I woke up on August 11th to the grumbling of engines, the slapping of waves on the side of the boat and the inescapable smell of gasoline. My "Chang-Over" ("Chang Beer" Hangover) was in full effect, but the excitement of being so close to the island was overpowering and I waited patiently (of course) by walking up and down the cabin trying not to step on anyone's feet. I hung my head out the side of the boat like a puppy and snapped some shots of my destination. The skies were grey, but I was hopeful that it would clear up as soon as I arrived to my slice of paradise. I trotted back to my 2.5 foot wide bed, did my final check before debarking and I waited at the bow of the boat alongside stacks of eggs and toilet paper; the island's daily inventory. The wooden door opened, I escaped the boat and allowed my eyes to adjust to the sunlight. I was surrounded by Thai men offering me accommodation, scuba lessons and taxis for "cheap price", but I was quick to pick out Paul at the end of the dock who had woken up just before 6am to greet me, even though the boat didn't dock until seven. (Thanks Paul!)
We grabbed some much needed breakfast and made our way to Paul's room at "Mr. J's Bungalow" which was adorned with helpful "advice" courtesy of Mr. J. After a quick look around the main area of Koh Tao that we'd be staying in, Mae Haad, we went and registered for our PADI Open Water Course that Paul had penciled us into with Crystal Dive. The class didn't start until the afternoon so we were able to check into our room ($3CDN / night) and enjoy a quick swim. The water was exactly what I needed after 1.5 days of traveling. Floating in the warm, aqua blue water made it all worth it... and I haven't even dived yet. I felt like I was back on Castaway Island in Fiji and the only thought on my mind was when was going to jump on the banana boat ride next.
Koh Tao: "Turtle Island"
Koh Tao is a beautiful slice of paradise. There' s something about the island that made my worries melt away. Time ceased to exist and I found myself not needing the common distractions of everyday life and enjoying the simple pleasures of taking the longer path to get to my destination. The feeling of not being in a rush is fantastic and I'm trying to find ways to apply it to my life in the "real world". Koh Tao isn't a place where I really got a cultural experience, but the dynamic was interesting none-the less. The labour is divided between ex-pats and Thai people: the former taking care of the diving and the latter handling pretty much everything else. After talking to a few of the diving instructors, I learned that the majority of the island is apparently owned by corrupt Thai businesses men, likened to a Thai mob. The majority of the Thai people working on the island are family members and friends there to capitalize on tourists. The island's most common commodities consist of taxis, massages and pancakes. You can't walk two steps without having a someone hawking their product to you, all of whom claim that their offering is "the best". I wondered how so many people can offer exactly the same product and expect to stand out. I guess when the throughput of tourists is so high, even winning a small percentage is enough to get by.
Skipping School to Attend Class: PADI Certification
After grabbing some lunch, and taking a quick peek at our Dive Manuals, we made our way down to Crystal Dive for our lessons. Paul and I were directed up to the air conditioned (yes!) classroom that was for some reason positioned right near some open sewage pipes that made the exterior of the classroom smell like...poop(no!). The first day of classes was with a big group, which would subsequently be divided the next day for our final lessons and confined water dive. We met Danny, a Brit from Essex, who Paul and I found out later, would be our diving instructor for the rest of the week. The rest of the class was partitioned based on nationality (Team Ireland, Team Spain/other) and our core group consisted of:
Mark & Claire: a couple from Scotland
Peter: a bloke from Wales
Ben: a guy from England
Kimmie: from Denmark
Team Canada: Paul and I
After the first day of classes ended, we made our way over to Haad Sairee (25 minute walk north on the West Coast of Koh Tao) to meet up with a friend of Paul who he'd met traveling in other parts of South East Asia. We went to this hole-in-the-wall joint for Thai food and it was great (we went back a few more times). After dinner the three of us opted to do drinks and a movie at "Choppers" bar. If you ever wondered, watching the Last King of Scotland on a buzz is still as intense as it normally is.
