Back in Bangkok after a 14 hour train ride from Vientiane. Once again the sleeper cars sold out ride before we got our tickets so it was another fitfull night of sleep. Especially after my time out in the country of Laos I really hate the crowds and noise and pollution of this metropolis. Jason and I are planning to spend only a day or two here.
My friend from Chiang Mai is at home visiting a sick grandmother so I won't be heading back there right away. Instead, we're heading straight for the beaches! I can't wait to do some snorkelling. Can you believe that except for a short trip to Atlantic City last August I have haven't swam in the ocean in five years?! So now it's time to shop for some new swim trunks and a mask and snorkel!
8 April, 2001
Thong Sala, Ko Pha Ngan Island, Thailand
Finally at the beaches! It's been a great here, even after the 28 hour travelling fiasco to get here. Yesterday we played frisbee on the beach (practicing my Ultimate moves for this summer!), played some tunes on our newly purchased guitar, swam in the ocean, and hung out in hammocks. We have the primo spot in our resort-- our bungalo is only 4 meters of grass away from the beach!
Tonight is the infamous full moon party. Any of you who know me know I'm not really into the party scene, but it will be interesting to see 8000 people on various illicit substances dancing all night long. After tonight I heading straight for the most quiet quiet beach I can find and do some snorkelling!
I really feel like I'm staying in a postcard. The water is so blue, the beach is soft white sand and behind is rolling deep green jungle hills of palm and rubber trees. However, the whole island has more of a resort feel to it. Most of the travelers here are more akin to your typical tourist; wanting to be waited on hand and foot, wanting to pack as much fun into every day as humanly possible, and not really interested in the country which is hosting their holiday.
Jason will be making a trip home for his grandmother's funeral on 20 April. He's coming back, but I will (probably!) be gone when he returns. I'm glad we'll be able to spend out last two weeks of traveling in these tropial islands! On the train ride down here it occured to me that my own return is not that far away either. So now I'm writing a lot more in my journal and spending a lot more time thinking about what I've seen and done and learned out here in the big world.
15 April 2001
Thong Nai Phan, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
The days are slipping by me and I have very little to show for them, save for a tan and a better frisbee throw. (But really, what more could I ask for?) Today was another great sunset with pink and orange spilling over the clouds above the jungle hills behind the beach. Jason leaves the day after tomorrow so I'm going to have to start thinking about where to head to next.
The Full-Moon party was fun and I surprised even myself by managing to stay awake through sunrise. I stuck to the Red Bull but some of my fellow revellers were quite out of it. It really was something to see; a 2km beach packed with about 8000 people. Music was thumping out of all the bars up and down the beach, and fireworks filled the air every few minutes. A cluster of spotlights danced light over the hills around us, and sometimes on passing clouds.
That was more than enough party to last me a while so I'm just laying low now and letting the days slip past.
21 April 2001
Ko Tao, Thailand
The days sure do slip when you let them! Our last days on Ko Pha Ngan were spent hanging out with our new Sweedish friends Michael, Helena, and Åsa. Helena and Åsa were actually on our flight back from Nepal, and through one of those strange travelling coincidences we ended up on the same beach.
On our last day Jason and I finally succeeded in getting a game of Ultimate frisbee on the beach. People were pouring out of their bungalows to play and we had a great game!
Then it was time for goodbyes. Michael stayed on the beach, as he does for four months a year! Helena and Åsa were off to Krabi and my long time travelling friend Jason was heading back to the US for a funeral and a wedding. And I was off to Ko Tao to try Scuba diving!
The first day was academics and an introduction to the equipment in shallow water. The second day was my first two dives. There is so much to remember (equalize your ears, clear your mask, don't hold your breath, breath slow, neutralize bouyancy, don't fin with the knees, etc...) that I really didn't have time to relax and enjoy the fact that I was underwater. Still, it was incredible to see all the varieties of fish and plant life all crowded onto the corals!
On our last day the water was rough and we were in a small but very powerful speed boat. At one point the entire boat came free of the water! The dive site was Chumpon Pinnacle. I and my instructor were first off the boat and down the line to 18 meters. Within a few minutes someone was tapping on my shoulder. I looked where he was pointing and...WOW! There it was, right above us... The only thing I can compare it to is that scene in Star Wars where the Star Destroyer is slowly passing over the camera. You can't see the whole thing, and lots of smaller space ships and Tie Fighters are zooming around it. Only in my case, it was a 4.5 meter Whale Shark! The largest species of fish in the world! And all around it were smaller fish moving with it and some sucker fish stuck on to it. The entourage moved as one and cast a shadow over us as it passed over the bright water overhead!
Later in the same dive we saw another Whale Shark, this one 3.5 meters long. It came right at me for a while and made my heart skip a beat! Luckily these huge creatures only eat plankton! We also saw plenty of Angel Fish and Clown fish, and a couple of Trigger Fish came after us and took a bite out of my instructor's fin.
25 April 2001
Bangkok, Thailand
Its amazing how fast your plans can change while travelling! Rather than head back to the beaches, I going to do a little more "adventure travel" and head to the enigmatic country of Myanmar, also known as Burma.
They say there is no internet there so I will be out of touch for the next two weeks. Look for a big update then!