R & R

We have now entered the portion of our vacation that is designated for rest and relaxation. Steve continues to remind me of this as I attempt to book one more excursion. In fact, he insisted that yesterday's one hour yoga class be the activity for the day. I do, however, admit that just as it would have been a waste of our trip to Cambodia not to visit the temples of Angkor, it would be a waste of our experience in Phuket not to sink right into a state of complete relaxation. Our hotel for the next few days is the Marriott Village, compliments of Jonny and Jenny and their hard work for Marriott. Thank you, thank you! The village is attached to the luxurious JW Marriott, so we share the same amenities of the Marriott's pinnacle of opulence. Swimming pools with elephants sprouting streams from their trunks are tucked between lush gardens and Asian architecture. Jumbo, a baby elephant roams the grounds with his master, a wrinkled Thai man. Jumbo stopped by for photos, playtime and bananas that he snatched from our hands. Yesterday Steve and I awoke early and headed to the gym. After the treadmills, we met the yogi out on the veranda for an hour of stretches and meditation. It was our first introduction to yoga and I think that it took as much adjustment trying to touch our toes and twist our body as it did to seeing Steve in yoga's traditional meditative pose, with legs crossed, thumb and middle finger touching and eyes closed. What a good sport Steve was! We then swam in the pools, ate at the restaurants dotting the grounds and spent the rest of the day reading on the cushioned lounge chairs over looking the Andaman Sea. I finished The Ladies Auxiliary, a book about a close knit Jewish community and their issues surrounding acceptance and individuality, and then I began The Glass Castle, a memoir of a child growing up in a dysfunctional family and coming to terms with her parents choice to be homeless while she became a successful journalist. I am impressed with Steve's self control. He cracked open his two inch thick manual for the Series 7, armed with highlighter in hand. In the evening we wandered to the thatched roofed platforms and paid $10 for an hour long massage. A toothless woman rubbed, pounded and bent my body, giving me by far the best massage I have ever had. 

Today was a repeat of yesterday except for a three hour bike ride through a near by village. We picked up our bikes, were handed a map, cold water bottles and a cell phone and off we went, circumferencing, a lake with what Jonny and I swore were crocodiles, riding through rubber tree plantations, around rice paddies, past a monastery and to a Buddhist temple. We stopped at the temple and wandered around the grounds. Monks ducked in and out of near by buildings, and their bright orange robes, along with equally orange towels flapped on nearby clothes lines. Gongs hung from towers and Buddha statues were tucked into dark enclaves. This temple was used during the 2004 Tsunami as a morgue, holding the bodies of villagers until they were claimed. A monk, who must have had a contradictory past, evidenced by his tattoos rising above his robes and a huge hole gaping in this right earlobe, told us that the temple was locked. With regret, we jumped on our bikes, peddled past a spectacular sunset over the sea, and raced back to the hotel before we were riding in moonlight. We stopped at the massage shack for one more hour of self indulgence, enjoyed a Thai dinner with the best coconut soup imaginable and after a few games of Boggle, we all climbed into bed, looking forward to another day. 

New tidbits learned

1. The 2004 tsunami had the power of 23,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs and traveled 300 miles an hour.

2. The tsunami was the result of the largest earthquake in 40 years and devastated 11 countries, some 3,000 miles away. 

3. Before a tsunami hits shore, it pulls the water out, leaving the ocean floor bare, with fish and boats stranded. It remains this way for five minutes before a powerful wave crashes to shore. Unfortunately in 2004, people ran out to the never before exposed sand and soon became victims of the on-coming wave.

4. Buddhist men are considered "unfinished" if they do not become a monk for a period of time. Therefore, many of the monks enter a monastery but move back to their normal lives after only days or weeks. 

5. The monks wear orange representing wisdom. It also represents an autumn leaf falling off a tree, signifying letting go rather than clinging on.

6. Monks are only allowed 8 items: a begging bowl, a belt, a razor, a staff, a toothpick and their three portions of their robe.