'...something she brought from Hong Kong. Very simple game of probability, guessing and calling each other's bluffs, but so much fun. All of us absolutely loved it!

(To be continued with pictures and more)

Lanta! (Part 1)

I'd always wanted to have that castaway kinda feeling in a quiet island, away from city life and all the tourist hullabaloo. For this year's vacation, I was looking at Phi Phi...but thought it didn't match what I was searching. A neighbouring, less well-known island caught my attention and I began my research on it....it's Koh Lanta. Everyone I came across has never heard of Lanta. Neither did I until less than two months ago. I just returned yesterday from a five-day vacation at Lanta. Ahhh...Lanta!

Koh Lanta is actually an archipelago of over fifty islands of which only three are inhabited. The biggest one is Lanta Yai, a paradise for the discerning travellers. There're many information from the Internet and travel books on Lanta, but I'll write only on what I'd learnt firsthand from people who live there that I'd the privilege to talk to. Though I wanna write and tell so much on the charming island which left an impression on my heart, I do hope the island remains unknown and unspoilt, as much as possible.

The sea gypsies were the ones who founded Lanta, they're the indigenous settlers. They still have rights on strategic locations of the island which the government cannot take away. They're the Untouchables. I was told they're of the chinese origin. But Lanta is now predominantly muslims. The gypsies now mainly occupy the eastern side of the island which is less developed with fishing and farming their main occupations, whereas the west coast is where all the beautiful long stretch of beaches and resorts are found. The western side has better roads, which were built only about five years ago when the tourism industry really began. You probably won't read that the gypsies were the heroes during the 2004 Tsunami. They've the uncanny ability (sort of like a sixth sense) to read the sea conditions. Hours before the first tsunami hit, they sensed something strange from the sea and began to warn everyone at the beaches. Initially nobody heeded their warnings until the gypsies themselves started packing everything and headed to the hills. Everyone else then followed. Contrary to what you read on the Internet, only two people died: a woman who was doing yoga on the beach all by herself with earphones on, and a boy who was picking up abandoned wallets, watches and other "treasures" found at the beach. Miraculously Koh Lanta was spared the devastation suffered by neighbouring Koh Phi Phi where many died.

Lanta is still an unspoilt paradise, very serene and peaceful, with a sleepy and laidback feel to it where you can easily (very easily!) lose track of time. It's very common for travellers to overspend their time there, pass what they originally planned. Lanta Yai is not as conveniently accessed as other more tourist-friendly destinations like Bangkok and Phuket. Took us about two hours for the journey from Krabi Airport to Lanta Yai with two ferry rides in between.

I wanted a holiday destination where I could break away from everything, relax and nurse my injuries, and I was glad that Lanta provided all that. The squash injuries I'd been carrying for months were totally unfelt by the last day, and memories of other accumulated pains were easily forgotten as well. Instead, my heart was filled with the warmness from the people of the island, all the laughter, fun and adventure we had. In general, I felt that people from Lanta are the most warm and friendly compared to every other part of Thailand that I'd experienced, even Krabi. Although many of them still can't speak proper English, they're extremely hospitable and friendly, even strangers.

I was just sinking into the island life when it was time to return home! Sure, the thought of returning to city life was dreadful, but I could carry the relaxation and warmness back with me, and the messages from a book I was reading at the island which was The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream....

(To be continued with pictures and more)

Looking for the Perfect Beach Escape (Part 2)

"The Beach" movie was filmed in Maya Bay, at Koh Phi Phi Leh. When I travelled to Krabi in October 2007, it was the first month AirAsia flew there. We absolutely loved it there because it was far less commercialized than other tourism spots, like Phuket for example. The local people were more warm and friendly, prices were not hiked up that much, and the beauty of the place was relatively unspoilt. And none of the people I knew had been there, most have not heard of the place. After our visit, we've introduced many people who went there for honeymoons or holidays.

In the middle of our Krabi trip, we went to the famous Maya Bay by boat. We were awestruck by the beauty of the beach, surrounded by natural limestone cliffs. But we had to share the enjoyment of Maya Bay with hundreds of tourists! Most of them westerners. Thanks to the film, Maya Bay will never be quiet anymore, as locals continue to generate millions out of the place for tourism, year after year. Oh, I was told when the Tsunami hit the Phi Phi islands, it "cleansed" the place, and restored its natural-ness. But only for a while.

Our other great moments in Krabi were scaling up the majestic, natural limestone rocks and kayaking deep into the mangrove forests and ancient caves. Activities that only 5% of the tourists would do, at least during our time of travel.

We had a great time chatting with many people: our masseurs whose lives were forever changed by the Tsunami, a waitress dreaming of opening her own business, our German-Thai rock climbing instructors couple (with an adorable toddler boy) who use the vigorous activity as a form of escapism, a soft-spoken travel booth attendant with a permanent smile and fellow travellers from different countries. Talk about holidays, working in Krabi, the Tsunami, food and life. One common thing I observed was this: People were escaping where they came from to find the ideal peaceful life, hoping to find a piece of paradise of their own. And there were many who just wanted to sample a piece of it to bring it back to where they're from. But many stayed.

Here are only a few of the pictures I captured using my old compact Lumix.

This sunset shot was taken at Aonang Beach. A storm was approaching.

Slowly out of the deep ocean, a mysterious vehicle slowly approached the shore.
I was so fascinated by this vehicle which could move both on water and land.
Hmmm....maybe it came from the distant island.
Days later, we met a tourist who had the same sightings. He nicknamed it "The Amphibian".

The hotel swimming pool which we never use during our six days stay.
Didn't have time for it. Too much outdoor stuffs.

"Lower your heads, baby. We're going into the dark cave".

Maneuvering the kayak in the mangrove forest maze.

Wifey down. I've to kayak on by myself.

Maya Bay at Phi Phi Ley, where they filmed The Beach!
If only I had a DSLR with a superwide lens!
We snorkelled in the clear waters near the islands.

These world renowned natural limestone cliffs are found at Railay.
Look at the climber's legs almost 180 degrees!

This was me up there doing rock climbing for the first time.
Probably the most challenging physical activity I've ever done!

This was when we walked the whole length of Ao Nang beach and reached a hill. Most would turn back, thinking there was nothing else to see. But not us. We weren't satisfied, and curious what was on the other side of the hill. We approached near to climb it. But we had to negotiate our way past at least a dozen fierce-looking, hungry monkeys before we could get to this steep ladder. We climbed it and had a nice view up on the small hill. Soon we were on the other side and reached a private beach. The entrance was guarded by a soldier, who recorded down our names and time of entry into the restricted area.

One of the mean-looking guardians of the bridge.

Over on the other side of the hill, obscure from the mass of tourists was this exclusive resort with its private beach (probably the best beach there) and beautiful swimming pool.
Only for the filthy rich! Later I found out it is one of the highest rated resorts at Krabi.
I wasted no time in making myself feel at home. I was enjoying myself in the pool with the rich and good-looking people for about 20 minutes and was abruptly asked to get out....
Exclusively "members only" pool. But what a wonderful 20 minutes it was!
I joined wife at the beach and walked at least 0.5km on this floating jetty.

And then we saw "The Amphibian" up close. Now we know where it came from.
It's a private transport vehicle from the Centara Grand Resort. Mystery solved!

Loved the sunset view at Nopparat Thara Beach. Loved the reflection on the shallow waters.

I wonder as tourism hits full-swing into Krabi, whether is it still the same lovely place as we knew and tasted back then.

Come this Thursday, we're off for another adventure to a relatively unknown place...the "Ancient Realm" found at Koh Lanta. We just can't wait! :)