A favorite holiday

What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

This question is quite difficult, mostly because I do not understand in which way it is asked. Is it a favorite holiday place, or one specific holiday that is my best memory to this very day?

Allora, I will reply with the place, and now I will surprise a lot of people maybe. My reply is…

The land of smiles, Thailand

Most would guess I would choose Italia, but no, however much I love Italia, my best vacations will always be in Thailand. The land of smiles, where I find my peace, and can live happily like in paradise.

We have been going to Thailand on a regular basis, mom, dad, my aunt and me. Usually once per year, every year when I was a kid, but when I grew older, work stood in my way sometimes. It still does. My parents are retired now and can stay for long, but I am bound to the given yearly vacation. Also, I do not want to spend it all just in one go, then the rest of the year would be impossible to survive without any other vacation. So usually I stay for two weeks if I can.

Memories of the wind

Since this is a place I have known since I was a kid, then of course it gets a special place in the heart. I must have been around eleven years old the first time we went there, Pokémon was a new trend and most of my days were spent with friends and at school.

The first time we arrived was at midnight, all were super tired. The bus parked in a somewhat empty place. All was dark, some small lights lit up the path to the reception. We got our card keys, and went to our rooms, then we fell asleep of exhaustion. After all, it was a 16+ hour flight, to this very day this is quite a long and exhausting trip. Plus you have the time difference also.

Anyway, morning arrived, I remember this as a core memory. Removing the curtains to reveal, something magical. Green palms, blue sky, singing birds, a large blue pool, and the ocean. Wonderful, beautiful, amazing, like paradise. I remember I thought I died of exhaustion and that this was actually paradise or heaven.

This was all so huge and different, we had traveled a lot to the Canary Islands, to the Greek islands and such. But, this was on a whole different level. Running around here as a kid was paradise, and at that time, there was only a few hotels. It was originally a fishing village, few tourists and in general quite small area.

Here we met a lot of people who would by time become family.

To this day, I have still not had this kind of feeling, and I do believe it maybe wont happen again. Everything was magical, both because I was a kid, and that this was so different at that time.

Now I have traveled the world, seen so many places, so it will not be like the first time, ever again. Also, the word was at a different time. I remember going in the city of Patong, buying fake video games without knowing. Feeling like a rich person since the currency conversion was in such a huge favour for the Norwegian Krone.

Today and forward

The last time I visited Thailand was in 2024, it is not the same anymore. Still it is beautiful, but the small fishing village has become a tourist area. A lot of nature has been removed in order to build many hotels or private apartments. The areas are either taken over by Russians or muslims, and there are few of the Buddhist temples left. Also a lot of the Buddhist vibe has gone from the area, which I think is sad. I like Buddhism. I think it may be my favorite religion, if I had to choose one.

This is normal, this happens to small places as they get discovered by people, and when word spreads, more people will flock to the area. Sadly. Even though the small paradise is gone, my memories will always be here, and I will still love it as I always have.

And I got family here now, a little sister, and many of our other friends. This is what happens when you visit the same place every year for a long time, you grow up together with the local people, something I did.

I will always come back here, to Thailand, to Kamala. For the rest of my life, maybe not as frequent, but I will return.

Comunque, this post became way longer than I thought it would be, but honest to my word, this is my favourite vacation and place!