Birthday

How, my wife asked me, should we celebrate my birthday with Jasmine?

Spending two days at the small Pak Lap village, nestling at the bottom of a valley with a hillside behind it, seems to be the idea of an eccentric - and quite possibly crazy - person. Well, that idea is mine.

Lodging in a less-than-trendy hut equipped with colder-than-what-you-want-for-shower water, it's easy to make you feel like travelling through time. No wi-fi. No mobile network coverage. No ice-cream.

Still, the village offers much more than any theme park does. With the beach well-protected by its long sheltering headlands, the fine sand gives rise to an unspoilt paradise for my daughter. And the flat marshy land around the hut smells nothing but the cattle. En route to greet the cattle, we taught Jasmine to say hi to the buff-backed herons. Ah yeah, crickets were too busy to stop and say hello. The next lesson, after listening to the chirruping of birds, was to follow the chorus of cicadas. Trust me, that's the best lullaby sung to young children before they go to sleep.

Envious? You should be.