Chilling in Thailand!


Advertisement
Thailand's flag
Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ao Nang
November 8th 2007
Published: November 2nd 2007
Edit Blog Post

So, my retreat time is over... Wake about 830, shower, all packed, time for brekkie - opt for the English and it's GOOD... 2 eggs, real baked beans (lovingly presented on a lettuce leaf), nice looking bacon and brown toast with hot lemon to drink! Awesome. Do meet one of the other 5 owners this morning though and he's from Manchester so I guess he knows what people want! Taxi turns up about 1030, a 4x4 this time - probably more appropriate for the roads round here! Friendly driver, but he should be - paying him about GBP10 for 40k, which seems a lot for here.

Get to Amon Mansion, my accommodation for at least the next two nights and so far as I can see Kym and her Rough Guide have scored a blinder... Friendly staff, 10 minute walk to the beach, clean, flowers on my pillow, a balcony, breakfast included. There is evidence of some kind of damp on the curtains but other than that think this looks a good place to hang out for a few days. Dump everything and go for a walk down to the beach - take a photo of the longtail boats bobbing in the water (that one's for you Helene!), see the shop options, etc then head back to sort out my bags, find my swimming costume/book, shove everything in the safe and go and lie on the beach with my book: Nicholas and Micah Sparks 'Three Weeks With My Brother' on which they do a 3 week round the world, visits include Angkor Wat, Ayers Rock/Uluru, and Machu Picchu. Enjoy reading that and every now and then duck into the sea to cool off... And listen to the Burger King music vans doing their rounds!

Starts to spit rain so head along the beach, check out the waterproof bags but I already have one so will just put inside my cheap bag. Find the massage place I saw earlier - with 50% off - has been busy every time I see it so settle for an hour-long Thai/milky massage, plus manicure and pedicure, for a total price of about GBP4! Massage was quite gentle but manicure looked quite good - chose red to go with swimming costume! Headed back to hotel, Kym had stuck a note under the door if wanted to meet for dinner, so met up, wandered along - saw stonebaked pizza - was tasty, as was the banana split after! Came back to hotel and hopped on back of Kym's moto to take it back to hire shop, then to travel shop to book day trip to the Phi Phi Islands for tomorrow. Onto the hotel internet for a couple of hours, finish my book and to sleep a bit later than intended!

Friday 2nd
See Day Trip to Phi Phi Islands (or Pee Pee as some postcards say!)

Saturday 3rd
See Best place to watch the sunset?

Sunday 4th
Sleep in late, have a late breakfast (just before 10), skip around on the internet for an hour of so trying to decide whether to chill on the beach some more, or whether to sign up for the PADI Open-Water Diving Course... and also have an email from my Mum saying she's had the gem-stone I bought in Bangkok valued an it's worth nearly double what I paid for it (it may not necessarily have much resale value, but at least they're not fakes!). Have an email back from one enquiry offering me 10%!o(MISSING)ff, so I go into Poseidon Diving (who I'd been talking to last night) and see if they'll match that. They will, so I get the book
And again...And again...And again...

Longtail boats on the beach.
and Kym & I head for the beach where I stretch out and start reading. Blowing my mind a bit, but I get through 1.5 sections before lunch. We go to 'The Last Cafe' - last one on the beach. Order a salad - not the best, but hey. Back on the beach, read another 2 sections, then head back to the Dive Shop for my 'video'. Hadn't realised this would be 3 videos, so leave messages for Kym when she was going to meet me, get into the provided Tuk-Tuk and head 1km out of town where I'm sat in front of the TV to watch the 3 sections I've just read on DVD - clarifies some things, and my 'Knowledge Test' results don't have much wrong with them.

Back to meet Kym, we wander along the front, attracted by a Chinese but nothing we particularly fancy on the menu so head for the 90 Baht Pizza restaurant (oh, that's just the cheese & tomato!), so decide on a lasagne, which is one of the nicest I've ever tasted. Back to the hotel, no internet, get my stuff ready for an early start in the morning and settle down to read the other 2 sections of my Dive book! Finish off with a bit of fiction and to sleep!

