Life happens fast and the days, months, seasons can seem to go by in minutes. As we move through the times, it’s always nice to find yourself in a place where you feel a reset. It can be a laughter filled weekend away with friends, a calm and scenic connection with nature, something that brings you back to yourself and grounds you. For me these past weeks, it’s been the chill vibes, wild nature, and rhythmic ocean waves of island life. 

I’ve been staying on a small island on the west coast of Thailand for the last two weeks. Far from Phuket, it’s many miles north, close to the Myanmar border and it is quite remote; only visited by seasoned travelers willing to rough it a little. 

There are no cars, only motorbikes, tuktuks, and a couple of tractors. The roads range from cement tiles (with plenty of potholes) to a sandy jungle path, more akin to a hiking trail, but if you can handle a motorbike well enough then it’s the road. The drive to or from anywhere on the island wouldn’t be more than 20 minutes. Scattered around the island are a variety of local restaurants, shops, resorts of bungalows, and bars; the party rotates around to a different bar each night because there are so few people. 

I didn’t spend my time there partying though. For me, the peace and reset came from interacting with the lesser touched and natural parts of the island. We rented a motorbike and I was all too eager to take it out and find the places I’ve scoured on google maps, like hidden beaches and scenic viewpoints. Driving the motorbike felt so freeing. It’s been years since I drove one regularly and I can’t get enough of the feeling, especially on these small island roads. The scenery is dense jungle anywhere there isn’t a building, as well as peeks into the rubber tree and cashew farms that are all over the island. The rubber trees are tall and narrow with branches spreading about 20 feet up, and they’re planted in neat rows, creating a gorgeous geometric scene as I cruise by. During my stay the cashew trees were in season(I was bummed to find out the annual cashew festival was the weekend before I arrived!). The fruits of the cashew trees were littering certain areas of the road and I became accustomed to the sickly sweet smell of the groundtrodden fruits rotting in the sun. Staying in a place for a long while means I really get to know the atmosphere and personality, learning and recognizing the unique quirks and favorite spots. I had my coffee lady I saw every morning and we made regular stops at the place with the best mango sticky rice. The regularity and slow pace in this tiny, beautiful corner of the world was perfect for giving the mind a break. 

The island was also teeming with wildlife, some of which I experienced as I drove around. One day, heading down a road that parallels the beach I kept hearing an odd squeaking sound and noticed a lot of black spots on the road. I took a hold of my surroundings, looking for movement in the brush and then looked up. Above me in the trees I saw a couple of bats, then another few, and I saw one fly to a tree on the other side of the road; and awe struck as I realized I was standing under a grove of trees housing a huge colony of bats. Large tropical bats. Their bodies were the size of small cats and some had a wingspan of almost a meter! It was late afternoon so they were mostly sleeping but stirring a bit, a melody of squeaks and an occasional flight between trees. Bats eat the bugs that torture me so I love them and I was so grateful to have come upon them. A couple of days later we were down on that beach for sunset and once the sun went down and the colors were fading from the sky, it happened again. I saw one bat flying over the beach in the evening sky, then another, and then the whole colony emerging from the tops of the jungle trees. I layed down in the sand and watched them dart and dive and head out for a night of hunting and soaring, just appreciating being present for this event of the natural environment. 

The other notable wild residents of the island are the birds; herons, egrets, sea eagles, kingfishers, and the most show stopping, the hornbills. There’s a thriving population of these birds and I saw them on many occasions. Once as I was walking from the beach, a few were hopping out of a tree to eat from a bin of rice that the staff at a restaurant had put out in the back; one flew right past me above the waves at the beach; walking along a path there were two that were on a branch fighting and banging there bills against each other; and at one restaurant they put out bananas and you can watch as a whole flock hops and swoops down to munch on the fruit. They are odd looking creatures, reminiscent of something prehistoric that roamed with the dinosaurs, but they seem intelligent, looking around with their big eyes and cocking their head side to side. They are beautiful in flight spreading their black wings wide with little white tips on the wings and tail. The numerous sightings and close encounters I had with them were such a reminder of the incredible beauty and diversity of life on this earth. 

The nature and wildlife of the island gave me so much gratitude for this world that I’m a part of and the gift of life, but it was the ocean that brought a pivotal sense of peace and a refresh for me. The ocean is a powerful force and one that has long been recognized by people of many cultures. The rhythmic nature of the waves is so calming and yet it is a huge expanse that makes you contemplate the big picture. I had a few sentimental moments with the ocean and my thoughts, letting the water and waves wash pain and stress away and making room for new connections and ideas to wash ashore. I’ve been feeling grief in waves and tides, so the ocean really inspires contemplative processing of those emotions. One of these times I was lost in my thoughts down at the beach at night, and it was a new moon so it was very dark and I was just standing at the water’s edge with my feet in the waves. I thought my eyes were really starting to adjust to the dark because I could see the waves around me really clearly, but I looked closer. The waves were actually being lit up as they crashed because there was bioluminescent plankton! As I was standing there, a cluster was being washed ashore. I immediately took a few more steps in the water and started moving the water in swirls to light up the plankton even more as I admired the glowing surf. I couldn’t believe my luck and how special of a moment it was, like some kind of cosmic sign from the universe. It felt like the ocean gave me a wink, saying, ‘Smile, there’s beauty and joy in this world.’ 

The relaxed and picturesque natural environment, with exceptional glimpses into the world of wildlife, plus the tranquility and inspiration of the ocean, was the perfect recipe for me to find some clarity and reset myself. It comes at a time when it was much needed, I’ve gone through a few life altering experiences the last few years and am working on making my own changes. Sometimes a reset does come when we really need it, sometimes we have to seek it out. I won’t always be able to come to a remote, tropical island for two weeks but there are many opportunities to connect with my recipe; environment, wildlife, and water. Of course, we all have different experiences that will bring about the refreshing energy and grounding clarity of a reset. The key is remembering this feeling, holding onto it, and knowing the ingredients needed to feel it again when life inevitably starts going by too fast.