Q: Is that a dragon in your smallest swimming pool?
A: No it’s not a dragon, it’s actually a Naga – which is a commonly seen statue in Thailand culture. Read on to learn more…
Our owners are deeply buddhist and from time to time they request their Buddhist Master to visit our 
resort to provide advice on how to make sure the ‘Chi’ energies around our resort are positive for our guests and for all our staff.
For those uninitiated in Chinese culture, ‘chi’’ (qi or ch’i) is an active principle forming part of any living thing. ‘Chi’ is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Chi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts. The literal translation of “chi” in Chinese is breath, air, or gas.
This Buddhist Master is very sensitive to Chi’ forces and on a recent visit he recommended that the small swimming pool in front of our lobby would be an excellent location for a statue of a Nāga.
Nāgas are considered nature spirits and have a strong association with waters—rivers, lakes, seas, and wells. They bring rain, and thus fertility and are generally regarded as guardians of treasure. It is believed that they bring good health, fertility and prosperity to their venerators.
The statue that we chose to erect within our swimming pool also includes a large turtle underneath the magnificent Naga statue. Turtles seem to possess an enviable and god-like resistance to aging, and so they came to symbolize longevity.
Turtles also remind us that the way to achieve true peace (enlightenment) is through the earth. We must see the connection to all things. Just as a turtle cannot separate itself from it’s shell neither can we separate ourselves from what we do to the earth. Mother Earth will care for us, protect us, and nurture us, as long as we do the same for her. For that to happen, we must slow down and heighten our sensibilities to our surroundings – think of the future and follow our resorts Eco-friendly policy: Reduce, Recycle, Return and ensure a healthy planet Earth for our children’s children.
So next time you visit The Passage and wonder why there is a statue in our smallest swimming pool – now you know and perhaps share an interesting story with your neighbour over a cocktail.
See you soon!
