High winds killed my dream. My own personal paradise was just short boat ride away, but the weather was not my friend. I was trying to get back to a beach, accessible only by boat, where I had spent a cheap, lazy week, drinking fruit juice and eating grilled fish. When the sun went down, the sky would glow pink and we would play volleyball and drink beer. All I wanted to do was to go back and taste it again, but it was not meant to be.
And that’s how it went. Instead, we hiked up and down the mountainous coastline, found a bungalow on a remote strip of sand and watched the waves come crashing in and the rain come pouring down. We went back to town, but it was empty and raining. Our new bungalow was situated high above the ocean on a rocky outcropping. The swimming pool filled to the brim and we stared out into the grey. Nightly thunderstorms shook us awake. The hotel restaurant was a simple covered pavilion, which was the only place to go. Someone asked if tomorrow would be rainy. The woman behind the counter smiled and said, “No rain tomorrow….but only inside.”
The tiny island of Koh Tao (turtle island) is known for great snorkeling and shallow dive sites ideal for those learning to dive. It also has the highest concentration of dive shops anywhere in the world, which keeps prices low, low, low. Diving has been on my “to-do” list for too long, so I finally ponied-up and took the plunge.
In class, I paired off with a 68 year old Dutchman, who had been coerced to Koh Tao by his dive-master daughter. He was a funny, engaging guy, complimented with a lifetime of travel. As he fumbled through one of our ocean exercises, he assured me, with a grin, that he would have it mastered by the time he was 70. After class we had a beer and he told me about leaving home at the age of 17 to avoid military service. He wandered around Afghanistan for a while before returning home 5 years later, where he was promptly picked up by the police for going AWOL. Great stories.
Diving was, of course, awesome. But unfavorable weather kept rearing its ugly head. But when I asked the instructor about the coming forecast he gave me a bewildered look and said, “I don’t know, it doesn't rain underwater.” Sigh.
After completing the basic Open Water course, I went ahead with my advanced certification, which is really just more fun diving with a couple added skills and reaching a maximum depth of 100 feet (vs 60 feet). At that depth, nitrogen narcosis starts to affect the brain, which sounds a little dangerous but it's just a temporary buzz, similar to inhaling laughing gas. Getting “narked” (as they call it) felt like having a few beers and then going for a swim. Not at all unpleasant.
Another highlight of the advanced course was getting to explore a wrecked World War II ship, complete with large artillery emerging from the murky water, but none of that even compares to the night dive. Night diving has a completely different feeling. Coral takes on new colors at night being illuminated by a white flash-light instead of blue-filtered daylight. After cruising around for a bit, our group settled on the ocean floor and the instructor gave us the signal to turn off our lights. Even at 40 ft below the surface, there was still enough ambient light to make out the shadowy outlines of each person. We stood quietly for a few moments, letting our eyes adjust to the moving shadows. Then the instructor started waving his arms frantically, producing a flurry of green bio-luminescent glitter. The flashlights threw off enough light to make the effect invisible, so we left them off and swam in the dark for another 10 minutes, creating a chain of glowing water for each person to follow, a surreal experience.
Jumping over to the west coast is the Andaman Sea, famous for the deep emerald color of the ocean, surrounded by sheer limestone shorelines. Railey peninsula attracts rock climbers from all over the world with many accessible routes suitable for beginners. Sabrina was apprehensive about climbing, but Wan, our instructor, had a lot of enthusiasm. He could probably climb these routes blindfolded and knew every hold on the wall. But he was only helpful when he wanted to be. When climbing, there are moments when you're clinging to the rock face, looking for your next move, and nothing seems within reach. At this point, I would call down, "Wan! Which way do I go?!"
"UP!"
Gee thanks. It was funny, but only if you weren't the one climbing.
Unfortunately, Railey Beach and Phi Phi Island (famous from the film, “The Beach”) were not without their disappointments. Phi Phi was hit hard in the Dec 2004 tsunami (the one which killed a quarter million people). Since then, the island has been rebuilt and the tourists keep coming. But being rebuilt and being cleaned up are two different things. Lonely Planet’s opinion is that Phi Phi is in for an ecological crash if the current pace continues. There is a serious trash problem, one that I certainly didn't notice in 2003. Railey is also looking a little rough around the edges. I went back and looked at some of my old photos, just to see if I was romanticizing my memories. It was clear as day though. Things had changed, and not for better.
