A Slumber In Paradise

I have just spent 4 gleeful days away from everything! Went to a Redang Island; which is equivalent to paradise. Had lazed away the weekend. After I came back to reality and after a long thought, I realized that the place is not in reality a paradise at all. I have been to lovelier islands, more pristine beaches and to be truthful, the corals on my last visit 2 years ago were much more beautiful. An inappropriate development of a new airstrip which is sorely visible the moment I stepped out of my humble tent, which overlooked the sea (and the airstrip) had robbed away some of its beauty.

Having explained to you about the physical characteristic and having assessed the visual of the so-called paradise, I still found a deep inner peace the moment I stepped my foot on this commercialized holiday destination.

Call me a paranoid freak or whatever. Since yonks ago, I have never been able to sleep well when I leave the familiar comforts of my own bed. Don’t get me wrong! It’s not that I always sleep in dingy rooms with which smell of damp mattresses, with dysfunctional HVACs, mosquitoes overload… (but yes, I have had my fair share of these). I have never been able to sleep superbly sleep-inducing air-conditioned rooms with oh-so-warm wool blanket. I was never peaceful when sleeping in the bus, train, my good friend’s room.. so much that it had been a curse.

As I write this, the image of my friend Chai Fong pops up. She has always had it good. She could sleep everywhere! Whenever we went on trips, she would always be in a static log state, snoring away (okay, sorry.. she doesn’t snore, but hey I am making a point here!) while I tried my very best to nap. Well, I never managed to. Every little thing could wake me up. The sound of someone coughing, my next-door neighbour’s wind chime, the stray dog, my cat barging into the house (downstairs…) and of course, when a friend moves while sleeping during her sleep during trips. There you go, I am awake! So dear Chai Fong, you are a very lucky gal indeed…

This brings me back to the commercialized so-called paradise that is Redang. After a gruesome week of assignments and round-the-clock working sessions, I went to Redang with 2 friends and a bunch of strangers. Not being able to sleep even with close friends, I thought this was going to be a disaster! But surprisingly, no, I slept like a pig and (embarrassingly) I have gone overboard.

Hold your breath! I slept in the bus (only waking up to pee), in the speed boat (quite turbulent), in the oven-hot tent in the afternoon, pre & post breakfast, dosed off a bit in the open sea (snorkeling), late afternoons and before dinner! This cycle repeated for the following 2 days! And before I forget to mention this, when not in the tent (at night), I slept on a chair in full view of friends, lecturers, tourists and local people!

What had got into me? Must have been the sea breeze (or was it the fact that I was away from all that had been bugging me?) Or was it because of the absence of the familiar stressful faces of the people around me everyday? Are they robbing me of my peaceful nature?

Having the ability to eat as much as I can and sleep well is indeed a blessing. Now that I am able to shut-eye in a quick while (I am behind CF in this, she does it in a split second!), I am now a complete person!