Early in the Saturday morning we were gathered – fifty Qigong enthusiasts – at Arlanda Airport, to begin the much awaited trip to Thailand – a trip with Qigong combined with sunshine, heat, sight seeing, good food and all those other things that one can wish for on a vacation. Thirteen hours later we disembarked the air plane at the crowded Bangkok Airport. After a transfer we continued by air to Krabi and Koh Lanta, one of the relatively unspoiled islands, about one hour by air to the south-west. This time as we got out of the air plane the heat struck out against us like a wall. The minus 6°C of Stockholm had been substituted with the plus 30°C.
We were greeted by our trip organizer and we stowed ourselves and our luggage into the cars that were waiting for us. Then we were off, but the nice road near the airport soon changed into one full of holes, and we bumped our way along, sometimes on and sometimes off the road – and eventually we started to look yellowish red from all the dust that was swept up by the cars ahead of us. After two trips by ferry, we arrived at the place which was to be our permanent base for the next two weeks – Southern Lanta Resort on Koh Lanta. Oh, what a feeling – to get out of the cars, to see all the magnificent vegetation, the rolling waves of the sea, our little bungalows and, first and foremost – to get to eat real food (Thai Airways´ food in all respect, but, still…). Deep-fried fish cake with sweet sauce, Chicken soup with coconut milk, Fried fish with Tamarine sauce, Woked mixed vegetables with oyster sauce – well, how about that, eh?
The activities during the fortnight stay were well planned. The cool morning- and evening hours were very suitable for Qigong training. Accompanied by the waves upon the beach we practised Pulling Qi and Hold Qi Up under the guidance of Qigong master Dongyue Su. During the hot hours of the day we had free choices of activities with baths in the nearly 30°C water, strolls, visits to the local fair where they sell fruit, meat, fish, clothes and everything else that one might require. Many of us tried elephant riding in the jungle, a boat trip in the nearby swamp areas or rented a moped for a visit to the oldest place on the island – Lanta Town.
The excursion days offered both excitement and experiences out of the ordinary. During a boat trip we visited Bobo Island and we had a walk through a jungle with dense vegetation, termite nests and lizards. The visit to Koh Muk Island was a highlight, and also the swim we had in the narrow Emerald Cave. During a trip to the Trang province, which is located a couple of hours by car to the south-east of Krabi, we visited buddhist monks at the Sumano Cave Temple, which had been established in a number of caves. We were very kindly received and we were even invited for a short session of meditation. The canoe trip into the Le Cave Kao Kob, among lit stalactites and stalagmites was yet another great experience. During one of the last days of the holiday we had one of the ultimate highlights, an excursion to Koh Rok with wonderful opportunities for bathing and snorkel diving.
In summing it up: A lovely journey, it had it all; sunshine, bathing, joy and getting to know each other. A vacation with Qigong was a very successful combination and it is worth trying more times.