Soon we reached the open expanse of the aquamarine sea. There were waves on which rode our speed boat. Whoops-Splash-Thud… Boating & horse riding at the same time? Quite a few people were feeling a bit uneasy I felt. The salty air war was caressing my long hairs. The blue sky and the bluer waters cast their magic spells. There were lime stone hillocks rising out of the sea. A sight we had so far not seen. Taking photos was proving to be a problem as the boat was rocking so hard. It was necessary to hold on to the hand rails. The guide pointed to a distant island and informed us that island named chicken island will be our first halt. Snorkeling gears were handed over to those who wanted. Speeding past many hillocks we arrived at our destination. The guide escorted us to a place where deck umbrellas and chairs were laid out. Everybody got one chair. We were told to swim on the opposite side as some corals could be seen there. We were also told that this is nothing compared to the vista of corals that we would see at our next two halts.

The opposite side turned out to quiet crowdy so chose to get in to the emerald waters on the side where our boat was anchored. The water was crystal clear and the slope was so gentle. We could look clearly at the sandy bottom. I spotted our guide waving at us. I turned back and swam towards the shore. The guide handed me a couple of loaves of bread. I understood what it was. I took the bread and swam to where my family was gathered. No sooner had we threw pieces of bread in the water shoals of multi coloured fish appeared from nowhere and surrounded us. It was an unbelievable sight. Soon we were all swimming with the fish in a completely transparent water. After a while the fish left us and we swam further off shore. Lying flat on the water letting the gentle waves rock my body I started thinking about my the time I have spent after our last holiday years ago. There had been immense work pressure & stress. Daughters passing out of colleges and starting to work. Chasing impossible dead lines. Moving from country to country, from airports to hotels, rushing for the meetings jet lagged. Sleepless nights spent for months in excruciating pain due to a frozen shoulder. Now I was in a dream, floating idly under the blue sky with not a speck of cloud. I began to feel an extreme sense of pleasure and peace.

From the chilling times of Delhi to the Thailand sun,
The water and the sky shared the secrets of my soul,
Standing right above me, Lord, in everything I done,
The Tailand sun kept me from the cold.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to do.
Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free.
Feelin' good was easy Lord, when swimming in the blues.
Feelin' good was good enough for me, good enough for me and all.
You bet I know what I will be thinking after this day,
I swear I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday……..