Happy Holidays From Koh Tao, Thailand

Happy Holidays Koh Tao, Thailand

I hopped in a van at 6am that took me east to a bus station in Surat Thani, Thailand where said bus drove me to the pier and hopped a boat for Koh Tao for the holidays. In order to get a free ride to Saree Beach I hopped in an Asia Divers truck taxi. At Asia Divers I said hello and greetings to those that I knew and introductions to those I didn’t. A French man named Julien sat at the four top. We got to talk and he mentioned that a Padi Rescure Diver course was underway and would be continuing in two days time. I asked if I could catch up tomorrow and join them and he agreed. I spent the next day with pen and paper and videos of definitions, scenarios, examples and explanations. Six hours later I took a theoretical test, passed that and called it a good day. I stayed at Secret Garden a little off the beaten path but not far from the beach. To get to and from it I had to walk through a Coconut Tree grove, really cool.

Here in Koh Tao it is intermittently lightening and raining but the temperature is right so no worries. A storm has been threatening for the last few days on the Internet weather searches but they keep getting reduced the day of. Not so around the tail end of December. The full moon on December 25^th brought the tide all the way to the edge of beach services and made the beach impossible to run on, jumping boat lines, watching for debris coming down the flashflood creeks and unintended water ways.

I met up with my classmates and we headed into the pool for some practice before entering the ocean. We did this both days and ended with a final scenario and fulfilled all the PADI requirements. We had the option to practice more if we wanted to wait on the certification. I chose this plan because I don’t know when I’ll get to practice this stuff again besides in real-life circumstances so I decided to take the extra training. Thank you.

Koh Tao is filling up with people but the real problem is that the rains have remained an visibility underwater isn’t what it could be and I’ve been swimming every morning to find out if it’s getting any better, even the dive guides are saying to wait a few days. So lots of time chilling and writing another book now that ‘The Women Of Cho’ is in it’s final stages and getting ready for publication and I’ll most certainly let you know when that occurs.

I have noticed an influx of Burmese workers all across the southern end of Thailand. When I asked a few of them why they all pretty much gave the same response, they love their country but can’t live on the low wages. For an example one university student explained that he would only be paid the equivalent of 3,000 Baht/month in his own country, 100 USD/month, while he can make 8,000/month in Thailand, 240 USD/month. The idea is to work as much as possible at various jobs saving money so they can return to Burma after a few years and hopefully buy land and a house to start a life under the new government but until the economics change in Burma the draw for working outside its borders is the only option for a better life. Some don’t want to return to Burma at all because it’s too easy to fall into the low wages and never break free again. And for those in Burma running businesses looking for educated workers it is difficult because they have left the country.

New Year’s Eve was spent on the beach at Maya Beach Bar listening to electronic chill out music and watching hundreds of lanterns take flight and dot the night sky as they went on out to sea. The fireworks were awesome and went off all down the beach while others did fire shows. There were lots of tan smiling faces dancing at Lotus Bar with a DJ and electronic dance music blasting out of refrigerator size speakers. Everybody dances on the beach with the waves at your feet. Happy New Year everyone. I'm off to Banyan Bar for a Sunday roast.

www.davidcdagley.com

Taxis, Boats, and Buses

Taxis, Boats, and Buses

When it came time to leave Koh Tao I set myself up with the same travel agent I had used the previous two times. She smiled when I entered her office; Wandee Guesthouse and Travel. (ph#. 084-4518747). She had just returned from South Korea on a short tour. We talked about South Korea for about a half hour before settling on the fact that South Koreans are wonderful people with a rich culture.

I asked to go to Khao Sok National Park for a forth visit. The Park is nestled in the monolith limestone mountains on the Thai peninsula. These mountains continue on down and loosely join with the Malaysian peninsula mountains harboring such places as Cameron Highlands, a tea plantation area and on down to the Taman Negara National Park, a 150 million year old region in Malaysia that was not frozen over during the last ice age and so the animals in it are unique and a breed apart. I’ll get to that later.

I picked up a truck taxi in front of the travel agency just down the street from Asia Divers Resort. A group of us hopped in the back of the truck and headed for the pier where we boarded different ferries bound for various ports, some towards Bangkok, others for Krabi, and a small group of us for Surat Thani. Surat Thani is a medium size town on the east coast of the Thai peninsula and the gateway to cross over the mountains to Khao Sok and further on to the Andaman Sea and the town of Takupa on highway 401.

It’s the beginning of the rainy season but being out on the islands the rainy season seems like it happens somewhere else. On Koh Tao we had a few evening showers and a lot of lightening and thunder the joins with the sunset activity.

