Ruminations upon Monday April 14, 2025 through Tuesday April 15, 2025 in Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
On the second day of chag, we walked to Chabad assuming davening would be over by 1:00PM. Silly us. Aside from starting late, Torah reading took forever again because of the time spent bidding on aliyot*—a custom used by many Jewish communities to honor the Torah and raise donations. Lunch didn’t start until after 2:00PM, and our food rations at home were seriously low. Our children were starving. When lunch was finally served, it was more of the same food. The boys were disappointed, but at least they ate something.
We sat next to a lovely, observant Israeli family with five children. Their father had spent a long time in the IDF reserves post–October 7. Like many Israeli families, they needed a break from the ongoing situation and had chosen to spend five months in Koh Pha Ngan. We also met two young men: Eviatar, who had moved to Koh Pha Ngan two years earlier and now teaches children Ninja Warrior classes and moonlights as a tour guide, and his friend Liad, who was visiting for a few weeks. We didn’t know it at the time, but Eviatar would become a fast friend. When we finished, we returned home and spent the rest of the day in the pool and playing games.
As soon as chag ended, I sprinted to Chabad to stock up on food and to the “Costco” down the street for fruits and vegetables. Our provisions were dangerously low, and Matanel and Shai were not eating enough. I was nervous about Matanel losing weight. It’s not like he had much to begin with.
With chag over, we were back to our learning routine. The boys argued they shouldn’t have to do schoolwork because it was spring break back home. I explained that they’d had far more non-traditional school days than their friends because we were traveling, and this was a chance to get some work done. They didn’t like it, but they did it. Not leaving until after noon to explore the island was hard for me. I struggled when I felt like we weren’t accomplishing something like exploring, wandering, or just walking around. The rainy afternoons didn’t help, making it hard to gauge what we could or couldn’t do.
When the rain let up, we walked to Srithanu Beach, a small beach with sand made of seashells and very shallow water. My sandals had broken, so I walked barefoot. Shai felt inspired to do the same. We walked through a construction site, down streets, and onto the beach. Probably not the best choice, but it was fine. As we walked, the skies opened again. The air was hot, the water warm, and the rain comforting. It reminded me of growing up in Houston, playing in the rain in spring and summer.
While playing in the water, Shai decided he had “superpowers” because he could move the sand without touching it. It was a neat way to explore water currents, movement, and deposition. I floated and watched while the boys and Chaim played. About an hour and a half later, we gathered our things to walk home. We’d managed to avoid large puddles on the way there, but on the way back we walked straight through several big, dirty ones. Gross, not going to lie.
Along the way, Eviatar passed us on his scooter and offered to take one of the boys home. We sent Shai because he was barefoot. He was thrilled to put on a helmet and was beaming when we returned to the villa. In classic Israeli style, Eviatar dropped Shai off with some Israelis by the pool and asked them to keep an eye on him until we got back. This is what I love about Israelis. Everyone is family, and everyone watches out for everyone else’s kids, especially the little ones.
While the boys took much-needed showers, I connected with Eviatar, who had offered to serve as our tour guide while we were on the island. He was so good with our boys at lunch that I knew they’d love spending time with him. We decided the best option would be a jungle hike ending at a beach accessible only by hiking or boat. Of course, this required spending money, which led to one of those financial discussions for Chaim and me. I believe these are the kinds of experiences worth splurging on. He agrees, but for much cheaper. Somehow, I convinced him we should do it anyway. Everyone was excited for the next day.
*The word aliyah literally means “to go up.” It can refer to immigrating to Israel or being called up to the Torah to recite the blessings before and after the Torah reading.
