This is your fearless reporter, now
reporting from .... sea-level. Yep, after nearly a week in the depths,
I've returned to the wonders of land. I'm not sure why. It is hot
again - I can't submerge myself whenever I like - but, I guess my
legs were made for walking, and my ass for sitting, so I might as
well use them.
I forget where my last report was sent from. Likely Trang or Krabi.
I'm still pretty close to that area, but I've had a busy time. My
first full day in Krabi Province was spent mostly on a motorcycle.
I told you that before. The next day was a test run for me underwater.
I hooked up with a good outfit, Phra Nang Divers out of a small
place called Ao Nang. (Ao means Bay in Thai). I was pretty lucky
- I was the only paying diver. My divemaster was a woman from Vancouver
-- just her and I went out for two great dives. My head stayed intact
-- no brain, blood, or other bodily fluids leaked (well except for
one, but after rinsing off the wetsuit you can hardly tell), so
I decided to drop a big wad of cash and go for the 3-day trip.
If this trip was any indication, I should be more of a free spender.
You don't need to know the specific cost of the trip, but it was
a fair bit. However, it included some of the best food I've eaten
in Asia. It also included a good sized cabin to sleep in. It included
more dive training, enough to make me an "Advanced Open Water"
diver. Also in there were 11 dives at some of the best dive sites
in Thailand, and possibly the world. The basic method of the trip
was: dive, eat, sleep; dive, eat, sleep; and so on. Sometimes you'd
eat, then dive, then eat again, dive one more time, snack a bit,
nap for a while, dive again and eat, or whatever. Very relaxing
- the scenery above and below the water was fantastic. My diving
skill and confidence has improved drastically -- the sights and
sites that I saw were memorable. Well worth the time and money that
I invested into it. For those who might be counting, I only saw
3 or 4 sharks all told. Not so great for shark watching, but the
other millions of fish and other aquatic wildlife that I saw more
than made up for it.
While I was being greedy and absorbing myself into the depths,
my brother headed north to Bangkok. I am currently waiting for my
overnight 1000km+ bus trip to meet him.
I'm still thinking about diving non-stop - here are some numbers.
On this trip, I've done a total of 15 dives. My previous life total
was 4. Yesterday, I swam to a depth of 40 metres (about 130 feet).
My previous best was 18 metres (about 60 feet.) I dove twice at
night. Very nice - not at all scary. I dove four times in one day,
twice. I learned that I will make efforts throughout life to dive,
when and where I can. It is fun to do something that we're really
not supposed to do --- we don't have gills, so we shouldn't be able
to breathe underwater.
Enough of that. I've got some photos to be developed. I hope to
scan the real beauties after I return to Taiwan. I don't have any
real idea when that return might be. Lots to do after I return -
most importantly, find a place for regular sleep (aka. an apartment)
and return to work. All good things ... right???
That's the word from southern Thailand. |
