lisbonchick

Marooned on a Tropical Island!

By lisbonchick on April 8, 2020

My last blog was in 2019; 2020 was on its way, full of promises, new opportunities and challenges and according to astrologists:

• 2020 is all set to bring positive changes for all Zodiac signs. Hence, your 2020 will surely be full of positive vibes and happiness. Ok, right…
• New onsets are always very exciting and astrology 2020 promises that and much more. There are plenty of good times ahead. Yeah, yeah…
• On the first New Moon of 2020 which will be in Aquarius on 25th of January, the Yellow Earth Pig will finally wag its tail at us and depart handing over the reins of power to the White Metal Rat. Hmmm….

So, here we are in the midst of a global pandemic; our worlds turned upside down, wondering how this virus will change the world and the way we live. Where will we be in 3 months, in 6 months, in one year? Nobody knows. Hopefully we will use this crisis to rebuild, produce something better and more humane. But we may slide into something worse. Who knows… I certainly have plenty of time on my hands to mull over my thoughts. Perhaps, a little too much time!

Life in Phuket is quiet and peaceful. We have food, we have water (well, not in my house at the moment) and we have electricity (for now, at least). The island has now been closed – bridge and ports are only open for very specific cargo. The airport will close in the next few days and beaches, shops, hotels and restaurants are closed but hey, we are marooned on a tropical island. Can’t say that is something that happens everyday.

On another note, the monkeys are going crazy as they are now not being feed by the thousands of tourists. There have been monkey riots and they are running around attacking everything desperate for food. STOP MESSING WITH ANIMALS!!!

The worst thing so far has been renewing my visa. Two trips to a crowded, busy, very hot immigration office with plenty of forms and still no success. Hopefully, by the time you read this I will have been able to get it sorted.

Before the world came to a standstill, we had some adventures though.

Samet Nangshe is a beautiful panoramic viewpoint in Phang Nga Bay. Not far from Phuket at all and well worth the 1 hour drive. You can also stay the night in very small cabins!

Onto another viewpoint, this time in Phuket, Promthep Cape. Very lucky as it is usually packed but we were pretty much the only people there; maybe because it was so bloody hot!

In our day to day life, we come across unusual things, like this display in a DIY shop in Phuket. Don’t ask…

Another escapade into Coral Island. An amazing place for snorkeling and as there are no tourists around, we had the place almost to ourselves.

From one beach to another with Marianne on Captain Hook. It was his first time on the beach and he loved it.

United World College is a truly remarkable school. At UWC Thailand there are more than 60 nationalities in a school of 450 students. It is a place of diversity, unity and understanding where children and young people learn about each others cultures and engage in social change. This photo was taken during Pride week at UWC; it captures Marianne as a strong, proud young woman!

And we are back in Bang Tao, on “our beach” where sadly we are not allowed to go at the moment.

As I write this, more and more areas are going into lock down here in Phuket and road blocks are being put in place. Let’s see if we can beat this thing. At the moment, we can still drive around to certain areas but probably not for long… It is a time of some anxiety, for me getting sick scares me a little with the IBD as not sure how they might complement each other!

Being at home due to this virus has been a time of reframing our routines and learning to be together 24/7. It has been good so far; time to think, to reflect on our lives, to spend time together without stress, to focus on important things (like baking and chilling!) and to find out which friends are always there for us during hard times. There are some emotional ups and downs, mainly due to so much uncertainty although living in the moment is also very liberating. We will get through this one way or another….

Being at home and looking through photographs has unearthed these, some from a long time ago.

It is a good time to reminisce and to look forward to what is coming next. Stay safe dear friends.