It was a brutal trip.
In a nutshell: Wake up at 4am, 0.5 hour drive to the airport in Wisconsin, 2 hour wait, 1 hour flight to Chicago, 8 hour layover, 16 hour flight to Hong Kong, 20 hour layover, 3.5 hour flight to Thailand = 51 hours of holy oh-my-God frazzled-ish-ness.
And this after being in the US for only 2 weeks, with a similar-length journey to get there from Taiwan in the first place. To be honest, nothing went wrong on this trip back to Asia. Or awry. Or crazy. Or even weird. It was just… too much.
I arrived absolutely exhausted to Phuket, Thailand, after the above. I’d call it harrowing, because it kind of felt that way, but it doesn’t sound right. The really truly truthy truth is I was just falling-off-my-feet knackered. And a bit whimsical from the fatigue, if you can’t tell already.
My weariness was promptly exacerbated by heavy rain for 5 days straight upon my arrival to Thailand, with only minimal peeking-out by the sun. I coped by pretty much staying in bed for almost 5 days straight, to beat the jet lag. And the emotional exhaustion. And the physical weariness, and the psychological dullness. It did work, too. Well, eventually.
In a nutshell: Wake up at 4am, 0.5 hour drive to the airport in Wisconsin, 2 hour wait, 1 hour flight to Chicago, 8 hour layover, 16 hour flight to Hong Kong, 20 hour layover, 3.5 hour flight to Thailand = 51 hours of holy oh-my-God frazzled-ish-ness.
And this after being in the US for only 2 weeks, with a similar-length journey to get there from Taiwan in the first place. To be honest, nothing went wrong on this trip back to Asia. Or awry. Or crazy. Or even weird. It was just… too much.
I arrived absolutely exhausted to Phuket, Thailand, after the above. I’d call it harrowing, because it kind of felt that way, but it doesn’t sound right. The really truly truthy truth is I was just falling-off-my-feet knackered. And a bit whimsical from the fatigue, if you can’t tell already.
My weariness was promptly exacerbated by heavy rain for 5 days straight upon my arrival to Thailand, with only minimal peeking-out by the sun. I coped by pretty much staying in bed for almost 5 days straight, to beat the jet lag. And the emotional exhaustion. And the physical weariness, and the psychological dullness. It did work, too. Well, eventually.
Have You Seen Your Qi Lately?
Fortunately, there were some literal and figurative rays of sunshine to break up my overcast mood and energy level during my time in Phuket. The first was meeting a Kung Fu/Qigong teacher and I Ching Master slash Massage Therapist slash Wise Man at Shantilodge where I was staying. I spent a goodly amount of my time with them when I wasn’t languishing by myself and whining about the world from my bed.
My second day, I levered my sorry butt out of bed and lurched blearily over to hang out with them. We zipped out from the lodge on motorbikes and zagged over to a retreat house with a large outdoor gym area with nice thick mats, and I got to train Qigong with them. In full view of the white sand beach in front of the ocean. In Thailand. Wow. Even in my whiny state I recognized how utterly privileged I was at that moment, and felt profoundly grateful for the opportunity.
It was fascinating trying to keep up with the movements they were making, and the progress they had already made. The student had had a recent severe accident and had been in a coma for weeks. Yoga and Qigong both played a major role in his recovery, to the point where he was nearly 100% functional by the time I met him, despite a pronouncement from the doctors that “he’ll never walk again, let alone be his normal self.”
After practicing Qigong, we headed off to a Chinese-Thai vegetarian buffet-style restaurant run by Burmese women who served up delicious goodness. The sweet hibiscus tea topped off a fantastic meal. Afterward we hit the ocean for a swim. We didn’t last long, as the surf was rough, but I am thankful I went, because this turned out to be my only chance at a swim while the sun was out.
My second day, I levered my sorry butt out of bed and lurched blearily over to hang out with them. We zipped out from the lodge on motorbikes and zagged over to a retreat house with a large outdoor gym area with nice thick mats, and I got to train Qigong with them. In full view of the white sand beach in front of the ocean. In Thailand. Wow. Even in my whiny state I recognized how utterly privileged I was at that moment, and felt profoundly grateful for the opportunity.
It was fascinating trying to keep up with the movements they were making, and the progress they had already made. The student had had a recent severe accident and had been in a coma for weeks. Yoga and Qigong both played a major role in his recovery, to the point where he was nearly 100% functional by the time I met him, despite a pronouncement from the doctors that “he’ll never walk again, let alone be his normal self.”
After practicing Qigong, we headed off to a Chinese-Thai vegetarian buffet-style restaurant run by Burmese women who served up delicious goodness. The sweet hibiscus tea topped off a fantastic meal. Afterward we hit the ocean for a swim. We didn’t last long, as the surf was rough, but I am thankful I went, because this turned out to be my only chance at a swim while the sun was out.
Shantilodge Marvelosity
The food and the smoothies at Shantilodge itself were phenomenal, and I ate there most of the rest of my stay. I thoroughly enjoyed every meal and smoothie I had. The Shantilodge collective grows all their own food near the lodges to organic standards. They serve it up with love and sweetness and genuine care. I was in gastronomical heaven, I was.
After my five days recovering in Phuket, I hopped on a long-distance bus to Krabi Beach, which is where my Epic Heroes Mastermind Retreat was about to start. But that is a story for another day!
After my five days recovering in Phuket, I hopped on a long-distance bus to Krabi Beach, which is where my Epic Heroes Mastermind Retreat was about to start. But that is a story for another day!
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