Almost 2 days from when the trouble began I am almost feeling 100% better. But Friday afternoon, roaming the markets of Pushkar, I got hit with the travellers bug that was pretty ferocious, otherwise known here as Delhi Belly. Without going into any unneccesary details, both yesterday and today we have had slow days (though 6 hrs of yesterday was spent in a car in mid day heat- not exactly a dream come true recovery place after spending all of the night before praying to the porcelain god).
Stop. Rewind. So from Delhi, Jessie and I made the most amazing decision to hire our own car and driver to show us through Rajasthan. This is a first for me in all my travel experience and I have to admit, it is pretty damn comfortable. The car is basic, no AC, and our driver Vikram has the strongest Indian accent, so we probably are only catching about 60% of what he says but its amazing. We get chauffeured everywhere. So far no trains, no buses, no time schedules, or tickets or hassles. Dont get me wrong, once we get to Udaipur this all ends and we get to delve into the realities of India and everyday travel, but for now....this is plush and Im soaking it up!
We are on a whirlwind tour of Rajasthan. In 6 nights we have visited 5 different cities. All of which have been amazing in their own way. We left Delhi and arived in Agra and saw the Taj Mahal. That was the high so far. We splurged and took the penthouse suite (nothing to write home about!) of the guest house we were staying in and got up for sunrise and watched it from the roof top, then walked the 5 minuted to the Taj at 8am and wandered around. AMAZING!!!!
From Agra we went to a place called Ranthambhore where we were up at 5:30 and headed out a top an open roof truck on a morning safari. We didnt end up seeing a tiger but did catch a leopard, antelopes, a few deers, loads of monkeys and lotsa birds. Somewhat anti-climatic.
From Ranthambhore was Jaipur, then Pushkar and then Jodhpur (this is where Jodhpur pants got their name) We have seen too many Forts & temples and Palaces to name them all but as always Ive gone camera happy and have loads of pictures.
India is pretty incredible. Like no other country I have been to. Im learning all about different religions living in unity and trying to soak up as much culture as possible, which isnt tough to do here. Unfortunatley it is dirtier than ANY place ive ever laid eyes on. There is pollution everywhere and the standard of living is crazy....after getting sick im a little paranoid now of germs and eating safely but its tough to do here. Dirt and grime and litter are EVERYWHERE. Jessie read a funny quote from a book she is reading saying 'the only safe place to touch is yourself in India' and its so true!
I hear its snowing at home. Its roasting hot here. Like really really really hot. What sucks though is that everyday we have been covered top to bottom as much as possible with long pants and usually tees and a shawl to wrap around our arms and shoulders. The Indians wear enough clothing to keep you warm on a cool autumn day in Toronto. Men women and children. Its INSANE, they layer up tank top, shirts, vest, blazer, and even when draped in clothes and saris there is layer on top of layer, and always a scarf around their necks or heads with turbans....i break out into a sweat just thinking about it!!!! But when in Rome......we're trying to stay covered. SO as the snow falls you can take a little comfort in how uncomfortable Jess and I are in the heat :)
Ok, breakfast awaits me, time for some chai tea to start my morning and then we are off to visit another Fort in Jodhpur and then headed to Udaipur, via Ranakpor!
Namaste.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Oops. There was England too.
Although today is Day One of India, there was a perfect transition from my realities in Toronto to my extended vacation by spending 10 days in my home away from home. England was perfect as it always is, just as I left.
I had a perfect dose of Amanda, who though I hadnt spoken to her in months it took mere minutes to swing back into the comfort of our old conversations and routines. Hanging at the flat, amazing conversations, great food, lots of wine and CARDS!!! I did a little bit of touristy things just so I could squeeze in some people watching in Camden and then an afternoon in Central London walking around before a hot dinner date & then theatre with Amanda to see (again, but probably better than the first time) THE WOMAN IN BLACK, in a small indie type theatre in Covent Garden.
I made it down to Brighton briefly but still managed to get in lots of trouble for Valentine's Day having a nice meal out, bar hopping and then eventually a club on the seafront with Will & company, which lasted way into the daylight hours, as usual when he is about! Even though it was brief my love affair with Brighton continues, some things will never change. And I think I might've actually gotten Garry, at a (very!) weak moment, to consider eventually moving there with me :)
I also got a night out with Natasha, and a small glimpse into the world she has created for herself in London. I loved seeing all the old faces and the level of familiarity with London after all these years.
