So it took a whale orgy to put things in perspective. These unbelievably powerful beasts, and not gentle giants are driven by instinct and totally oblivious to human desires.

For those of you who love to get your feet wet, Patong near Phuket is the place to be and if you are looking for nature the sky's the limit. Which is why me and some friends decided to take a chartered boat trip from Patong Thailand in search of whales. When I say chartered I do mean we got chatting to a fisherman who is friends with a member of staff at the accommodation we were staying at. We asked him in broken Thai and English if he'd be willing to take us out to look for whales. It came of course with the realization when we set off that morning that the idyllic tropical setting around Patong would not necessarily transfer to a sea of nothing but sea. Rough ocean agitated by relentless winds more like. The so called coral lagoons where mothers nurse newborn calves might instead be in the open ocean. Which is where we now seemed to be stranded a few days later. Three days on the high sea has a way of concentrating the mind, emptying the bowels followed by the stomach and of course testing the soul. This prolonged failure to find any whales was too much for some of my friends who were now yearning to get back to the squeaky dry sands of the Karon beach resort in Patong. Dry accommodation, hotels with baths and clean sheets, not forgetting the orange juice on tap. After a few days of patient waiting while cleaning out the beer stocks, luck and the weather finally changed and we were able to have the first chance of sighting some blow spouts. We reckoned they were minkes but couldn't be sure.  Clad in snorkels and masks we dived in overboard to take in the spectacular views. A mother and her calf passed beneath me, time seemed to stand still for that instant, an instant of time I would never forget. Then a grand finally of more whales as they thrashed about in what seemed to be a mating frenzy. An orgy of females and males in an effervescent orchestra of bubbles and foam. Then they were gone as soon as they had appeared. A few spouts in the distance but not more.

Back in Patong, walking along the squeaky white sands of Patong beach, I realized how therapeutic the sea and the sands are. The creature comforts of the hotel-a stark contrast but worthy one compared with our sea adventure. Laying down in my five star room with five star service in the Horizon Patong Beach Resort Spa and hotel, I pondered on the whys and the wherefores of life. For a holiday in paradise is not only about accommodation, hotels and resorts of the finest class, combined with tranquility of a resort which is set back in the lush vegetation of its own unique botanical garden. No, surely a vacation must have other things to offer.