Going on a babymoon
For quite some time we've been saying we need a relaxing getaway. I really feel guilty complaining about anything having to do with vacation, especially since I get around 6 weeks a year (not that I use all of it), as opposed to 3-4 weeks back home, which sadly isn't too bad for the States. (This is as opposed to France, where one of my colleagues told me he gets around 9 weeks of vacation a year.)
Anyway, despite all of our myriad travels over the past year or so, most of our trips have piggy-backed onto work trips, so even during the vacation part I'm checking email, reading, etc. Our other trips have tended to involve going someplace (e.g., Italy & Norway) and racing around the whole time. Great fun, and the way we generally like to travel, but not exactly what you would call relaxing. We decided that what we really needed was a vacation where we could go somewhere and just relax by the pool, have cool fruity drinks (little umbrellas optional), sleep as late as we want, read a few mindless novels, leave the laptop at home, etc. This took on greater urgency when we realised that it might be our last chance to relax--and I don't mean to exaggerate--for the next 18 years or so. It was only after we had planned the trip that, in preparing for a visit (work-related, of course) to Amsterdam, we came across a term we had never heard before: "babymoon". But after reading the article it was clear that even if we didn't plan it that way, this would indeed by our babymoon.
But where to go? Unfortunately, no place in Europe is really warm enough this time of year (even in the Mediterranean), so we were looking at a long flight no matter what. So we decided to try to find someplace where we could fly direct since flying is getting less comfortable for Gretchen with every passing day. After lots of research we settled on Phuket, Thailand. Although Phuket wouldn't have necessarily been our first choice since parts of it are supposed to be overrun by tourists and a bit seedy, we really liked Thailand when we were there for a brief (work-related) visit in December, there is a direct charter flight from Zurich to Phuket, we love Thai food, and we found a resort that seems to be off the beaten path. (Plus, every time I see "Phuket" it reminds me of when I first moved to the Bay Area and would see a Thai restaurant of that name in San Francisco...being young and obnoxious, I would pronounce it phonetically and thought I was quite amusing. As it turns out, of course, the correct pronunciation is not "PHUK-it" but rather "poo-KET". Which I guess is amusing in its own right, although not as amusing as the nearby Phi Phi Islands, which are actually pronounced "pee-pee". Hey, if I have to start being a responsible father in a few months I may as well indulge my inner adolescent while I still can.)
So that's all an exceptionally long way of saying that we're really looking forward to leaving next Saturday for a week of R&R, especially since the cold and snow continues to hang around and generally make it feel like winter is never going to go away...
Anyway, despite all of our myriad travels over the past year or so, most of our trips have piggy-backed onto work trips, so even during the vacation part I'm checking email, reading, etc. Our other trips have tended to involve going someplace (e.g., Italy & Norway) and racing around the whole time. Great fun, and the way we generally like to travel, but not exactly what you would call relaxing. We decided that what we really needed was a vacation where we could go somewhere and just relax by the pool, have cool fruity drinks (little umbrellas optional), sleep as late as we want, read a few mindless novels, leave the laptop at home, etc. This took on greater urgency when we realised that it might be our last chance to relax--and I don't mean to exaggerate--for the next 18 years or so. It was only after we had planned the trip that, in preparing for a visit (work-related, of course) to Amsterdam, we came across a term we had never heard before: "babymoon". But after reading the article it was clear that even if we didn't plan it that way, this would indeed by our babymoon.
But where to go? Unfortunately, no place in Europe is really warm enough this time of year (even in the Mediterranean), so we were looking at a long flight no matter what. So we decided to try to find someplace where we could fly direct since flying is getting less comfortable for Gretchen with every passing day. After lots of research we settled on Phuket, Thailand. Although Phuket wouldn't have necessarily been our first choice since parts of it are supposed to be overrun by tourists and a bit seedy, we really liked Thailand when we were there for a brief (work-related) visit in December, there is a direct charter flight from Zurich to Phuket, we love Thai food, and we found a resort that seems to be off the beaten path. (Plus, every time I see "Phuket" it reminds me of when I first moved to the Bay Area and would see a Thai restaurant of that name in San Francisco...being young and obnoxious, I would pronounce it phonetically and thought I was quite amusing. As it turns out, of course, the correct pronunciation is not "PHUK-it" but rather "poo-KET". Which I guess is amusing in its own right, although not as amusing as the nearby Phi Phi Islands, which are actually pronounced "pee-pee". Hey, if I have to start being a responsible father in a few months I may as well indulge my inner adolescent while I still can.)
So that's all an exceptionally long way of saying that we're really looking forward to leaving next Saturday for a week of R&R, especially since the cold and snow continues to hang around and generally make it feel like winter is never going to go away...
<< Home