England was an easy transition; a perfect segway from my day to day life in Toronto, to the what lies ahead. Now back to India....
I had a perfect dose of Amanda, who though I hadnt spoken to her in months it took mere minutes to swing back into the comfort of our old conversations and routines. Hanging at the flat, amazing conversations, great food, lots of wine and CARDS!!! I did a little bit of touristy things just so I could squeeze in some people watching in Camden and then an afternoon in Central London walking around before a hot dinner date & then theatre with Amanda to see (again, but probably better than the first time) THE WOMAN IN BLACK, in a small indie type theatre in Covent Garden.
I made it down to Brighton briefly but still managed to get in lots of trouble for Valentine's Day having a nice meal out, bar hopping and then eventually a club on the seafront with Will & company, which lasted way into the daylight hours, as usual when he is about! Even though it was brief my love affair with Brighton continues, some things will never change. And I think I might've actually gotten Garry, at a (very!) weak moment, to consider eventually moving there with me :)
I also got a night out with Natasha, and a small glimpse into the world she has created for herself in London. I loved seeing all the old faces and the level of familiarity with London after all these years.
England was an easy transition; a perfect segway from my day to day life in Toronto, to the what lies ahead. Now back to India....
Friday, February 19, 2010
India. I am here.
August 2008 was the last time I posted an entry and it was on my journey home from Thailand after a few months in Southeast Asia. Now a year and half later, a week and a half away from home, I find myself back in Asia, feeling just as confused as i was the day I arrived in Bangkok.
After a long hiatus, I am back!
It took 10 days in England to let it sink in, I am finally here....with no job to worry about at home, no rent to pay, and pretty much no responsibilities aside from finding a place to lay my head every night and squeezing every bit of enjoyment I possibly can out of every single day!
I am in India. I landed in New Delhi at 6 o'clock this morning and my head is still spinning trying to come to grips with it. I got here with pretty much missing an entire nights sleep and feeling ever so jet lagged. I slept away a few hours this morning after checking into my hotel and then ventured out for a walk through the crowded streets and hectic markets. Toto, I dont think we're in kansas anymore!
In 7 hours Jessie should be safely picked up at the airport and delivered to our room and then I can let out a HUGE sigh of relief and the adventures begin tomorrow. There is power in numbers and I know everything that is scaring the crap out of me now (for example how am I supposed to order a meal when I cant understand a damn thing written down or said to me!)will be totally fine tomorrow.
So, till then I am going to slowly decompress and relish in the thought that this is day one of many.
After a long hiatus, I am back!
It took 10 days in England to let it sink in, I am finally here....with no job to worry about at home, no rent to pay, and pretty much no responsibilities aside from finding a place to lay my head every night and squeezing every bit of enjoyment I possibly can out of every single day!
I am in India. I landed in New Delhi at 6 o'clock this morning and my head is still spinning trying to come to grips with it. I got here with pretty much missing an entire nights sleep and feeling ever so jet lagged. I slept away a few hours this morning after checking into my hotel and then ventured out for a walk through the crowded streets and hectic markets. Toto, I dont think we're in kansas anymore!
In 7 hours Jessie should be safely picked up at the airport and delivered to our room and then I can let out a HUGE sigh of relief and the adventures begin tomorrow. There is power in numbers and I know everything that is scaring the crap out of me now (for example how am I supposed to order a meal when I cant understand a damn thing written down or said to me!)will be totally fine tomorrow.
So, till then I am going to slowly decompress and relish in the thought that this is day one of many.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
CONTENTMENT
OK, by this point in my trip I thought I would have been struck with panic. I am 4 days away from reality. Reality bites! Looming at the end of the week is bills and rent and work and that foul "r" word- Responsibility. But it seems I have pleasantly suprised myself and I am feeling on top of the world.
I leave Koh Phi Phi tomorrow morning and go to Phuket and hop on a plane back to BKK. From there I have less than 2 days and I start my long trek across continents, back home.
Today, my last day in the sun on the island, was amazing. I spent most of the day lazing about on the beach (i know, i know, same shit different day!) but then I made a snap decision and took a sunset cruise starting at 3pm. It was like a grand finale to my trip. We did so many amazing things in so little time!
I hopped on board and off we went. First stop was Monkey Beach. A tiny little secluded beach you can only get to by kayak or a longtail boat. I opted to jump off our huge boat and swim in! (mom, I have no fear of jumping off the highest railings of ANY boat now- i LOVE it and I am the one coaxing other scaredy-cats to do it!) There were little monkeys EVERYWHERE and though you are warned they can be dangerous, they are obviously well conditioned to human contact. So we oo'ed and ahh'ed at the monkeys, fed them fruit and swam back to our big boat.
Next stop was for snorkeling. And eat my words, I know I said I was too cool for snorkelling after diving, but the snorkelling here was wild!!!!! I saw almost as much here as i did diving in Koh Tao. The water was really shallow and the reef was beautiful. I was on my own and found the largest puffer fish I have ever come across (maybe 1.5 ft long and huge when it was all puffed out!), which I tailed for about 10 minutes. There were schools of HUGE fish. I was actually a little intimidated by the buggers they were so big and they stare you down totally unafraid of you. I saw an emoray eel tucked under a rock, which again frightened me cause I was alone and they can be violent. The most amazing part was with just a snorkel and mask, when your head is under water all noises are amplified. This sucks when big boats are around cause it sounds like a volcano erupting, but in the silence around me today, I could listen to all the fish eating. It was crazy, it was so shallow I would watch a big fish go up to a rock and open up its chompers nice and wide and hear it crunching away at plankton or whatever else it was gnawing at. It was a really surreal experience just listening to fish eat under water. Something I have never heard while diving. So, one point for snorkelling!!!! I am not a convert, but definalty give it more credit than i did before.
So next stop was Koh PhiPhi Leh. This is the island next to KohPhi Phi Don (the full name of where i am). But this is a world heritage site, or national park or something along those lines and no one is allowed to stay on the island, it is totally unihibited. This is where the movie The Beach took place. I expected it to be really touristy and overdone. I was so wrong. It was magical!
The actual beach is called Maya Beach, but we parked the massive boat in a different bay and jumped ship and swam to shore. But shore was not a soft, sandy beach- it was a rocky, wave ridden, scary entrance where i think a few people saw their lives flash before their eyes getting there. There was a series of ropes that were set in the mountain and you had to climb to the rocks, hold on for dear life and navigate through a cave while the water was beating against you in waves.....I found it pretty intense, there were some poor young japanese tourists wearing life jackets and looking VERY uncomfortable, that i think actually shit their pants (sorry to be crude but it was that intense!)
So from there we trucked through the jungle, and it was EXACTLY like the movie the Beach. I was half hoping to stumble across good old Leonardo after each bend and turn :) After walking through the jungle you crest over a little hill and it opened up to Maya Beach- the beach! And with the small exception of the mass of people and the pollution (which was pretty appalling), it was as beautiful as it looks in the film. I was pretty gobsmacked. We got to sit and catch the last rays of sun on the beach and then headed back to the boat for dusk.
The boat slowly chugged back to Koh Phi Phi Don and we were served a basic but fantastic dinner under the stars. Honestly, I was on my own but i was just exuding contentment. I chatted to a few Brits on the boat. Most of the them were just starting their adventures and when they had found where i had been and for how long they were drilling me with questions and places to go and things to see.
How the tables have turned. That was me not to long ago, excited but terrified of what lay ahead. Although I was a bit jealous that I was on the tail end and they were all fresh off the boat so to speak, I wouldn't change a thing. For some reason, I am not even remotely worried about leaving this all behind. I might be singing a different tune once I arrive at Pearson, but I am just basking in this feeling right now of total contentment. It is my last night here and I have no interest in going out to party and be hung over and feeling gross tomorrow. I am going to head to a beach bar for a quick goodnight drink, then head back to my bungalow to pack and sort myself out for tomorrow. I am going ride with this feeling and see how long it is going to last me.
In Bangkok, I am meeting a few people who will be passing through at the same time as me, so maybe by then I will drowning my sorrows in buckets, but till then.......off I go :)
I leave Koh Phi Phi tomorrow morning and go to Phuket and hop on a plane back to BKK. From there I have less than 2 days and I start my long trek across continents, back home.
Today, my last day in the sun on the island, was amazing. I spent most of the day lazing about on the beach (i know, i know, same shit different day!) but then I made a snap decision and took a sunset cruise starting at 3pm. It was like a grand finale to my trip. We did so many amazing things in so little time!
I hopped on board and off we went. First stop was Monkey Beach. A tiny little secluded beach you can only get to by kayak or a longtail boat. I opted to jump off our huge boat and swim in! (mom, I have no fear of jumping off the highest railings of ANY boat now- i LOVE it and I am the one coaxing other scaredy-cats to do it!) There were little monkeys EVERYWHERE and though you are warned they can be dangerous, they are obviously well conditioned to human contact. So we oo'ed and ahh'ed at the monkeys, fed them fruit and swam back to our big boat.
Next stop was for snorkeling. And eat my words, I know I said I was too cool for snorkelling after diving, but the snorkelling here was wild!!!!! I saw almost as much here as i did diving in Koh Tao. The water was really shallow and the reef was beautiful. I was on my own and found the largest puffer fish I have ever come across (maybe 1.5 ft long and huge when it was all puffed out!), which I tailed for about 10 minutes. There were schools of HUGE fish. I was actually a little intimidated by the buggers they were so big and they stare you down totally unafraid of you. I saw an emoray eel tucked under a rock, which again frightened me cause I was alone and they can be violent. The most amazing part was with just a snorkel and mask, when your head is under water all noises are amplified. This sucks when big boats are around cause it sounds like a volcano erupting, but in the silence around me today, I could listen to all the fish eating. It was crazy, it was so shallow I would watch a big fish go up to a rock and open up its chompers nice and wide and hear it crunching away at plankton or whatever else it was gnawing at. It was a really surreal experience just listening to fish eat under water. Something I have never heard while diving. So, one point for snorkelling!!!! I am not a convert, but definalty give it more credit than i did before.
So next stop was Koh PhiPhi Leh. This is the island next to KohPhi Phi Don (the full name of where i am). But this is a world heritage site, or national park or something along those lines and no one is allowed to stay on the island, it is totally unihibited. This is where the movie The Beach took place. I expected it to be really touristy and overdone. I was so wrong. It was magical!
The actual beach is called Maya Beach, but we parked the massive boat in a different bay and jumped ship and swam to shore. But shore was not a soft, sandy beach- it was a rocky, wave ridden, scary entrance where i think a few people saw their lives flash before their eyes getting there. There was a series of ropes that were set in the mountain and you had to climb to the rocks, hold on for dear life and navigate through a cave while the water was beating against you in waves.....I found it pretty intense, there were some poor young japanese tourists wearing life jackets and looking VERY uncomfortable, that i think actually shit their pants (sorry to be crude but it was that intense!)
So from there we trucked through the jungle, and it was EXACTLY like the movie the Beach. I was half hoping to stumble across good old Leonardo after each bend and turn :) After walking through the jungle you crest over a little hill and it opened up to Maya Beach- the beach! And with the small exception of the mass of people and the pollution (which was pretty appalling), it was as beautiful as it looks in the film. I was pretty gobsmacked. We got to sit and catch the last rays of sun on the beach and then headed back to the boat for dusk.
The boat slowly chugged back to Koh Phi Phi Don and we were served a basic but fantastic dinner under the stars. Honestly, I was on my own but i was just exuding contentment. I chatted to a few Brits on the boat. Most of the them were just starting their adventures and when they had found where i had been and for how long they were drilling me with questions and places to go and things to see.
How the tables have turned. That was me not to long ago, excited but terrified of what lay ahead. Although I was a bit jealous that I was on the tail end and they were all fresh off the boat so to speak, I wouldn't change a thing. For some reason, I am not even remotely worried about leaving this all behind. I might be singing a different tune once I arrive at Pearson, but I am just basking in this feeling right now of total contentment. It is my last night here and I have no interest in going out to party and be hung over and feeling gross tomorrow. I am going to head to a beach bar for a quick goodnight drink, then head back to my bungalow to pack and sort myself out for tomorrow. I am going ride with this feeling and see how long it is going to last me.
In Bangkok, I am meeting a few people who will be passing through at the same time as me, so maybe by then I will drowning my sorrows in buckets, but till then.......off I go :)
Friday, August 8, 2008
23 Hour Journey
I have landed! In Koh Phi Phi that is. I left the Gulf of Thailand on the east coast of the country yesterday at 8:30p.m. and didnt get to my final destination till 7:30pm today! And though it was actually one of my longest journey's, it was by far not the worst. I hopped in a taxi to get to the port on Koh Phangan and then made a very risky entrance across a thin wooden plank (with my billion pound backpack teetering on my back) onto a big sleeper ferry. It was something different, basically matresses strewn all across the floor with pillows and it was each man for themselves to claim a spot. Luckily it wasnt full and we all had lotsa rolling room and by 930 we were pulling out to sea. The waters were sooooooo rough! Thank god it was pretty much open air space cause people were being sick left and right! The boat was an old wooden one and was crashing and banging and tossing people all over the place. Secretly, i loved it! AFter the first hour I was so used to it and with the exception of waking up to a few crashes and bangs- i slept like a baby till sunrise.
From there the journey went something like taxi, bus, bus station, ferry boarding area (FOR HOURS cause we missed the a.m ferry) and then FINALLY a ferrry from Krabi on the West coast to Koh Phi Phi. And here I am. Almost at the last leg of my trip, but I am pretending that is not happening until i am literally on Canadian soil.
So I have only been in Koh Phi Phi a few hours and i love it already. I think it is the beach bum in me coming out again. I am staying in a pretty decent beach bungalow and am a stones throw away from the beach. I arrived at dusk so I wont be able to suss it all out completely until tomorrow. But from what I can see already love it. It looks like the island has almost fully recovered from the tsunami. This was one of the places that was hit the worst and rebuilding has been going since then. But there are resorts all over the place, and just like all the other islands, it looks like a little piece of paradise to me.
Tomorrow looks like it is going to be a ........suprise suprise....BEACH DAY!!! For a change! And possibly a boat ride to Maya Beach, which is where the movie The Beach was filmed (how many times can i say the word beach in one paragraph!) Then my main objective is figuring out how the hell to get back to Bangkok without spending a million hours on taxis/boats/buses/bikes and ferries. Possibly I will cave and just fly, save myself the hassle and also......get in a few more hours at the BEACH, LOL!
Well, since i had to (sniff, sniff) leave my South American posse in Koh Phangan I am now flying solo again. So I am off to catch the last bit of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and then hopefully make some friends before tomorrow evenings Half Moon Party!
I have heard the weather in Toronto has been a little on the wet side tis summer so i am stockpiling the sun, as every one has requested and I promise to bring it home with me! Until then I am going back to work on my tan :)
From there the journey went something like taxi, bus, bus station, ferry boarding area (FOR HOURS cause we missed the a.m ferry) and then FINALLY a ferrry from Krabi on the West coast to Koh Phi Phi. And here I am. Almost at the last leg of my trip, but I am pretending that is not happening until i am literally on Canadian soil.
So I have only been in Koh Phi Phi a few hours and i love it already. I think it is the beach bum in me coming out again. I am staying in a pretty decent beach bungalow and am a stones throw away from the beach. I arrived at dusk so I wont be able to suss it all out completely until tomorrow. But from what I can see already love it. It looks like the island has almost fully recovered from the tsunami. This was one of the places that was hit the worst and rebuilding has been going since then. But there are resorts all over the place, and just like all the other islands, it looks like a little piece of paradise to me.
Tomorrow looks like it is going to be a ........suprise suprise....BEACH DAY!!! For a change! And possibly a boat ride to Maya Beach, which is where the movie The Beach was filmed (how many times can i say the word beach in one paragraph!) Then my main objective is figuring out how the hell to get back to Bangkok without spending a million hours on taxis/boats/buses/bikes and ferries. Possibly I will cave and just fly, save myself the hassle and also......get in a few more hours at the BEACH, LOL!
Well, since i had to (sniff, sniff) leave my South American posse in Koh Phangan I am now flying solo again. So I am off to catch the last bit of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and then hopefully make some friends before tomorrow evenings Half Moon Party!
I have heard the weather in Toronto has been a little on the wet side tis summer so i am stockpiling the sun, as every one has requested and I promise to bring it home with me! Until then I am going back to work on my tan :)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Back By Popular Demand
Thanks for all the emails to hurry up and get on with the next blog! Nice to know people are actually reading and interested in my jabbering!
Since i left Koh Tao, hate me if you will, but I have actually been in paradise. I have spent everyday waking up, rolling out of my bungalow and onto the beach and spending most of the day and evening there. The weather here is stunning. The odd tropical storm breezes by but it is a welcome relief from the heat and the sun comes out minutes later.
I am in Koh Phangan, home to the infamous Full Moon Parties and this place definately lives up to its expectations. One day has almost blended into the next and not a lot has gone on but it has all been pretty damn fun. I think, after almost 30 years of intense searching, I have finally found my calling. Life as a beach bum. Sunshine, sand, ocean, tatoos, peircings, bikinis and cocktails. Everyone just radiates with cool here, and not to toot my own horn, but I blend in beautifully.
I spent a day on a long tail boat going around the island beach hopping, soaking it all in. We hiked into the forest and made our way to a beautiful watertfall and spent a few hours just swimming and tanning on the rocks. I did a bit or snorkelling, but after experiencing it all at eye level on the ocean floor, a birds eye view fails to compare.
I am staying on a peninsula that has two beaches, Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach. So It is easy to be a sun chaser and position myself in the right spot from sun up to sun down. But as I mentioned, even at sun down I havent really left the beach. At night the DJ's turn on their turn tables, the fire throwers get all phsyched up, the beach is lined with pillows and the best is the buckets. For those who dont know Thailand & its infamous buckets.......my god it is madness! There are stalls lined on the beach and instead of drinks in cups the buckets are sold with a handful of straws and overflowing with booze. Although there are lotsa variations- the typical concoction is cheap Thai whisky, Red Bull and coke. Though I have found the winning mix substitutes peach iced tea for the coke. Breakfast of champions (just kidding mom and dad!). I really could get used to this life!
Being in a place as happy go lucky as here it is hard NOT to meet people. I have nestled myself in very comfortably with a group of South Americans that I have been having a fantastic time with. (insert glowing facebook controversy here) And quite conveniently, I now have wonderful connections in Chile and Argentina and the wheels are already turning, planning the next adventure.
Unfortunately the count down is on and in just over a week I start my dreaded journey back to the real world. But until then I am quite content with todays biggest decision being whether to stay on Koh Phangan or venture to the west side and do one more island hop to Koh Phi Phi before making my way back to Bangkok. Decisions, decisions.
I have amazing photos from the last week or so but am too lazy to burn them on a cd and download them. So i leave it to you to paint your own picture of paradise!
ps. Leanne, hope you enjoyed your cup of tea. x.
Since i left Koh Tao, hate me if you will, but I have actually been in paradise. I have spent everyday waking up, rolling out of my bungalow and onto the beach and spending most of the day and evening there. The weather here is stunning. The odd tropical storm breezes by but it is a welcome relief from the heat and the sun comes out minutes later.
I am in Koh Phangan, home to the infamous Full Moon Parties and this place definately lives up to its expectations. One day has almost blended into the next and not a lot has gone on but it has all been pretty damn fun. I think, after almost 30 years of intense searching, I have finally found my calling. Life as a beach bum. Sunshine, sand, ocean, tatoos, peircings, bikinis and cocktails. Everyone just radiates with cool here, and not to toot my own horn, but I blend in beautifully.
I spent a day on a long tail boat going around the island beach hopping, soaking it all in. We hiked into the forest and made our way to a beautiful watertfall and spent a few hours just swimming and tanning on the rocks. I did a bit or snorkelling, but after experiencing it all at eye level on the ocean floor, a birds eye view fails to compare.
I am staying on a peninsula that has two beaches, Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach. So It is easy to be a sun chaser and position myself in the right spot from sun up to sun down. But as I mentioned, even at sun down I havent really left the beach. At night the DJ's turn on their turn tables, the fire throwers get all phsyched up, the beach is lined with pillows and the best is the buckets. For those who dont know Thailand & its infamous buckets.......my god it is madness! There are stalls lined on the beach and instead of drinks in cups the buckets are sold with a handful of straws and overflowing with booze. Although there are lotsa variations- the typical concoction is cheap Thai whisky, Red Bull and coke. Though I have found the winning mix substitutes peach iced tea for the coke. Breakfast of champions (just kidding mom and dad!). I really could get used to this life!
Being in a place as happy go lucky as here it is hard NOT to meet people. I have nestled myself in very comfortably with a group of South Americans that I have been having a fantastic time with. (insert glowing facebook controversy here) And quite conveniently, I now have wonderful connections in Chile and Argentina and the wheels are already turning, planning the next adventure.
Unfortunately the count down is on and in just over a week I start my dreaded journey back to the real world. But until then I am quite content with todays biggest decision being whether to stay on Koh Phangan or venture to the west side and do one more island hop to Koh Phi Phi before making my way back to Bangkok. Decisions, decisions.
I have amazing photos from the last week or so but am too lazy to burn them on a cd and download them. So i leave it to you to paint your own picture of paradise!
ps. Leanne, hope you enjoyed your cup of tea. x.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
With a Tropical Paradise Comes Tropical Storms!
I have arrived in PARADISE! After my quick pitstop in Bangkok I had a smooth, almost luxurious overnight bus ride and early morning ferry and arrived in Koh Tao. I am stayng in a tiny little beach bungalow here and the island looks beautiful!!!! Crystal clear water and white sand beaches. Sairee Beach is lined with restaurants, cafes and and lounges and all the seating areas extend down to the beach with pillows on the ground, low tables, and torches blazing after the sun goes down.
Koh Tao is known as a diving mecca and thank god I have had that to fall back on the last few days, because since i boarded the ferry the weather has been attrocious....literally!!!! I have never experienced storms like this. Luckily, at the bottom of the sea, it doesnt matter what the weather is like up above! On my first dive in years, we hopped on a huge boat and had to go to a small sheltered cove on the other side of the island but the seas were so rough! The swells were maybe about 25 ft and the boat was crashing all over the place. Things were flying left and right and water was coming over the side in massive rushes. The only comforting factor was the dive masters and thai guys were having a field laughing all the way (mostly at the domino effect of sea sickness going around!) Although i have never really experienced sea sickness, it gave me a reality for my 'year on boat' dreams.....it is gonna take alot before i would feel comfortable commandeering conditions like that! Anywho, we made it, and as soon as we were submerged a foot under water all the turmoil disappeared and it was as peaceful as can be!
The dives were fabulous. The first dive, my dive master was a highly amusing British guy and because i did a refresher coarse I had to go through all the skills with him before I got to "fun dive". Once the boring stuff was out of the way though...diving in Koh Tao definately deserves its reputation! I have done 4 dives so far and seen the most incredible stuff. The coral here is, in my opinion way more interesting than that in the Great Barrier Reef, and even though due to the storms the visibilty was a bit low, we still saw tons!
There are blue spotted sting rays which i have seen lots of and they are soooo magical. Their blue spots are irridescent and their massive eyes stick out like googley eyes! I saw a Harlequin sweetlips, which is a fun little fish with lots of fins and dangly bits; when it is a baby it almost just flops and dances about because it is not sure what to do with all it's parts yet to seamlessly glide through the water. I saw a few puffer fish and emoray eels, trigger fish, angel fish.... and schools of hundreds of brightly coloured fish that seemed just as curious of all the divers, as we of them. The most amazing fish I saw, which i cant really recall ever seeing before, or even hearing of...was a box fish. And we spotted 3 of them, which is apparently quite rare. A box fish is just that- it is shaped as a damn box (like the picture up top)! On my last 2 dives our dive master was a wickedly cool german girl and she explained that the poor box fish were cursed because they were not ergonomically made to swim. They are super tiny, maybe just 2 or 3 inches long and are a vibrant yellow with black spots. So strange and beautiful, and hilarious to watch clumsily go through the water!
So I have been on the island for almost 4 days of grey weather and some mad storms. In fact on the first dive day, there was a spanish couple who had been on the beach when the first storm hit (they come out of nowhere FAST!) and they were trying to refund their dives because they had been scared off thinking the storm was a tsunami because the waves coming in were getting bigger and bigger. I was walking when the first big storm came and it is sooooo dangerous to be unsheltered. A thai man pulled me into his shop lecturing me not to be out. Stuff flies every which way. The coconuts drop (which can be a fatal blow to your head) and leaves and trees are shaking and blowing everywhere. Needless to say it was a great show for a tropical storm, and even more entertaining that no one saw a problem with hopping on a boat and going out diving in the torrential rain and lightening and thunder!
So I leave Koh Tao tomorrow and am headed to Koh Phangan, yet another island, in search of sunshine! I figure the weather will break soon enough and when it does i will be sure to be beach-ready! Saying that though, although it is not sunny out right now, it is still boiling hot with a nice hot breeze, i am reading a great book on Myanmar and so I am headed to the beach to sit with a malibu and pineapple and watch the day go by!
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