Into the Deep
The next morning we wrapped up our lectures, which featured the worst educational videos I've ever been forced to sit through. Lucky for us, their swimming pool was having some problems with the water, so we got to do our confined water dive in the ocean! After lunch, the crew loaded up on the boat we made our way out to the Japanese Gardens (a popular dive spot near an island of the northwest coast of Koh Tao called Koh Nangyuan). The island is more like two islands joined by a long strip of sand with bright, blue water on either side.
After doing our buddy check, using the all-to-true mnemonic "Bangkok Women Really Are Fellas" to guide us through the steps, Paul, the rest of the gang and I jumped into the water and made our way to a shallow section about 3 or 4 meters to perform a bunch of tasks to improve our confidence with the equipment underwater and practice useful skills like buoyancy control, so that you can navigate yourself through the water without damaging the coral or floating to the top. Initially, one of the more challenging ones was fully removing my mask while underwater. As I took of my mask and could feel water gush it's way in, the panic set in as did my instinct to swim to the surface. My heart raced as I just repeated in my head over and over "Just breath through your mouth. Just breath through your mouth". It became my mantra. I could feel my heart rate dropping and my muscles relaxing. I guided my mask back over my eyes and nose, tilted my head back and blew the water out. I was back.
Fight Night
Once we got back on the boat, our group really started to click. There's just something about breathing underwater that brings people closer together I guess. On the boat back to to the island we organized our plans for the night amongst our jokes about how cool we looked underwater. The plan was set: meet up in Sairee for Muay Thai Boxing. After a quick feast of red curry and banana milkshake, we made our way to the boxing arena. We got there pretty early, so we got some great seats where we could see the entire ring. Although I spent most of my time yawning (not from lack of entertainment, but lack of sleep) I really enjoyed the fights. My two favourite bouts were between a couple of really quick Thai kids and then another one between some huge German and someone half his size. Each of the next two days on the island consisted of waking up early for my morning dives, enjoying an omelette, banana milkshake and gearing up on the boat to explore the ocean. We got to know our team and some of their stories. Our instructor Danny was great. He offered enough guidance to make sure we could take care of ourselves, but he didn't spend his time nagging us. He's has some interesting plans in the next couple years to head down to South Africa to become a certified skipper, with hopes to operate his own business doing dives off a luxury boat. Not a bad plan. Claire works in the lab at the University of Dundee, and although Mark never got into his profession, judging by his size I'm pretty sure he's an assassin. Pete was heading back to the UK to find out what his placement was going to be in the Royal Air Force. Neat.
Nitrogen Narcosis & Other Oceanic Observations
Amongst all the diving, Paul and I had our eyes set on our plans for the weekend to hit up Koh Phangan on Saturday for the Full Moon Party. These parties are world renowned and bring 30,000+ people from around the world to spend the night partying on of the island's main beaches, Hat Rin. The parties are equally infamous for drug abuse, injuries, and pick-pocketing (as Mom reminded me via e-mail before I attended). As the days flew by and the more time we spent under water, Paul and I decided to sign up for the next certification level. We made some inquires at one of the travel offices and we'd be able to catch a boat out to Koh Phangan on the night of the full moon and get a boat back the next morning. We figured that was our best option as it allowed us to sign up to do our Advanced Open Water dive.
We wrapped up our Open Water Certification with a big party at Crystal Dive and feasted at a restaurant on the beach called "The Whitening", where everything was painted white. We had our dinner with another class that was with us from the beginning that had a bunch of people my age from Ireland who we decided to get absolutely smashed with, as well as June, who joined our group fro the Advanced Certification. After a night that included a few buckets and a couple beer, I was feeling it for most of the next day. I thought I would have a horrible time diving with how I felt, but ironically the weightlessness I experienced while diving saved the day.
I was lucky to see some amazing things while diving. We were able to cover some great dive sites around the island including White Rock, Green Rock, Light House, Southwest Pinnacle. My favourite sight was the school of Chevron Barracuda. Their movement was so graceful, and their presence was captivating. Words can't really explain so I hope the photos below capture how breathtaking it was. During our advance certification our group decided to do a night dive. We loaded the boat during sunset and we descended into the water just as the sun had gone down. As the minutes passed, the only source of light came from our flashlights. I couldn't help but feel like I was on some covert operation and infiltrating some evil facility to obtain the classified documents. Danny took us to a sandy section near White Rock and instructed us to push the flashlights against our chests. We did this and it went pitch black. Suddenly - the water lit up green as Danny started waving his hand around madly. We all started doing it and our circle was illuminated by the beauty that is phosphorescence. So cool!
