Thanksgiving on the beach

So we wound up in Arambol, a hippy beach lined with hut restaurants and palm trees. The one street cutting through town is lined with clothing and jewelery vendors....along with internet cafes to accommodate all the foreigners. The beach is quite perfect, encouraging long strolls intermixed with swims, lots of reading....and an overall vacation mode. It was during the first afternoon, as Tim and I were playing in the waves that it struck me that it was Thanksgiving. In light of the day's news and where we were, I found myself in a very reflective mood. Tim, Katie and I enjoyed our thanksgiving dinner of Thai food around a small candlelit table on the beach. Given the setting, it wasn't so hard skipping out on the pumpkin pie! We went around the table taking turns sharing what we were thankful for. The general consensus was the realization of what an amazing support network we have while traveling. All the e.mails that had poured in earlier in the day were a reminder of how fortunate we are to be surrounded (although from a distance!) by such wonderful, caring people. It gives me a boost of confidence knowing how many people are following our travels and hopefully taking a bit away from our experiences also. So, thank you to all of you who unknowingly through heartfelt e.mails made it a very unique thanksgiving...with so much to give thanks for.