The End!

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Well this is the end. I'm heading home in the morning. These last few weeks in Thailand have been incredible and I wish I had more time to spend here.
Since my last entry I started and completed my rescue diver course, spent a night in Ko Samui, a few days diving in Ko Tao, and finally headed back to Bangkok. My rescue diver course was a lot of fun but my instructor was a bit scattered. The worst part of it was that there were TONS of jellyfish everywhere near Railay. I finished the course with probably around 15+ stings!!! (although not all super bad). I did get one really bad sting while walking out for a dive from the beach. Never even saw the thing but felt its tentacles wrap around my ankle and leg...painful!!!! I hope to never see another jellyfish in my life after 3 days of that. My last dive out there was pretty good though. After dodging jellies to get to the bottom we did a night dive though a couple of tunels and cave swim throughs!!!
After leaving Railay I was plannning on heading to Ko Tao as quickly as possible. Unfortunatley due to the low season ferry schedule I couldn't make it there in one day so I ended up spending one night in Ko Samui with Anne who I met in Ko Phi Phi. Our very short visit there turned out to be one of the best nights I've had on this trip. We started the evening off with an hour long oil massage right on the beach. Phenomenal!! Then we walked along the beach while it got dark and finally stopped at a nice restaurant with table on the beach in the sand and with padded reclining chairs to enjoy the view. We enjoyed happy hour there for a few hours, took a night swim, then had a nice dinner. Vendors were walking along the beach selling fireworks so during our meal fireworks kept going off now and then. We finished off the night by getting a couple of lucky lanterns to send a wish up to the sky. After writing my name and a few of my favorite quotes, I lit my lantern and watched it sail off into the distance over the water. The whole night was magical and absolutely perfect. I can't get over how fortunate I am to get to do things like this!
In the morning we woke up super early to head our seperate ways with Anne going to Ko Phangan for the full moon party and me heading to Ko Tao for some more diving. I spent a few days there enjoying the beach and diving as much as possible. Unfortunately I had a mysterious issue with my lungs after my first day of diving and decided to take the second day off until I saw a doctor. But after getting cleared I managed to fit in 2 final dives before leaving on my final trip back to Bangkok. Although the fish weren't quite as incredible on Ko Tao as Ko Phi Phi, the reefs are more beautiful and in better condition (although with water temperatures of 33 degrees celcius the coral is bleaching). Some highlights from diving include seeing HUGE triggerfish (which will attack you if your too close to their home), big pufferfish, moray eel swimming, lots of blue ringed angelfish and other regular reef fish, barracudas, several sting rays swimming, and another TURTLE!!! Turtle is still my favorite (although rays take a close second).
Got to Bangkok this morning and am spending my day doing all my last minute shopping before heading home.
Its been a great trip here and I really wish I had had more time to cover these countries. So much to see and so little time. But I think I did the best job I could to see as much as possible in the time I had. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at home tomorrow!

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