The Full Moon Party
We wrapped up dive classes on Saturday the 16th and had a few hours to relax before we boarded the Party Boat to Koh Phangan for an event I believe everyone should experience in their lifetime. Assuming there would be more than enough alcohol for us to drink on the island, I opted for 2 big bottles of water, to hydrate myself for the night. I got stares from those who were downing bottles of beer. "It's Vodka" I lied. While waiting for the boat, we chatted with Phil, a German who was in a concurrent class alongside us through the past week. He was pretty much going solo, so the three of us decided to party together because the more the merrier.
The boat itself was fairly uneventful aside from the odd person who had too much to drink already. We got off the boat and there was an army of pre-paid taxis waiting for us in the parking lot. We loaded the back of one and were joined by a pack of Italian girls who were well on their way to an enjoyable night. We enjoyed the roller coaster ride on the island highway, shouting out as many italian stereotypes and catch phrases as we could. Phil diligently memorized all of their names in the hopes that he'd be able to impress one of the hotter ones. Impressed as they may have been, finding a hot italian amongst tens of thousands of people was wishful thinking.
We picked up a quick bite to eat and made our way to the beach. I was happy that Paul and I decided to travel light. I brought shoes instead of sandals (Mom's orders so that I didn't step on needles/broken glass), some money, and my return ticket. Streets were crowded with people all looking to have a ridiculous night. It felt like I didn't even need to drink because everyone's energy was so infectious. We were handed dozens of flyers as we passed which encouraged us to attend the "Original Full Moon Party". We eventually found our way to Haad Rin and the masses had just begun to congregate. Rather than bunkering down in one spot we went for a hike from one end of the beach, to another. Every 30 meters of sand would have you engulfed by a different crowd and different vibe - but the common factor was that you could always feel your chest vibrating from the base in the sound systems.
We made our way back to the entrance where the beach was lined with overzealous Thais selling buckets, trying to attract us with big smiles, shouting "Hello my friend! Cheap price for you!" They attempted to differentiated themselves from each other through the messages on their sales booth, each of which claimed to sell a bucket that would get you more intoxicated than the next. My favourite one was aptly titled "GET F***ED BUCKET". We each got our buckets, making sure that we got to screw off the top to the bottle of vodka before it was poured in to make sure that it was actually sealed. A worthwhile precaution.
A bucket and a half later we were dancing the night away on some raised platforms. On the highest one, you could see the stretch of the beach massed with people crammed shoulder to shoulder. In the distance, I could see some locals doing a fire show, accompanied with a huge flaming jump rope that attracted drunk idiots to try their best at a game of deadly double dutch. Even from far away, you could see people walking away with injuries after being hit by the rope in the face. I ended up losing Paul (primarily because he drunkenly stumbled off somewhere) and Phil (because he has found...company). I met up with Paul later at our meet up point; outside the fake 7-11. By the time we made our way back to the return ferry to Koh Tao, I was dead tired. I took of my shoes and slept on the floor of the boat all the way home.
Delay. Hurray!
Paul and I slept till mid-day and I stumbled out of bed to make the most off my last afternoon on the island. I headed down to Crystal Dive to say my goodbyes to some of the crew. When I got there I ran into Mark, who encouraged me to take his quad for a spin around the island. I was happy to oblige. He gave me some directions to a lookout point on the island for a great view I couldn't miss. I was clearly too excited at the opportunity to drive the quad around, and missed most of what he said. I headed straight for the "highway" and drove north. I drove all the way until I hit a section where the road got to hectic for me to continue driving. I turned around to head to the southern section of the island. I felt free driving around. The wind blowing in my face while blurs of bright green passed me by. When I got back and explained how I couldn't find the lookout, Mark hauled me up there on the back. I'm glad he did. When we got to the lookout, it felt like I was looking down on a sight from the Pirates of the Caribbean and that some ships were just about to pull into port.
