Take a vacation
Add and I got back last week from an amazing vacation in Thailand. We stayed on the Island of Koh Chang, the second largest island in Thailand. We stayed near “White Sands beach” and each rented bungalows for about 15 US dollars per night. These bungalows are small houses with a bedroom, a bathroom, fridge, hot water, and air conditioning. They also have cheaper bungalows, but those have cold water showers and no air conditioning. I’m a baby when it comes to cold water so I had no choice.
The weather was great and we pretty much just swam, hung out on the beach, read books, ate great food, exercised, and partied. I hadn’t been out of the city for an entire year which made this trip so great. I loved the warm weather, fresh air, and relaxed attitude of the people. I realized that I can quite easily enjoy a simple life. I love being outside on a sunny day with some good friends and then watching the sunset go down over the ocean. I don’t really need or want many material things. Good weather, good friends, good books, and a place to exercise is enough for me.
I also realized that I’ve never regretted taking a vacation. I always come back feeling better than when I left. It puts me in a great mood and gives me a new perspective on life. I think when you take a vacation like that, you not only take a vacation from your work, but you take a vacation from all your worries and stresses. Being in a new place and around new people make you forget about your old life and any problems or worries you have. That’s a great feeling. The new environment also causes you to think about new things or think about things in a different way. I read that 90% of someone’s thoughts on one day are the same as they were the previous day. I’m not sure how accurate that number is but if it is even close to true it seems ridiculous. I think that was my favorite aspect of the trip; thinking about new things. I feel a bit different now, a bit better.
I met an interesting guy from England when I was there. He had just sold his house in London in the past six months and moved to Thailand. All his friends in England thought he was crazy for doing it but he says it was the best decision he’s ever made. He’s now out of the stresses of city life and he’s enjoying every breath of fresh air. He said he realized that he’d always liked the beach, so he just made the obvious decision to move to there. He knows what he likes and he’s doing it. I don’t think that’s true of most people. I think that most people are too caught up in what society tells them they should do. Most people wouldn’t have the courage to make that kind of decision, even if they knew it was what they wanted to do. Of course it takes money to make that decision, but courage and confidence in your own ideas are probably even more important.
Andy
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 am
Hi Andy,
it was very nice to read your story about your vacation. Here in Germany we have a saying like “to travel educates” and I think that’s true. You can learn something about different people (you don’t meet at home), different cultures and attitudes of life. And you can learn about yourself: to enjoy a simple life but only with a warm water shower.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Hi guys,
i love learn english with you!
thanks…
i listen every day in my car and i learn a lot.
my english still bad, but i’am getting better, day by day (baby steps)
thank you guys..so much
Dani (Brazilian Girl)
March 5th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Andrew and Addison, YOU ARE GREAT!! I`m Cecilia from Argentina.I´m practicing to give the IELTS Cambridge exam so I decided to look up for some podcasts in order to practice and I found YOU! I download the podcasts into my ipod and go to the gym every day. I really enjoy and learn a lot listening to you.
Thank you for your great lessons!
I wasn´t able to leave the comment in the othe page! the Contact us said:
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March 6th, 2008 at 4:59 am
I can feel that you guys really enjoy your vacation.
thanks to Andrew and Addison for the great website and show.
I bought mp4 player with 2GB capacity just to listen to your podcast.
keep up the good work. we like it very much.
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:33 am
hey, guys:
So great to hear that you enjoyed your vacation in Thailand. Good for you and your guys really deserve to have a good rest. Reading your article make me feel i am now lying on soft sand beach and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and soft breeze. The feeling is awesome. Life is really really can be simple.
Your article also make me feel I did a right thing for taking one year leave from my work. I think i need it. What ‘s the point to make so much money? Many ppl would say it’s for making your life better. But can we get more happiness while we get more money? My work was fine and many people couldn’t understand why I quit. but i had too much stress and always away from home. I want to be happy. so I chose happiness instead money.
According to a statistic from a magzine, those middle class ppl are far more happier than those rich ppl. I guess when money reach certain amount it can be a burden. Of course, without money, many things can be extremly difficult. If i don’t have enough money for keep me alive for not working 1 year. i would not dare to quit. without money you couldn’t take the trip. The point is really how can we balance our lives. Taking a quality vacation is a good way to make us love life more and when we get back to work maybe the work is more meaningful than before.
cheers!
thanks again for sharing your story with us.
we all love it.
Amelia
May 9th, 2008 at 5:30 am
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June 10th, 2012 at 12:45 am
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