I had a beautiful time at Chiang Dao Nest and it definitely gave me the time to just be. I loved how slow, quiet and simple it was over there, but it also takes a certain type to appreciate it.

I know some friends who would have been bored stiff by the fact that there were no shopping places nearby, nothing touristy to do if you don’t like climbing through caves, up mountains and trekking through forests, and no TV in your room.

But I loved it. I loved how we were surrounded by nothing by forest, how quiet it was, how few people there were in the Nest, how warm and friendly the staff were, how cold it got at night.

But most of all, I loved how the lack of anything else to distract you forces you to focus on the most important things right in front of you; you and your own thoughts, and the people around you. When night fell, with no lights, no TV and no where to go, there was still a whole other world to be discovered within the person right next to you.

When morning broke, and there was no-one else around, you could sit, facing a beautiful mountain view amongst the early morning dew, listening to the sounds of insects and birds chirping, while reading a good book, or just being by yourself.

There were moments I’d just lean back, take a deep breath and feel the freshness of being alive that often comes during travel – there’s nothing quite like it. But take away the novelty of being in a new place and what you’re left with is an intense feeling of being vital, alive, enjoying life, recognizing that it is good and being grateful for it.

Which is something we all can do anywhere, and something I strive to do everyday.

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

~Little Gidding V
Four Quartets
T.S. Eliot