I'm dreaming of tropical beaches

6 May 2007
3.42pm
Keuka Lake, Finger Lakes region, New York State, USA

I'm dreaming of tropical beaches

I will be doing something and my mind will flip back to some moment that occurred in the past fifteen months.

Most often I have a vision of the beach on Malapascua Island in the Philippines: white sand, aqua water, ocean breeze, perfect temperature, low humidity, palm trees, and a dive shop a sixty second walk away.

The beach at Malapascua Island, Philippines, February 25, 2007.

Sometimes it has been to Krabi, to some weird happening going on after dark in town involving foreigners and locals and eating and drinking.

When I have gotten my hair cut I flash back to barber in the "American barbershop" in Mysore cutting my hair or the place in Makati, Manila, Philippines, or the one in Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir when each time I stopped there was never any power to run the clippers. There was that place in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India with the hand-powered clippers with the dull blades which gave me the most excruciating haircut.

I have visions of the steep valleys and high mountain peaks of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh.

All of the vendors near Khao San Road in Bangkok, Thailand on the street brightly lit by the tropical sun come back to me.

I get a thousand little flashes of the schools of shimmering fish under which I snorkeled near Ao Ton Sai near Krabi, Thailand.

New Smyrna Beach in Florida reminded me of the beach in Calangute, Goa, India, although the beach at New Smyrna is nicer. But the beach at Malapascua beats out the beach at New Smyrna.

The beach hut at Malapascua Island, Philippines, February 24, 2007.

I'm dreaming of tropical beaches