Rest Days: The nature of paradox

July 8, 2015

In recent days I've had a lot of time off the bike, perhaps too much.

I had a couple of days in Krabi and then thought what the heck, maybe I should try out this beachside tourist resort thing and see what it had to offer. It's gotta be popular for a reason - right? My hotel (Baan Nisirine) would look after Turtle and my gear for a few days, so off I went to Railay Beach. Not quite an island resort, it's at the end of a no vehicles allowed peninsula national park. It will do.

I spent three days there, just relaxing and reading, finally finishing off David Copperfield. By the time I got back to Krabi, I was ready and anxious to get back on the bike and put down some kms. That's one of the key goals for this ride, apart from relearning how to travel. I'm here to ride and get back some of the fitness that has slipped away from me over the past 30 years. These two goals might be a bit contradictory when you line them up side by side. One is to relearn how to travel, relax and squeeze more meaningful existence out of my remaining time on this planet. The other is to pedal my nuts off and get fit.

But one thing I have learnt is that the most important goals in life are often paradoxical: two seemingly contradictory opposites, both true, both existing simultaneously, side by side.

I'm taking today off, as it is predicted to be a very wet day. I pushed the envelope a bit too hard yesterday. And while St Christopher may no longer be recognised by the Catholic Church, he is still this traveller's goto juju travel god and I had him working overtime yesterday.

And I ring my bell for all roadside spirit shrines, too. I bet both ways.

Railay Beach: abandoned boat in the mangroves

View to the left. The Karst cliff faces do make for a dramatic backdrop, don't they? They offer rock climbing here. If you didn't notice the shops and their hoardings, or see it mentioned on line, you'd surely figure it out by all the smiling, muddy & bandaged walking wounded hobbling back from their day out.

View to the right. The wet season storms stir up the muddy bottom, so it's not the best for swimming, but there are still people out there bobbing about in the wash enjoying their holiday.

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