April Genius

April Genius – Day 56 April 1

Well that was easy!  If you are feeling tired, overworked, un-sure and if you can; take a holiday.

We were stuck a little, struck a little with the heat and strangeness of it all.  We were finding our new “jobs” challenging.  Family life too has its cares.

Genius.

It is not far from Battambang to Koh Kood.  As holiday Islands go Koh Kood is, we can now vouch, good.

I mean Jo perked up within seconds of seeing the beach.  Taran was jumping in off the pier and snorkels on we were all flippering our troubles away in minutes.  Introspection is an enemy what you need is an anemone.   With a couple of clown fish to play amongst its waving fronds.

And on day two that was exactly my second favorite moment.  Just off the reef of uninhabited Koh Raad there is a submerged and ancient Elephant statue. It is life size, encrusted with marine life and bedecked with confetti clouds of iridescent multi coloured fish. Seen from below looking up from the powder white sandy sea bottom on which it rests and with the sun beaming down through a silver rippled surface framed in a cerulean sky : it is a heavenly bubbly carnival.  On top of the elephant, just where a turbaned celestial celebrant might ride there is a large peach tentacled anemone all a wavy within whose caress frolic a pair of orange, white and black striped clown fish – two Nemos peeking out.  I saw them there.

The best moment though was simply realising that I was alive and looking across at my scuba diving son as we traversed the reef.  We were qualified divers now.  He was going his own way and I mine and we were together and happy.  I think it was a father son thing.

Jo stayed in the bay and snorkelled for that day.  And read and phoned her friends. She is happier now that she has decided not to dive.  She loves the sea and the bungalow and the Thai food and doesn’t mind a bit that we are out for the day.  And that we are now Open Water Divers.  And that she is now riding her own motorbike up and down the bays and beaches.

What a beautiful Island.  We decided to stay an extra two days. An extra two dives.

Yippee!  Battambang we will return all the better for it.  Promise.