After dinner I went to check load the night boat back to Surat Thani. I waited around for a bit, and the "agent" I had bought the ticket on asked what I was doing there. He explained that I had already missed the boat. Turns out there had been some miscommunication the actual departure time of the boat. He was pretty helpful and arranged for me to get on the next nights boat. I was a little frustrated that I wasn't going to get back to Singapore on time, but I wasn't going to argue with spending one more day in paradise.
We grabbed some much needed breakfast and made our way to Paul's room at "Mr. J's Bungalow" which was adorned with helpful "advice" courtesy of Mr. J. After a quick look around the main area of Koh Tao that we'd be staying in, Mae Haad, we went and registered for our PADI Open Water Course that Paul had penciled us into with Crystal Dive. The class didn't start until the afternoon so we were able to check into our room ($3CDN / night) and enjoy a quick swim. The water was exactly what I needed after 1.5 days of traveling. Floating in the warm, aqua blue water made it all worth it... and I haven't even dived yet. I felt like I was back on Castaway Island in Fiji and the only thought on my mind was when was going to jump on the banana boat ride next.
Koh Tao: "Turtle Island"
Koh Tao is a beautiful slice of paradise. There' s something about the island that made my worries melt away. Time ceased to exist and I found myself not needing the common distractions of everyday life and enjoying the simple pleasures of taking the longer path to get to my destination. The feeling of not being in a rush is fantastic and I'm trying to find ways to apply it to my life in the "real world". Koh Tao isn't a place where I really got a cultural experience, but the dynamic was interesting none-the less. The labour is divided between ex-pats and Thai people: the former taking care of the diving and the latter handling pretty much everything else. After talking to a few of the diving instructors, I learned that the majority of the island is apparently owned by corrupt Thai businesses men, likened to a Thai mob. The majority of the Thai people working on the island are family members and friends there to capitalize on tourists. The island's most common commodities consist of taxis, massages and pancakes. You can't walk two steps without having a someone hawking their product to you, all of whom claim that their offering is "the best". I wondered how so many people can offer exactly the same product and expect to stand out. I guess when the throughput of tourists is so high, even winning a small percentage is enough to get by.
Skipping School to Attend Class: PADI CertificationAfter grabbing some lunch, and taking a quick peek at our Dive Manuals, we made our way down to Crystal Dive for our lessons. Paul and I were directed up to the air conditioned (yes!) classroom that was for some reason positioned right near some open sewage pipes that made the exterior of the classroom smell like...poop(no!). The first day of classes was with a big group, which would subsequently be divided the next day for our final lessons and confined water dive. We met Danny, a Brit from Essex, who Paul and I found out later, would be our diving instructor for the rest of the week. The rest of the class was partitioned based on nationality (Team Ireland, Team Spain/other) and our core group consisted of:
Mark & Claire: a couple from Scotland
Peter: a bloke from Wales
Ben: a guy from England
Kimmie: from Denmark
Team Canada: Paul and I
After the first day of classes ended, we made our way over to Haad Sairee (25 minute walk north on the West Coast of Koh Tao) to meet up with a friend of Paul who he'd met traveling in other parts of South East Asia. We went to this hole-in-the-wall joint for Thai food and it was great (we went back a few more times). After dinner the three of us opted to do drinks and a movie at "Choppers" bar. If you ever wondered, watching the Last King of Scotland on a buzz is still as intense as it normally is.
Into the Deep
The next morning we wrapped up our lectures, which featured the worst educational videos I've ever been forced to sit through. Lucky for us, their swimming pool was having some problems with the water, so we got to do our confined water dive in the ocean! After lunch, the crew loaded up on the boat we made our way out to the Japanese Gardens (a popular dive spot near an island of the northwest coast of Koh Tao called Koh Nangyuan). The island is more like two islands joined by a long strip of sand with bright, blue water on either side.
