Beach realisations (by Joe)

So, whilst Laura was adventurously trail-blazing through Vietnam, I was spending a week and a bit contentedly sun-lazing on a white-beached island in the Gulf of Thailand. (The obvious associations between her description of the Vietnamese gender divide - see her blog below - and our own free choices seem just too obvious not to mention here).

There are no photos of my postcard-perfect beach, I'm afraid, as Laura had the camera. However I can confirm that I met some lovely people, tanned up nicely and relaxed deeply.

My week may not have involved great exertion, however I emerged with three significant learnings which I believe if channelled correctly, may have a significant positive impact on my long-term wellbeing:

1) Snorkelling in warm seas amongst coral and tropical fish is an awesome and deeply life-affirming experience

2) Bill Bryson may tell some mighty tall tales, but he is a very entertaining read

3) A dash or two of Worcester sauce turns a plate of egg-fried rice from 'good' to 'great'

... it was a big week.

Joe