The high speed catamaran sped me on to Surat Thani where a bus waited on the pier for those going into town or to another bus station. Instantly I was on the next leg of my journey. The bus left after all travellers were aboard. Due to low season and political issues in Bangkok half the seats were empty. A few hours flew by when the bus pulled over somewhat randomly and the drivers’ assistant gave me the nod to get off. He pointed across the street to a bus stop and restaurant and told me to talk to the man in the restaurant and wait for another bus. I had a quick bite to eat and a tuk tuk pulled up and waived me to him. I got in back and he drove me to a different bus station where I boarded another bus headed for Khao Sok andTakupa.

I arrived around 6 pm at the turn off for Khao Sok as the sun hid behind a jungle green limestone monolith ridge but the sun wasn’t down. The turn off was the same but more building have been erected over the last few years as they do in Thailand. My first visit to Khao Sok was 1996 and back then there was just a bamboo shelter bus stop and trucks would come from the park entrance where there was a string of guesthouses between the river and road the park entrance. The sheltered bus stop was still there but so were a lot of small shops scratching out a living off the coming and going of tourists.

A kindly gentleman named Tawee approached me with an offer for a bungalow for 300 baht but not on the park road, ‘more in the jungle’. He offered free rides to the park or into the village whenever I wanted to go use internet or take a walk into the park or for a swim in one of the many waterfall pools along the trails.

Green Mountain View Guesthouse, Bungalows and Camping. (Ph # 0066-872632481). Call him and he’ll come get you. Green Mountain View Bungalows is on the east side of a green mountain ridge buried between in a rubber tree plantation and the jungle. The bungalows are spacious and vary from 300 baht to 500 baht depending on the number of beds but all bungalows come with an outside walled bathroom open to the sky and really great when it raining. Need I remind you that its warm rain?

There is a full restaurant run by Tawee’s wife and the rest of the family members that are old enough are guides, drivers, whatever you need can be arranged for a reasonable price. There is English is good. I sat with a Swedish woman who had been staying for three weeks. There was a particular glow about her and green Mountain View as an alternative to guesthouse row at the entrance of the park which is also more expensive.

I took a day off and just enjoyed the heat of the day and a light rain in the evening. I decided I would go to ‘Limestone’ Lake, otherwise known as Cheow Lan Reservoir, the next day for an overnight in the jungle and a floating bungalow but first I have to explain some of the history of the Lake.

www.davidcdagley.com

Asia Divers Resort, Koh Tao, Thailand

Asia Divers Resort

I wanted to get my diving certificate for Open Water and I had already met the divers at Asia Divers Resort because I stayed here twice before but on each occasion I had a sinus ailment or worse so I wasn’t able to dive. In Bangkok where all hell is breaking loose I decided to come down to Koh Tao. Third time is the charm. Asia Divers Resort Saiee Beach, Koh Tao. 18/1 moo 1 Koh Tao, Suratthani. Tel: 007-456054-5. www.asiaresortkohtao.com. www.aisia-divers.com. There are approximately 80 rooms varying in price from 700 – 2,000 baht. Fan/Aircon/refrigerator, and of course a pool and a restaurant. For further info check their website. And the is a bantering bar/restaurant across the street that is unique and sorely missed, Banyan. Many local divers and businessmen relax and banter with smiles.

I showed up and said hello to those I know and signed up for the (OW) Open Water diving course. The first night there is 3 hours of DVD video taking students through the basics. There is a book explaining in duplicate the basics and a few questionnaires/quizzes to take and keep you thinking. Second day was in the pool getting comfortable with the gear and breathing underwater. Now that’s a new one because it just doesn’t feel natural for a swimmer/snorkeler such as myself but it is easily overcome with a bit of time and practice.

The next day we took a few tests and went out on the ocean for our first true dive. My instructor was a woman named Kate who has been diving for I think 8 years. She is a wonderful woman with a way about her that made the students very comfortable in the water.

There were only two of us in the class and that makes it very easy for the instructors and us. Our first dive was at a site called Aow Leuk and only went down about 8 meters/ 24 feet but it was a beautifully clear water day and that was worth doing the course in the first place. Lots of people with strong imaginations for some reason keep them from diving, mostly thinking sharks are going to get them. I heard it numerous times from people that come to Koh Tao for a more chilled island experience versus say Koh Phangang or Samui.

My next three dives went rather rapidly and I knew I wasn’t finished and I went straight into Advanced Open Water. I did 5 more dives in 24 hours. I just wanted to achieve a certain confidence level that the first four dives didn’t give me. The deep dive of 30 meters and a navigation course are the only 2 PADI require you to take and you get to 3 of your choice. I chose, Buoyancy, Underwater Photography, and a Night dive. I’m not afraid; I embraced it and had a surreal experience.

Now it’s sunset and time to go west through Khao Sok and on to the Andaman Sea for hopefully more diving.

www.davidcdagley.com