Indonesia and Backtracking
I flew from Bali back to Thailand with a 2 months visa, one of the last because the tourist visa rules for Thailand have changed yet again; it seems annual. I spent a week in Bangkok running a few errands like getting a two month visa for Indonesia because I signed up with http://www.wickeddiving.com to go on a 18-day scuba diving live aboard from Raja Ampat, Western Papua New Guinea, to Komodo Island/Lubuan Bajo where I get to see a beautiful lady I met diving off the coast of Lembongan, Indonesia. A different lovely woman at www.diving-indo.com mentioned the trip while we were having a beer after a couple dives at the Victory, a US vessel that took a hit from a Japanese sub during WWII. She told me about the Wicked dive trip and she saw my eyes light up like a Christmas tree and she sat back with a grin and called Pit who works for Wicked Diving and sorted out connections. (Thank you dear girl).
In Bangkok the Indonesian embassy recommends you to drop off your paperwork with two photos of your mug and your passport in the morning hours between 9-12 and you can pick up your new tourist visa in your passport the next day between 3pm and 5pm. They are closed on the weekends. The other thing I wanted to check out was my left hip. It has been sore for a while now, like since trekking in Nepal and maybe a bit before that. I think it’s from being hit by a tuk-tuk in Bangkok in the past. Anyway, I just wanted to know what was going on. The lovely physiotherapist/doctor took a couple ex-rays and didn’t come up with anything significant but my muscles were considerably tighter on my left than my right and she did a bit of acupuncture to get the muscles to loosen up. That was like having electric shocks run down my leg. It helped. I’m walking without a funny limp again. Yeah!
I thought I’d head down to Ko Tao for a bit of diving and let the hip and leg chill for a bit. I took an www.airasia.com flight for around $50 USD to an airport south of Surat Thani, a van from the airport to the pier, a Lomprayah high-speed catamaran ferry boat via Koh Samui, Koh Pangang, to Koh Tao where I checked into www.asiadivers.com for the fifth or sixth time and hung out with friends. There had been a storm recently so the underwater visibility wasn’t so good, at first, maybe five meters, two days later ten meters and so on. It returned to normal and people were back at it with smiles. Whilst there on Koh Tao I ventured into the Banyan Bar where the banter never ceases between the jolly locals. I heard of a hotdog eating contest coming up and thought that would be worth a picture or two.
The day before the hotdog eating contest which was basically a completion between dive companies and a few hungry locals eager to drink the 25 shot first place prize or settle for the 10 shot second or even the 4 shot third, I met an Aussie musician who had a show up at Serendipity Bar on the top of one of the two peaks of Koh Tao. It was odd; I met up with a woman at the Banyan that I had met in a beer garden in London one sunny gorgeous afternoon while I was with a couple I met in Ton Sai, Thailand a year and one half prior. I had had tea and lunch with her on another occasion and I gave her a fair-well from London. In the meantime, she had traveled Sri Lanka, India and now in Thailand. She had lost her ATM card and it was mailed to the Banyan, the owners are friends from youth in England. Oh such a small world. I asked her to join up but she was a bit under the weather so I went alone not to be put off. Unfortunately I don’t know his name but I was really impressed. I know back in 2013 he won Australia’s Independent Live Artist of the Year Award for his creative musical style and now he’s entertaining people on Koh Tao at Serendipity Bar and at Choppers Bar where there is a pub-crawl most nights of the week and live music at the beginning and end.
Across from Choppers is Maya Massage. I had many a massage, one a day for a week for $10/hr. due to my leg still taking a few electrical shocks now and again. There’s a new restaurant on the corner called ‘Indie’ that has great sandwiches and food in general. I had proper sourdough bread there the likes I haven’t had since San Francisco, my hometown. My mouth rejoiced on a Bacon/Avocado Sandwich and a Blue Berry Smoothie.
The rumor of another storm wafted through whispers as I left Koh Tao heading back up to Khao Sok for a short writing retreat and, of course, a quick run up to the lake just for good measure. I stayed at Smiley’s Guest House for 300 Baht/night. Most of the others on Khao Sok Road are around 700-1000 Baht/night. On the 13-14th of February there is a ‘festival’ at the Khao Sok National Park for everyone who can get there. My understanding is that it will be annual. You buy a ticket and included is a plethora of jungle and local foods prepared for your sampling, a bit of entertainment and stuff for the kids to do and see.
I spoke with Boh who owns the Chill Out Bar across from Smiley’s and works for the National Park as a guide during the day and he said to spread the word. I told him I would be heading to Khao Lak for more diving in the Similans and Surin Islands and he told me to meet a friend of his that owns the Memory Bar, five kilometers north of Khao Lak. The Memory Bar/Bungalow is the original beach community with numerous surfboards of all sizes for lease, chill music, great food, and bungalows on the beach like in the old days of Thailand. Their logo is, ‘Surf, Eat, Sleep, Repeat.’ I highly recommend going there but be careful what you pay the truck taxi to get there. They don’t like to go there because the road is dirt from the turn off and they use it as an excuse to up the price. If you pay 300 Baht from Khao Lak, fill the truck with people, not 100 Baht per person. Put it this way, it cost me 150 Baht to go 60 kilometers from Khao Sok to Khao Lak with 5 other people in a van with all our gear.
While in khao Lak I heard that the pier on koh Tao sank into the sea and a new one is being erected as I write because this is the pier where many of the dive boats and the ferry boats come into let off guests. I also heard that ferry services had been suspended for a few days for a second time in a month. I made the right choice in getting out of the way. The wind was horrific here in Khao Lak so I’ve been told.
I had some tie on my hands and took a walk north of Khao Lak in search of a music venue called 'Red Snapper' but every Thai pointed in a different direction. I walked past a place called 'Mars Bar' owned and operated by an ex-pat named Mars. I found my place in space. i'm staying at Walker Inn this time with the Traveler just down the road. I'm paying 600 Baht /night. the food is excellent and the rooms spacious. Up here by the Mars Bar there are backpackers for 300 Baht/night. I met a wonderful girl there with a stack of dirty jokes and a smile. I hope I cross her path again.
Today I join www.wickeddiving.com for another six day live aboard because now is the season for the mantas and the Whale sharks to be here. I spoke with Chris, my PADI/SSI guru and his friend Jess also working with Wicked and they said the Mantas are thick. As I said three months ago, ‘I’ll be back’.
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