Yoga and Diving Retreat in Koh Tao, Thailand

Christmas 2004/New Year 2005

Hi all, As most of you know I am in Southern Thailand for Christmas and New Year with my very good friends Nathan and Tracey (they are normally in India), teaching a yoga holiday with optional diving, and right at the moment I can't think of a better place to be.

 Aileen, my one client, and I are travelling and holidaying together. The journey commenced on Monday 20th December leaving Heathrow on a flight bound to Singapore. It was a challenging start to the trip as the airport was heaving with people jetting off in all directions. The fight was full and cramped but nevertheless painless. Having 'on demand' endless films certainly makes the time go a little quicker. A short (one hour) stop over in Singapore airport and then we were on our way to Bangkok. We stepped off the plane at 10am Tuesday morning (local time) and jumped into a taxi to take us to a friend of Nathan’s where we could leave our bags for the day whilst we did some sightseeing, shopping, eating and of course people watching whist enjoying a couple of cold beers. We then boarded a sleeper train for the 9 hour journey south to Chumphon. By this stage of the travelling the lack of washing and changing clothes was starting to get to us and sleep was the best option. Thankfully the carriage was full of like-minded quiet people and we both managed to sleep for about 5 hours. We then had 3 hours to sit around on the platform to drink tea and wait for our bus transfer to the ferry. Phew, we were almost there. The ferry was very crowded but at this stage we didn't care the destination was going to be worth it. Nathan and Tracey’s' slogan for their business is 'The Journey is part of the destination' and we could sincerely say that was the case. After nearly 3 hours on the ferry we knew it had all been worthwhile. The island looked by paradise as we drew in and to top it all Nathan and his gorgeous son Kailash met us. A few hours later, we had been briefly orientated around the island and settled into our bungalows - home for the next 3 weeks. A cold shower (no hot water on the island) and a change of clothes and we felt ready to holiday and retreat in style.

It is now Christmas Eve and the whole island is getting into the festive spirit. Tinsel is being hung up everywhere and most holiday makers are wearing red hats (with the exception of us!), and all the dogs, owned and strays are having tinsel tied round their necks.  Aileen and I are primarily here for the yoga. Me to find and get into my Ashtanga practice again and Aileen to develop her Ashtanga practice with my teaching and guidance. Well what better place to deepen and develop your yoga than on decking over the beach with the only view being the sea, we are being spoilt rotten but loving every minute of it. I am practicing at 7am when the whole area is very peaceful and tranquil and all I can hear is the sea gently rolling up onto the beach below me. I will leave you with that image, as we now need to brave a cold shower and prepare to head out to join all the divers for a Christmas Eve party.

Merry Christmas to you all, have a great day. We will, we are trekking the highest peak on the island - 313meters and then sitting down to Christmas dinner with loads of new friends in the evening. Until the next instalment, take care, lots of love, peace and happiness, Helen xxx

Part Two

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster the last few weeks have been. My last email was sent out on Christmas Eve. On Boxing Day at 8am we were on the decking as the sun came up doing our yoga practice over looking the calm blue sea, when unknown to us, the biggest disaster of 40 years occurred. Our day continued with a leisurely breakfast, a ride on our rented motorbikes, and a jungle walk to a secluded beach to spend the day with Tracey and Kailash relaxing, swimming and snorkelling. During the afternoon I received a text message asking if we were okay and if the aftershock tidal waves had affected us. WHAT?? We knew nothing, I replied we are fine, no tidal waves here, we went out to snorkel again!

