When I was lazing in the pool this morning under the frangipani tree (cue first world privilege tinged with buckets of gratitude) I had a brain wave. I wanted to buy some land wth my Dad and build a holiday house that we can come back to again and again. I so badly want to own a piece of this paradise. To have a tangible connection, a thing to say 'Yes, you are a part of this'.

It wasn't about belonging, it was more about being tethered, here. Having a magnet to draw me back, again and again. This longing was so intense, I shared the idea with my Dad. "Hey - let's buy some land and build a place. Then the girls can have an inheritance as well'. I wanted to step inside this moment and inhabit it forever. Stretch out the feeling of being in this place and make a home from it.

It was partly because the place we are staying in is so amazing. It has a swimming pool set in a large garden fringed with frangipani trees (my second favourite flower). As well as an incredible undercover outdoor dining/living area with four enormous day beds. When the unseasonal monsoon rains come calling at 5 o'clock every afternoon, we pull down the plastic awnings and stay cosy and dry. There are four bedrooms, each of which has its own bathroom and double bed.

To top it all off, there's a couple of live-in caretakers who take the ingredients we provide and make all the amazing curries my dad remembers from his childhood. Or they hop on a bike and ride off to buy us hoppers or sting hoppers from a street stall. I booked this place to start our trip and it's the first time my folks have stayed in an airbnb. Dad loves it so much he's planning on coming back and staying here for a month.

But the best part? Some of my cousins and their families, aunts and uncles are a mere twenty minute drive away and we can invite them to come over for dinner.