Linguist on the boat

      Travel for me is always about movement, about exploring the unknown. Funny I’ve been to the beach several times. Logically, the newness of beach-related things like snorkeling should be worn off now. However, that never happened. I was still excited about our one-day trip to Racha Island as if it was my very first snorkeling trip.

     Our guide was a funny looking guy with round face, round nose and round eyes. He had the quality of every experienced guide has---easy going and chatty.  As soon as we got on the boat, he started greeting us in Thailand, English, Chinese, Korea, French, and even in Dutch! Although it’s just a few words, but still very impressive.

Under the Sea

       The water here is very clear, perfect for snorkeling. I was anxious to let Xiaoyu to see the world under the sea: colorful fishes flocked to and fro, showing no signs of the fear toward the people, giant red coral reefs lying quietly on the seabed, inviting and luring, as if daring you to come closer.  However, snorkeling is just too much for a four year old. As soon as we got into the water, little pig immediately turned into an octopus, holding me so tightly that I nearly choked. I had to get him out of the water. He was satisfied to feed the fishes from the boat any way.

Racha Island

       After two snorkeling trips, we finally arrived at Racha Island. Once as the king’s private island and just newly open up to the world, Racha might be the most untouched island in Thailand. Everything about it held some kind of rough beauty, but in a princely way. Besides the beach, one thing I loved most was this coconut area. The sky was alarmingly blue, casting a stunning contrast toward the coconut trees.

       Along the beach, my son started to dig a hole with his first bargaining trophy—a set of beach toy. Last night he begged me for this and I took this advantage to give him the most important lesson---how to strike a bargain. I told him that the seller charged us 150 BH---that’s more than we could afford. If he could make it 80, I would buy it for him. I smiled at the memory of him muttering “eighty” again and again, his small face shining with his strong willingness. The desire for the toy finally conquered his shyness and finally he did it! Score! Ok, I admit that I was proud, very.

Romantic Gesture

       Happy hours passed in minutes. Soon it’s time to leave Racha Island. Funny there seemed to be an invisible line drawing on this little boat. Subconsciously, the Europeans chose one side to sit, while the Asians chose the other side. The fore part of the boat was unsurprisingly taken by the Europeans who eager to getting tanned. However, rules that apply to the others didn’t apply to a four-year-old. In his eyes, he saw no Europeans, no Asians, just the boat head. In his imaginary world, if he took a seat at the boat head, he could actually sail this boat. Humming “Roll, roll a boat” in blurry English, he headed straightly toward the only seat left at the head.  I was one step late to catch him. When he smugly took the seat, the guide already urged me to seat down with him. Expect him to find a perfect spot! I wore no hat, so all I could wish was the sun-block cream I scrubbed early could be strong enough to protect me for the next 30 minutes.

      The place was crowded, and I couldn’t help notice the guy sitting next to me wore a tattoo 奥莉维亚 in his arm. Perhaps I stared it too long and suddenly I realized I was stared back. To cover my embarrassment, I said: “Sorry. This tattoo is in Chinese.” The tatoo’s owner smiled back: “Yes, are you Chinese? What’d they say?” “Olivia?” “Yes, it’s my wife’s name.” he pointed a lady beside to me. I smiled, wondering how romantic it is to wear his wife’s name in a language he barely knew. You can never expect a Chinese husband to do such thing.

Diamond's make-up

       On the way to hotel, we received another Diamond’s call saying that they arranged us in deluxe room with poor view in Old Phuket----a famous local hotel. Until now, I held no grudges against Diamond. They made a mistake, but they never shift responsibilities, and tried their best to make it up. What else we could expect?

      After check-in, we enjoyed a wonderful free spa and delicious dinner provided by Diamond hotel. Life couldn’t be better.