After doing our buddy check, using the all-to-true mnemonic "Bangkok Women Really Are Fellas" to guide us through the steps, Paul, the rest of the gang and I jumped into the water and made our way to a shallow section about 3 or 4 meters to perform a bunch of tasks to improve our confidence with the equipment underwater and practice useful skills like buoyancy control, so that you can navigate yourself through the water without damaging the coral or floating to the top. Initially, one of the more challenging ones was fully removing my mask while underwater. As I took of my mask and could feel water gush it's way in, the panic set in as did my instinct to swim to the surface. My heart raced as I just repeated in my head over and over "Just breath through your mouth. Just breath through your mouth". It became my mantra. I could feel my heart rate dropping and my muscles relaxing. I guided my mask back over my eyes and nose, tilted my head back and blew the water out. I was back.
Fight Night
Once we got back on the boat, our group really started to click. There's just something about breathing underwater that brings people closer together I guess. On the boat back to to the island we organized our plans for the night amongst our jokes about how cool we looked underwater. The plan was set: meet up in Sairee for Muay Thai Boxing. After a quick feast of red curry and banana milkshake, we made our way to the boxing arena. We got there pretty early, so we got some great seats where we could see the entire ring. Although I spent most of my time yawning (not from lack of entertainment, but lack of sleep) I really enjoyed the fights. My two favourite bouts were between a couple of really quick Thai kids and then another one between some huge German and someone half his size. Each of the next two days on the island consisted of waking up early for my morning dives, enjoying an omelette, banana milkshake and gearing up on the boat to explore the ocean. We got to know our team and some of their stories. Our instructor Danny was great. He offered enough guidance to make sure we could take care of ourselves, but he didn't spend his time nagging us. He's has some interesting plans in the next couple years to head down to South Africa to become a certified skipper, with hopes to operate his own business doing dives off a luxury boat. Not a bad plan. Claire works in the lab at the University of Dundee, and although Mark never got into his profession, judging by his size I'm pretty sure he's an assassin. Pete was heading back to the UK to find out what his placement was going to be in the Royal Air Force. Neat.
Nitrogen Narcosis & Other Oceanic ObservationsAmongst all the diving, Paul and I had our eyes set on our plans for the weekend to hit up Koh Phangan on Saturday for the Full Moon Party. These parties are world renowned and bring 30,000+ people from around the world to spend the night partying on of the island's main beaches, Hat Rin. The parties are equally infamous for drug abuse, injuries, and pick-pocketing (as Mom reminded me via e-mail before I attended). As the days flew by and the more time we spent under water, Paul and I decided to sign up for the next certification level. We made some inquires at one of the travel offices and we'd be able to catch a boat out to Koh Phangan on the night of the full moon and get a boat back the next morning. We figured that was our best option as it allowed us to sign up to do our Advanced Open Water dive.
We wrapped up our Open Water Certification with a big party at Crystal Dive and feasted at a restaurant on the beach called "The Whitening", where everything was painted white. We had our dinner with another class that was with us from the beginning that had a bunch of people my age from Ireland who we decided to get absolutely smashed with, as well as June, who joined our group fro the Advanced Certification. After a night that included a few buckets and a couple beer, I was feeling it for most of the next day. I thought I would have a horrible time diving with how I felt, but ironically the weightlessness I experienced while diving saved the day.
I was lucky to see some amazing things while diving. We were able to cover some great dive sites around the island including White Rock, Green Rock, Light House, Southwest Pinnacle. My favourite sight was the school of Chevron Barracuda. Their movement was so graceful, and their presence was captivating. Words can't really explain so I hope the photos below capture how breathtaking it was. During our advance certification our group decided to do a night dive. We loaded the boat during sunset and we descended into the water just as the sun had gone down. As the minutes passed, the only source of light came from our flashlights. I couldn't help but feel like I was on some covert operation and infiltrating some evil facility to obtain the classified documents. Danny took us to a sandy section near White Rock and instructed us to push the flashlights against our chests. We did this and it went pitch black. Suddenly - the water lit up green as Danny started waving his hand around madly. We all started doing it and our circle was illuminated by the beauty that is phosphorescence. So cool!The Full Moon Party
We wrapped up dive classes on Saturday the 16th and had a few hours to relax before we boarded the Party Boat to Koh Phangan for an event I believe everyone should experience in their lifetime. Assuming there would be more than enough alcohol for us to drink on the island, I opted for 2 big bottles of water, to hydrate myself for the night. I got stares from those who were downing bottles of beer. "It's Vodka" I lied. While waiting for the boat, we chatted with Phil, a German who was in a concurrent class alongside us through the past week. He was pretty much going solo, so the three of us decided to party together because the more the merrier.
