My Last Soak in the Sun
When I arrived back in Bangkok (groan) I was delighted to discover that 8 of my friends (fellow teachers) from Korea would be there! Amazing! Over four days I got to see Haley and Matt, Diane and Tim, Angela and Rick, and Liam and Chamil. I had an absolute ball! Bangkok truly is the meeting place in Asia. We didn't do much, just shopped, ate and drank. All my favorite things.
After a few days, I decided to head south to try and bronze myself a bit more before heading home. After being in the mountains and trekking in Myanmar, I was ready for the beach! I took an overnight bus (groan again) to Khao Lak, which is on the west coast on the Indian Ocean, just north of Phuket. It was decimated in the tsunami, but you'd never know it now. They did a good job rebuilding. I spent a few days relaxing on the beach and reading a lot and hanging with two Swiss girls I met.
I also did 2 dives in a local wreck, Bangsak. It was great, except the water was really choppy and I felt reallllly sea sick. Once you get in the water, though, everything's ok. I'm glad I did it, because it was great practice for my next idea...
For my last hurrah, I decided to sign up for a 4 day/4 night liveaboard scuba diving trip in the
Surin and Similan Islands. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I went with Sea Dragon Dive company and they were great. There were about 15 divers and 4 instructors. The boat was a double decker with single bunks, a really nice eating area and a top deck with hammocks and a sun area. The people on the boat were great and I clicked immediately with at least half of them.
The dive schedule was 4, 4, 3, 2. 4 dives in a day! Whoo exhausting! We started in the Surin Islands, which are the furthest north, and really close to Myanmar. The first few dives were pretty difficult - strong currents tossing us all around. I was a bit nervous, but managed not to crash into anything. I'm really glad I did the trip, because with each dive, I could feel myself getting better and better. I had a lot more control and could enjoy my surroundings a lot more. And breathtaking they were! I saw all kinds of glorious things, including sting rays, box fish, triggerfish, shrimps, lobsters, moray eels, angel fish, sweetlips, lionfish, and even a leopard shark! That was probably the coolest. Or the 5 GIANT hawksbill turtles we saw. Each was at least 5-6 feet long and 3-4 feet wide. Not to mention the corals! Incredible.
Boat life consists of dive, eat, sleep, dive, eat, sleep. The food was so delicious! We gorged on every meal, plus snacks that included very addicting cookies. Yum! In between dives, we'd jump off the gangplank, suntan, nap, or visit beaches. The second day for sunset, we went to a beach and climbed a path to this very precarious looking rock, where the view was stunning. Everyone put a few bruskies in their pockets to enjoy at the top, and it was well worth it! Here's a view from the top:
On the last day, we went to Similan Island number 3, which has my favorite beach of all time. I can hardly describe it, except to say that it was breathtaking. I have never seen such water in my life, even in the Phillippines! The sand was sheer powder, and we had it all to ourselves. We only had an hour there, but it was one of the highlights of my whole trip.
The last night, we had a BBQ on the top deck. The food was even better - crabs and other seafood, chicken wings, baked potatoes, and cocktails! A great party. I was sad to end the trip, but everyone there decided to go to the Happy Snapper when we got back - it was Saturday night! The live music was so fun and everyone had a great time.
I had one more day in Khao Lak, then one of the guys, John, and I took a taxi to the Phuket airport, which started a 40 hour odyssey that included 4 flights across the world. Then, I arrived in Atlanta and met my mom, dad and Mark.
Home sweet home.
After a few days, I decided to head south to try and bronze myself a bit more before heading home. After being in the mountains and trekking in Myanmar, I was ready for the beach! I took an overnight bus (groan again) to Khao Lak, which is on the west coast on the Indian Ocean, just north of Phuket. It was decimated in the tsunami, but you'd never know it now. They did a good job rebuilding. I spent a few days relaxing on the beach and reading a lot and hanging with two Swiss girls I met.
I also did 2 dives in a local wreck, Bangsak. It was great, except the water was really choppy and I felt reallllly sea sick. Once you get in the water, though, everything's ok. I'm glad I did it, because it was great practice for my next idea...
For my last hurrah, I decided to sign up for a 4 day/4 night liveaboard scuba diving trip in the
Surin and Similan Islands. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I went with Sea Dragon Dive company and they were great. There were about 15 divers and 4 instructors. The boat was a double decker with single bunks, a really nice eating area and a top deck with hammocks and a sun area. The people on the boat were great and I clicked immediately with at least half of them.The dive schedule was 4, 4, 3, 2. 4 dives in a day! Whoo exhausting! We started in the Surin Islands, which are the furthest north, and really close to Myanmar. The first few dives were pretty difficult - strong currents tossing us all around. I was a bit nervous, but managed not to crash into anything. I'm really glad I did the trip, because with each dive, I could feel myself getting better and better. I had a lot more control and could enjoy my surroundings a lot more. And breathtaking they were! I saw all kinds of glorious things, including sting rays, box fish, triggerfish, shrimps, lobsters, moray eels, angel fish, sweetlips, lionfish, and even a leopard shark! That was probably the coolest. Or the 5 GIANT hawksbill turtles we saw. Each was at least 5-6 feet long and 3-4 feet wide. Not to mention the corals! Incredible.
Boat life consists of dive, eat, sleep, dive, eat, sleep. The food was so delicious! We gorged on every meal, plus snacks that included very addicting cookies. Yum! In between dives, we'd jump off the gangplank, suntan, nap, or visit beaches. The second day for sunset, we went to a beach and climbed a path to this very precarious looking rock, where the view was stunning. Everyone put a few bruskies in their pockets to enjoy at the top, and it was well worth it! Here's a view from the top:
On the last day, we went to Similan Island number 3, which has my favorite beach of all time. I can hardly describe it, except to say that it was breathtaking. I have never seen such water in my life, even in the Phillippines! The sand was sheer powder, and we had it all to ourselves. We only had an hour there, but it was one of the highlights of my whole trip.
The last night, we had a BBQ on the top deck. The food was even better - crabs and other seafood, chicken wings, baked potatoes, and cocktails! A great party. I was sad to end the trip, but everyone there decided to go to the Happy Snapper when we got back - it was Saturday night! The live music was so fun and everyone had a great time.
I had one more day in Khao Lak, then one of the guys, John, and I took a taxi to the Phuket airport, which started a 40 hour odyssey that included 4 flights across the world. Then, I arrived in Atlanta and met my mom, dad and Mark.
Home sweet home.
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