 A few hours later back at Mae Haad (the main town) the capital of Koh Tao, relaxing with a beer the phone rings (thank goodness for mobiles), a very concerned friend is very emotional and relieved to hear our voices. Only then did we start to realise that something major had happened!!! We now race back on our motorbikes to collect phones, pick up emails and try to find out what has happened. The next few hours are spent contacting very emotional, concerned family and friends who had already by this time contacted the UK Embassy. We were now caught up in an overload of emotion without factual information. We were struggling to clarify what had happened, where, when and how. The Internet, as this stage, was our only option. Also, thankfully Aileen has a friend who is a news reporter at BBC World News. We held our breath whilst he clarified the situation with factual information and agreed to keep us abreast and up to date. In this very surreal environment, we go out for dinner. At this stage, the island communication network is limited and very confused. We still really know nothing. We choose one of the only restaurants with a TV, try to eat a meal and then persuade the Thais' to change the channel to BBC World news for us. Reality hits - Do we stay or do we head for home? Family and friends are pleading with us to evacuate. To evacuate means we have to spend 3 hours on a boat in the sea..... not an option! We both decide to stay and sleep on it. Remember Christmas Day was spent climbing the highest peak on the island - we knew how to get there and fast (as long as Aileen didn't fall off her motorbike again!).

The next few days and nights became a blur, with the UK being seven hours behind Thailand and communication now becoming more of a challenge, we are woken during the night and early hours with texts and phone calls from family and friends desperately trying to contact us and hear our voices - we felt loved, special, fortunate and very, very lucky to be alive. So close, but yet so far. A few days later we discover we are on the missing persons lists in Thailand, as we had arrived in Bangkok on a flight only deal. Again, should we leave, what do we do? We are still receiving phone calls and texts every day asking if we are okay, friends calling very worried about us with the fear of another earthquake. We decide to stay, now very aware of the confusion on the mainland and our challenge to re-route our journey home, to avoid mainland Thailand. Our holiday continues, we do our daily yoga practice and go out diving (I decide to learn to dive and do my Open Water PADI course) as if nothing has happened - all very surreal. This is now compounded as we meet someone who has just arrived in Koh Tao after being in Phukhet identifying a friend’s body.

Our journey from Koh Tao to the UK commences with a 2-hour boat journey to Koh Samui, then a flight to Bangkok. In true girlie fashion we have pre-booked a posh hotel, so that we can have a hot shower (at last) and cocktails before hitting the streets for serious shopping in night markets. Bangkok at night is alive, vibrant and full of colour and energy, the place to haggle and shop in style. We were girls out on the town to shop, eat and drink in the atmosphere, again we were reminded of how lucky we were to be alive, as we came across railings with lists and lists of names and photos of people missing in Thailand from all over the world, and a commemorative book for everyone to sign.

As always when I write these emails after a retreat/holiday I like to finish with a thought provoking paragraph but for once I am lost for words. We boarded our plane heading for the UK to see people shedding tears for lost family and friends that have not survived this disaster. So what do I/we take away from this life-changing event?? Again, I am reminded to live life to the full, to live today as if tomorrow may never come. Today we feel we could have done more, we were a few hours away from the mainland of Thailand and Phukhet. The communication we were receiving in Koh Tao was not to go and volunteer and endanger our own lives. We are now aware that they were looking for volunteers, again so close but yet so far!  Life is for living, if I didn't know it before I do know. We get so wrapped up in our own day-to-day lives and challenges, lets' stop and think for those less fortunate than ourselves. So what is important for each of us in this lifetime? For me, it is to see the beauty in everything, to find and have a balance and harmony in life, to plan for the future, but not to loose sight of the present. Life is for living, so get out there live it for you and don't look back.

To lighten this email, yesterday at 4.45am Thai time, we were in a taxi heading to the airport (3 hours sleep) and our 60 year old Thai taxi driver (in his Mercedes) as only the Thais can do – “Same Same But Different”, he began to share how he learnt to speak English when he was 14 years old. He had lessons from a British 70 year old missionary and was taught to sing Elvis Presley songs to learn English. So Mr T our singing taxi driver tunefully transported us to Bangkok airport. His focus on life is to live life to the full - he certainly did that in the early hours of the morning.

 In the cold light of day, let us all strive to find balance and harmony in 2005. May peace, love and happiness be with you now and always, love Helen (and Aileen) xxx