The boat itself was fairly uneventful aside from the odd person who had too much to drink already. We got off the boat and there was an army of pre-paid taxis waiting for us in the parking lot. We loaded the back of one and were joined by a pack of Italian girls who were well on their way to an enjoyable night. We enjoyed the roller coaster ride on the island highway, shouting out as many italian stereotypes and catch phrases as we could. Phil diligently memorized all of their names in the hopes that he'd be able to impress one of the hotter ones. Impressed as they may have been, finding a hot italian amongst tens of thousands of people was wishful thinking.
We picked up a quick bite to eat and made our way to the beach. I was happy that Paul and I decided to travel light. I brought shoes instead of sandals (Mom's orders so that I didn't step on needles/broken glass), some money, and my return ticket. Streets were crowded with people all looking to have a ridiculous night. It felt like I didn't even need to drink because everyone's energy was so infectious. We were handed dozens of flyers as we passed which encouraged us to attend the "Original Full Moon Party". We eventually found our way to Haad Rin and the masses had just begun to congregate. Rather than bunkering down in one spot we went for a hike from one end of the beach, to another. Every 30 meters of sand would have you engulfed by a different crowd and different vibe - but the common factor was that you could always feel your chest vibrating from the base in the sound systems.
We made our way back to the entrance where the beach was lined with overzealous Thais selling buckets, trying to attract us with big smiles, shouting "Hello my friend! Cheap price for you!" They attempted to differentiated themselves from each other through the messages on their sales booth, each of which claimed to sell a bucket that would get you more intoxicated than the next. My favourite one was aptly titled "GET F***ED BUCKET". We each got our buckets, making sure that we got to screw off the top to the bottle of vodka before it was poured in to make sure that it was actually sealed. A worthwhile precaution.
A bucket and a half later we were dancing the night away on some raised platforms. On the highest one, you could see the stretch of the beach massed with people crammed shoulder to shoulder. In the distance, I could see some locals doing a fire show, accompanied with a huge flaming jump rope that attracted drunk idiots to try their best at a game of deadly double dutch. Even from far away, you could see people walking away with injuries after being hit by the rope in the face. I ended up losing Paul (primarily because he drunkenly stumbled off somewhere) and Phil (because he has found...company). I met up with Paul later at our meet up point; outside the fake 7-11. By the time we made our way back to the return ferry to Koh Tao, I was dead tired. I took of my shoes and slept on the floor of the boat all the way home.
Delay. Hurray!
Paul and I slept till mid-day and I stumbled out of bed to make the most off my last afternoon on the island. I headed down to Crystal Dive to say my goodbyes to some of the crew. When I got there I ran into Mark, who encouraged me to take his quad for a spin around the island. I was happy to oblige. He gave me some directions to a lookout point on the island for a great view I couldn't miss. I was clearly too excited at the opportunity to drive the quad around, and missed most of what he said. I headed straight for the "highway" and drove north. I drove all the way until I hit a section where the road got to hectic for me to continue driving. I turned around to head to the southern section of the island. I felt free driving around. The wind blowing in my face while blurs of bright green passed me by. When I got back and explained how I couldn't find the lookout, Mark hauled me up there on the back. I'm glad he did. When we got to the lookout, it felt like I was looking down on a sight from the Pirates of the Caribbean and that some ships were just about to pull into port.
After dinner I went to check load the night boat back to Surat Thani. I waited around for a bit, and the "agent" I had bought the ticket on asked what I was doing there. He explained that I had already missed the boat. Turns out there had been some miscommunication the actual departure time of the boat. He was pretty helpful and arranged for me to get on the next nights boat. I was a little frustrated that I wasn't going to get back to Singapore on time, but I wasn't going to argue with spending one more day in paradise.
