Sunday, September 9, 2007

Krabi: retreat, refresh and renew

Okay...last night (Sat.) I was working on writing this note about my Krabi adventure. And I was half way when all of a sudden the electricity went out! So...now...i'm typing it all over again.Right now it's 9:35 on Sunday morning. Everything in the resort is quiet and still. There're not many noise around here...only the starting engine of a truck, the buzzing noise of some bugs and the barking of 4 puddle dogs here. Where we're staying is called "Jungle Village" and it's 2 km away from Ao Nang city. We pay 750 baht a night but we are treated like a royal family. We have our own driver who takes us anywhere any time. We have hot shower, a fridge, a cable tv (which somehow doesn't have many english channels...but there's Fox news, Matt!) and an air-con in our room. Outside is a well-taken-care-of garden with green field, palm trees and a swimming pool. It is SO private here.

Yesterday we took a long tail boat to the Railey beach and Tub island with a german family. I have to say that i'm wowed! I mean this trip comes as such a blessing! It came to me unexpectedly. It is such a gift from God.Okay...to give you a bit knowledge...this is my first time to Krabi...and it is also my first time flying in a plane!!!!!!!!!! I was excited, happy, nervous and scared all at the same time. When the plane was speeding up and about to soar, i was too overwhelmed with these feelings that i needed to hold both Heidis' hands. But the flight was WONDERFUL. I'd never seen the world i'm living in in this bird-eye view before. Everything magnificently resounds God's glory and I was in awe. Well...to those of you who usually fly may think i'm an idiot...but...as i told you...this is my first time. The sea of the vast blue sky that stretches out all around me, those bushes of puffy white clouds are GORGEOUS. And when i looked below me, everything that is under the sun was like specks of dust to me...everything that usually overshadows me like mighty mountains or even like a house.

How come I could measure God's sovereignty in such a limited, narrow, humanly way? Oh...sinful nature...Before we left to the airport on Friday afternoon, I got an e-mail from my friend, Jason Glass. At the end of his letter he gave me this bible verse from Jeremiah saying, "....is anything too hard for God?" And I had time of reflection on the plane, and i was like...seriously NOTHING is too hard for Him but it's our human nature that always doubts and falls.

Anyway, back to Krabi. Yesterday we went to 2 beaches and i have to admit that it's a total different feeling from Hua-Hin or other beaches that i've been before. This is more natural and still untouched by human's hands. The water is clear turquois, the sand is clean and white and the sky just looks like it's supposed to be....broad blue sky w/o any polluted smog simmering over the edge of the heaven's gate. Me and Heidi D. got to hike around the Pra Nang cave...then we took a boat to another island where i pretty much spent time reading, walking in solitude and getting myself dry. Then we came back to our resort, swam in the pool for a short while, took a shower and drove downtown to have dinner. We ended up eating at a thai-european restaurant. I got Tom Yum Kung that is totally like a farung's taste. No offense, guys, but it wasn't like the spicy soup i used to have AT ALL. It was tasty though. While we're sitting, there's this guy from San Diego named Andrew came to us and asked if he could sit with us. And i was like, "oh-oh...what should we do?" But he looked really decent and there was no evil implication in his manner at all. So we sat talking with him for a while. He was here on the Railey beach when Tsunami hit a few years ago...so he came down to make a movie about that.

So that's pretty much what's going on in my life in the most amazing paradise on earth right now. :) We'll be heading back to Nontahburi, our home sweet home, in a few hours from now. I brought work....but guess what....i never touched it. lol

With love,

Books Corner

  • Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
  • Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado
  • Heavenly Man, The by Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway
  • Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.
  • In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham & Dean Merrill.
  • Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
  • Irresistible Revolution, The by Shane Claiborne
  • Jonathan, the Prince by Francine Rivers
  • Left Behind Series by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim Lahaye
  • Lineage of Grace, The by Francine Rivers.
  • Lord of The Rings, The by J.R.R. Tolkien.
  • Prayer by Philip Yancey
  • Redeeming Love, The by Francine Rivers.
  • Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey
  • Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller