I am now a qualified scuba diver! We have spent the past four days in and out of the classroom and sea, learning about diving, buoyancy control, and what to do if you run out of air 18 metres under the sea (scary stuff). Did my first deep dive today, and saw some pretty cool stuff- sea snakes, clownfish, weird lobster thing- no turtles or sharks yet but there is still time. Jon, our instructor, is from Birmingham, and managed to make even the most exciting things sound bland and dull- but hey the dive time underwater was just amazing. The water is so clear thanks to the sun, and we swam through some cool underwater caves out at Green Rock. We met a couple of Aussies on our course who are awesome- we were afraid we might have been stuck with a couple of older people, but it's all turned out well.
So we rented a scooter yesterday and drove around the island, taking in all the bays and inlets. We were so tired last night that we had a mammoth fifteen hour sleep and woke up this morning feeling terrible! The weather has been, of course, beautiful, hot enough to fry you up in five minutes.
We are heading to Krabi tomorrow night on a night boat/bus, to do a bit of climbing and in my case more sunbathing. Last time I came here Krabi was my all time favourite place, so I hope that this time it will deliver..
Friday, 30 April 2010
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Leicester- London Heathrow-Bangkok-Koh Tao... All in one go!
National Express. Tube. Plane. Taxi. Train. Taxi. Boat. Taxi! After travelling for 40 solid hours on public transport, we finally arrived in Koh Tao yesterday morning. The flight from London to Dubai was fine, but the 7 hour connection left us feeling tired, cranky, and more than a bit bored of the airline dvd selection. We landed in Bangkok in the evening, and were met with a blistering damp heat- summers are humid out here. We got a taxi to the train station, and settled outside a restaurant to enjoy the first pad thai noodles and chang beers of the holiday- however we had some unwelcome company in the form of cockroaches and ticket touts. We waited with trepidation and sweaty backs for the train to arrive, whisking us away from the sewer smells of busy smoggy Bangkok, to the laid back turtle dive paradise that is Koh Tao.
The train was fairly busy, and the air conditioning system was little more than ceiling fans on the roof of the train, but the 600km journey was fairly comfortable, even if the ticket men were very intimidating.
Seven hours later and we were on the final leg of the journey- the boat to Koh Tao. Once again I was reminded that there is a big difference between English Time and Thai Time- Our train was half an hour late, and the ferry took around twice as long to get to the island as was stated. There is a great laid back vibe here in Thailand- I wouldnt be surprised if the train driver stopped somewhere for a chat and a cigarette break...
The troubles with riots in Bangkok seem to be met with mixed views among travellers, I overheard people on the plane saying they were going straight to Khao San, others saying they wouldn't consider staying the night. We were in a taxi yesterday with a couple who's hotel had been attacked by redshirts- 'I't was great- the nicest people in Bangkok are the redshirts. They are the only ones not trying to scam us'. Quite.
Anyway, we are staying on a beach hut a few metres from the pure white sands of Sairee beach. The hut consists of little more than a matress, a table, a fan, and toilet-cum-shower, but it suits us. We went out for a little drinky last night, which, invariably, led to me and will dancing in a bar watching a couple of eight year olds doing some fire poi. As we walked back I found a rope swing above the sea- and with the confidence and grace only a few cocktails can instill in a person, swang myself above the water- only to fall with a thud to a hard sandy ground a second later. Will found it very funny, my leg did not.
Today was the first day of our Padi course- learning to scuba dive down to 18 metres. What the day actually consisted of however, was four hours in a classroom watching delightfully 80's videos and swotting up.
Me and Will haven't had a chance to tan yet- we are probably the palest people on the island (ginger people exempt, of course). But we have a few months of bronzing ahead of us yet...
Tonight we enjoyed a laid back night, thai curry, followed by thai massage, which was excruciating and invigorating. Will worried about having the more attractive lady massage him, but I think he preferred it in the end...
The train was fairly busy, and the air conditioning system was little more than ceiling fans on the roof of the train, but the 600km journey was fairly comfortable, even if the ticket men were very intimidating.
Seven hours later and we were on the final leg of the journey- the boat to Koh Tao. Once again I was reminded that there is a big difference between English Time and Thai Time- Our train was half an hour late, and the ferry took around twice as long to get to the island as was stated. There is a great laid back vibe here in Thailand- I wouldnt be surprised if the train driver stopped somewhere for a chat and a cigarette break...
The troubles with riots in Bangkok seem to be met with mixed views among travellers, I overheard people on the plane saying they were going straight to Khao San, others saying they wouldn't consider staying the night. We were in a taxi yesterday with a couple who's hotel had been attacked by redshirts- 'I't was great- the nicest people in Bangkok are the redshirts. They are the only ones not trying to scam us'. Quite.
Anyway, we are staying on a beach hut a few metres from the pure white sands of Sairee beach. The hut consists of little more than a matress, a table, a fan, and toilet-cum-shower, but it suits us. We went out for a little drinky last night, which, invariably, led to me and will dancing in a bar watching a couple of eight year olds doing some fire poi. As we walked back I found a rope swing above the sea- and with the confidence and grace only a few cocktails can instill in a person, swang myself above the water- only to fall with a thud to a hard sandy ground a second later. Will found it very funny, my leg did not.
Today was the first day of our Padi course- learning to scuba dive down to 18 metres. What the day actually consisted of however, was four hours in a classroom watching delightfully 80's videos and swotting up.
Me and Will haven't had a chance to tan yet- we are probably the palest people on the island (ginger people exempt, of course). But we have a few months of bronzing ahead of us yet...
Tonight we enjoyed a laid back night, thai curry, followed by thai massage, which was excruciating and invigorating. Will worried about having the more attractive lady massage him, but I think he preferred it in the end...
Friday, 23 April 2010
Day 0- The Night Before...
If somebody had told me several months ago that volcano insurance would be a viable travel expenditure, I would have shrugged it off as a ridiculous precaution. Now, however, I am kicking myself; I am a week late into my travel plans because an irate Icelandic Vesuvius has blown up a bit. Quite how much nobody really knew, so the airspace was closed. For a bloody week.
The past six days have been quite a rollercoaster, and more than a few times when the flight ban looked set to continue for months, me and Will toyed with the idea of jacking it all in and going inter railing. But the Eurostar was booked solid, and we didn't much fancy Europe, so we thought we would probably just sit and wait it out. Which meant lots of sleepless nights, and days of me wandering the house looking pallid and distant refreshing the NATS website and clutching the phone, desperate to get through to Emirates. It took four attempts at booking and rebooking flights, but tomorrow our adventure begins.
However, the extra week hasn't been all bad. The weather in England is deliciously warm and sunny, and the flight ban has presented me with a few more days of English comforts (flushing toilets anyone?), and some precious time spent with my boyfriend (ahh, how sickening I hear you say). But I finally feel ready to go, my bags are packed, a new camera has been bought, and the hoo haa with the airlines is over thanks to a few test rides, some crackpot scientists and some extremely aggresive tactics by British Airways. But I won't go into that now; like me you are probably sick to death of headlines about the volcanic ash plume.
This blog, although it will act primarily as a self indulgence, is also manner for my loved ones to keep track of where I am, and I suppose it will serve as a diary of sorts. I hopefully be able to give a first hand account of what life is like in Thailand at the moment, and also help show you my journey from Thailand, throught Malaysia and Indonesia, and into Vietnam and Laos.
Just please, don't ask me to bring back any red t-shirts as souvenirs...
The past six days have been quite a rollercoaster, and more than a few times when the flight ban looked set to continue for months, me and Will toyed with the idea of jacking it all in and going inter railing. But the Eurostar was booked solid, and we didn't much fancy Europe, so we thought we would probably just sit and wait it out. Which meant lots of sleepless nights, and days of me wandering the house looking pallid and distant refreshing the NATS website and clutching the phone, desperate to get through to Emirates. It took four attempts at booking and rebooking flights, but tomorrow our adventure begins.
However, the extra week hasn't been all bad. The weather in England is deliciously warm and sunny, and the flight ban has presented me with a few more days of English comforts (flushing toilets anyone?), and some precious time spent with my boyfriend (ahh, how sickening I hear you say). But I finally feel ready to go, my bags are packed, a new camera has been bought, and the hoo haa with the airlines is over thanks to a few test rides, some crackpot scientists and some extremely aggresive tactics by British Airways. But I won't go into that now; like me you are probably sick to death of headlines about the volcanic ash plume.
This blog, although it will act primarily as a self indulgence, is also manner for my loved ones to keep track of where I am, and I suppose it will serve as a diary of sorts. I hopefully be able to give a first hand account of what life is like in Thailand at the moment, and also help show you my journey from Thailand, throught Malaysia and Indonesia, and into Vietnam and Laos.
Just please, don't ask me to bring back any red t-shirts as souvenirs...
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