Our hotel on Phi Phi must have had some promotional offer that we were not aware of, which attracted some of the dumbest girls I've ever come across while backpacking. After a few sunny hours on the ferry, Sabrina and I were just easing into the first stages of a feverish food sickness. We were anxious to check-in and lay down. A group of 3 girls were checking in ahead of us, and we were all waiting for the staff to finish cleaning the just-vacated rooms. After the rooms were clean, the three girls were first to the check-in counter to sign their names, pay a refundable security deposit and get their key. The modest, refundable deposit, 500 Thai Baht (about $15), proved to be a difficult situation. Instead of someone just paying the deposit and being done with it, they needed to split the deposit, because, I don’t know, fair is fair? But you’ll notice that 500 doesn't divide up very nicely between 3 people. This was also a problem. After some very serious mental gymnastics, they figured out that two people could pay 170, while the third person would only pay 160. This was deemed a more practical solution than say, splitting it 200/200/100, given the prominence of the 100 Baht bill. When they started digging in their little coin purses, each of them trying to come up with exact change, it was too much. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and clubbed them all over the head, stepped over their bodies, paid my deposit and got my room key. I mean, come on, fair is fair.
After a miserable day and night of getting through the food sickness, I heard some commotion outside of our room and I started listening to conversation going on between a girl and her friends (different people from the check-in story, they were still lying piled up near the check-in counter). It agonizes me to have missed the entirety of this conversation, but I managed to put together the gist of it. The most vocal girl kept talking about going to the convenience store to buy 20 bottles of water. Apparently, their friend had a fever and they were going over their options: 1) Go to the clinic. This didn't get much traction because, you know, “that would be A LOT of money”. 2) Pay for a room-upgrade to get air-conditioning (maybe a $10 upgrade?). This option was given some consideration, but there was some question on the effectiveness of this treatment. 3) Water bottles. That’s right, obviously the most economic and most effective course of action would be to…..I’m sorry, I have to take a breath to get through this.... would be to go to the convenience store, buy 20 bottles of cold water, and then "wrap the bottles" around their friend. A cold-water blanket if you will. This genius solution would cost a mere $6.
This idea wasn't just blurted out in moment of frantic brainstorming. This was the idea being advocated, more than once. I should also point out that the daytime temperature was hovering around 90 degrees, so a cold bottle of water would last about 25 minutes before turning into just a tepid bottle of water. At that point, the only question left would be, "Hey, are you gonna drink that??"
I wish I could tell you what happened, that I witnessed this plan come to fruition, but I never found out. The question that haunts me though is why this conversation, or debate, was taking place out in the hallway, without the input of the person being "treated". It seems like a pretty simple question, "Hey, I know you're running a fever, would you like to go the doctor, or will some cold water bottles do the trick? Your call." If this conversation was taking place because the patient didn't have the cognition to make that call, then I'm pretty sure that's all the information you need, that person needs to go to the doctor. Whatever, just wrap them in water bottles and go to the beach.
Ao Nang, home to a national marine park, is a beautiful place do some ocean kayaking. A private tour would be ideal, but it’s so much more cheaper to get on a big boat full of other tourists. We had an interesting mix of middle-age Chinese women and a rowdy bunch of frat-tastic Australians. The Thai guy running the boat loved him some party music and turned over the MC responsibilities to one of the Australians. Before each stop, the boat captain would tell our Australian host about the name of each place and how long we would be there. In turn, he would then add his own commentary, remarking on the weather, complimenting everyone’s attendance and so on. After finishing one announcement, he paused, not quite finished, and added, “Slip slop, don’t forget the sun block. We don’t want any burn victims.” That line just doesn't get old.
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Khao Phing Kan, aka James Bond Island - The Man With the Golden Gun
Thailand 2013 |
Phuket, Thailand's largest island, has been an international hot-spot for decades, and while there there are many quiet stretches of sand, it's the decadence that stands out.
After a bouncy overnight bus to Bangkok, we spent a few lazy days eating and drinking. I love that after arriving in the backpacker district in the pre-dawn darkness of 6am, we were wandering around, trying to find a place to stay, and there were still people sitting causally out in the street, eating, drinking and having a pleasant time. My first thought was, "Wow, look at the all the early risers in Bangkok, getting a start on the day." But no, their day was just winding down. The next night, Sabrina and I were having a late dinner at an outdoor cafe and smoking some hookah, when a break-dancing troupe gave an outstanding impromptu performance.
We had two more uneventful stops before arriving in Cambodia, on schedule to meet Sabrina's friend for a quick joint vacation. I don't think I'm the kind of person who obsesses of small details, but when I think about describing Thailand, a few quirky things come to mind. One thing is that no matter how hot it is, what some people would describe as sweltering, Thai women will frequently be wearing a shirt, a sweater, and maybe a light jacket. It's not everyone, but it's enough that I just find it hard to believe. I understand modesty and staying out of the sun, but the 3-layer combo is just so hard for me to fathom. The other cultural hook that is ever pervasive, are American pop-music songs, re-recorded by anonymous singer-songwriters, which play on endless loops everywhere you go. And that's Thailand!
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Love the photos James - look forward to hearing more about your travels.
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