Chris' Travels

Day 22 Koh Tao

The latest news from Thailand is I'm stll on Kho Tao, and I should learn to watch my big mouth.
Day 17.


After day 16's adventures snorkelling, And a little bit of encouragement from my dutch friends Franz and Arjen I decided to sign up for a days introduction to Scuba diving. As I said below swimming is far from my favourite thing. Any did some classroom basics in the morning and went diving in the afternoon, and the first thing I'm asked to do out at sea? Swim twice round the boat!! I made it, just, really only just, and i pulled myself up on the boat absolutely exhausted. I Didn't really master all the stuff from day one, like being underwater, taking goggles off and then putting them back, I kept swollowing gallons of saltwater and having to get to surface for air. It was annoying and began to feel maybe I wouldnt continue onto the 3 day REAL open water course. Then:

(Day 18) was even more nerve wracking. I woke with a start at 5.30, not because I had to but i was so scared. I'd decided that learning to dive was something I didn't really want to miss. So I went for it. We were going to depth today and i really was thinking I would struggle. But I didn't. For some reason all the things I found so hard on the first day I could do....in fact not just do but do easily. it was great! To be fair I think I couldn't have had a better instructor: Alberto (an Italian) was the type of teacher I need, calm, but able to answer all my questions. He did both of these and was a brilliant laugh. I'd like to go to his dive school in italy sometime maybe... That was basically the whole day. Completed 2 dives, Both at about 18 meters for 50 ish minutes. Amazing. I Spent the evening studying the chapters I had to as there was an "exam" on the final days.

Day 19 Just another normal day here, up early, onto boat, sail for 40 mins to some cool dive site. get ready. Dive. I think the thing that has impressed me most (Alongside seeing even more amazing fish etc) these last few days has been the sensation of diving. At times its like there's no up or down. You swim under this huge coral bit, then want to go down the side maybe 7 meters, and its so easy. then you want to come back up. you breath in, you start to rise slowly. Its the best thing. It's like your an explorer, in some wierd world. It's amazing.

In evening went out to a bar (about 10 meters along the beach) with Alberto, his girlfriend, the others from the diving class plus thier side kicks and also the usual suspects dutch, american, and welshy and had a jolly good time.



Day 20. The collapse. I was exhausted. I hadn't had an early night for days. I'd been doing excercise for most of the day for 5 days. I woke up at 12. had lunch, and went back to bed untill 4. It was a semi wasted day but i really needed the rest. I went to bed at 10.30, unheard of on this trip. So that was about all to tell. I did however have the energy to walk to the dive shop and put my name down for another day of diving.

Day 21. We went on possibly the roughest seas I've ever seen to try and get to a dive site where there are often whale sharks. It was so rough we got half way there and turned back. We went to two other sites instead called white rock, and twin peaks. It was a good day. I wanted to go on a proper dive before I forgot all I had learnt on the course. So it was good. I think that will be my last dive on Koh Tao. It's been an amazing few days. There's so much I cant explain here what it's like, what you see, feel etc. It's a shame I couldn't get pictures of the fish, shoals of them swimming around in your face, and hiding in corals, and fighting. but there we go. I think it's another one of those experiences that was just for me.


And Finally my big mouth. (day 22) Last night we had a meal and drink to say farewell to the dutch. (they left this morning, welshy and Ethan the american left yesterday). As we finished the meal I said some words I'll try never to repeat. Something I'd never say in england. I said "I'd really like there to be a proper monsoon rain". It's meant to be monsoon season here at the moment, not that you'd know. The weather has been too good. amazing in fact everyday. But less than 1 hr after those dangerous words were uttered by me, along came the rain. Not spitting rain. Full blown HEAVY rain. That was about 11 last night. It hasn't stopped yet. its 8pm the following day, and its still hammering it down. Not that I really care, I love it. It is after all, what I wanted. but I didnt really realise it got quite like THIS! Anyway. Lets hope I can get some beach time tomorrow or sometime soon because as much as I love the rain now, I think it could get boring quite quickly!

Arjen left his hat behind: Our friend Soung Loved it and hasn't taken it off all day.

I think thats all the news. I'm now going to dash for the restaurant (getting soaked in the process) and do some reading. I'm still trying to figure out where I should go next........

posted by Chris @ 5:44 am