Monday 5th
Up early, for my 8.30 appointment at the Dive Shop. Meet Kym 8am for breakfast, we say goodbye as she heads off to lead another tour, and I walk down to the Dive Shop. They're almost ready for us, we get into the Seaungteaow and make our way back to the classroom, Michael (German) watching a video in one room, me in the other. Do quiz 1-4, pass 2 with 100%!,(MISSING) 2 with 90%! (MISSING)Watch video 5, then do the PADI test, get 95%!((MISSING)yay!), higher than the dive instructors got. Did say at this point that was more worried about the practical side as I know my breathing pattern is not very good - theory is all well and good! Get kitted out, leave the kit-bags and go for lunch at a local restaurant. Have chicken with peanut sauce - lot spicier than expected (and spicy food is not good for diving - don't want any trapped air anywhere :-!)) but tasty!

Back to collect the dive kit, into the tuk-tuk (feels like it's straining a bit!) to the swimming pool. First stop, getting the kit set up, I'm sure by the time we've done this a few times will be second nature. Get all the kit to the right place, then it's swim the pool 7 times not touching bottom/sides, and swim 3/4 of the pool underwater to ensure that can swim before getting into the wet-suit (get it wet first), and spitting into the goggles to anti-fog them (nice!). Then 'skin-dive' - using the scuba to swim across and under the pool and spitting the air from the tube. Then it's on with the BCD (jacket) and the air container, and start to learn to use it all... including learning the breath underwater which is surprisingly difficult, in mouth, out nose, not getting water caught in your breathing system. Finally seem to get this, and we move onto covering the material in all 5 contained dives, can't remember what they all are and you probably don't care. Takes me a while to get the controlled emergency ascent (swim 9 metres using the last inhaled breath, whilst slowly exhaling with an 'eeeeeeee' sound), and I still haven't got the taking the mask off my head by the end of the session (have managed to clear the water several times so that's 3/4 way there). Getting stressed and making more mistakes by this point, so we finish at that point (will learn how to dismantle tomorrow too), and I'll have to do it again tomorrow in the open-water. Meantime, are some breathing exercises I can practice.... Get back to the dive centre, am absolutely shattered - have to make sure some of my Perth time is chilling, as will Christmas/New Year, and possibly some more of Australia! Back to the hotel, shower, internet, and here I am, trying to sort out my Phuket plans for Thursday! Need to get food soon! Grabbed something from the supermarket and crashed out!

Tuesday 6th
So, the first big dive day. Didn't sleep well at all last night worried that I still can't do the mask task! Oh well, have brought a book in case end up sitting and watching. We're on a boat with 'Scuba Addicts', just a few of us. We get the longtail out to the dive boat where we're given our boat instructions and information on the two dives we're doing today.

Liz, instructor for today (at least) comes to brief us on our dives, and the skills we will need to demonstrate on the first dive. No mask flooding/removal thankfully... yet! After about 2 hours we get kitted up, do a 'buddy check' and then (literally) step out into the unknown. We sink using a guideline to get down and I think my breathing is working. Keep an eye on my depth (that's not working) and air (that's going fast). We start at 200 bar, and once it gets to 50 we'll start the ascent. Meantime, complete our skills then swim around looking at the amazing amount of fish/coral (no photos, concentrating too hard on skills AND don't think the Aquapac goes that deep!). Back on the surface we've only been down 29 minutes, but to 12 metres already. I'm breathing too fast so I'm sucking air much faster than anyone else, but no one dives alone so they have to come up when the first is running low on air. Amazed how much I have learned since Sunday actually...

We relax on the boat, have a debrief (get told am a good diver but need to RELAX), then lunch (chicken green curry, always chicken says Liz), then hang around. Want a clear hour or so between dives for body to recover, then kit up, back down and see some more great sites under water. Complete my skills, including full mask flood (woo-hoo), and manage to breathe better so can stay down for 40 minutes this time. So, after today can now be certified as a scuba diver. As am debriefed and relax on the way back I wonder if that is enough as still not sure can do the full mask removal... And I'm really tired, plus covered in scrapes and a jelly-fish sting cluster!

Get back to Poseidon dive shop and decide will go tomorrow. If I don't manage it is not the end of the world - can still dive with professionals to 12 metres, just can't dive with non-professionals (and don't think I'd want to yet!). Shattered, but shower and decide to treat self to pizza. Not the nicest ever (was same place as lasagne so thought it would be!), but job done, back to read and sleep!

Wednesday 7th
So, here we go, day 2. If can't complete tasks then am throwing around extra money but worth a go. At the shop early, we drive a big loop for some reason, then into the Longtails onto a different diveboat. Unlike yesterday which seemed to have 100% German passengers, there's clearly some English speakers on board today (and it's a much busier boat). Again, boat briefing, then set up equipment, then dive briefing and back in the water. This time we're going to 18 metres (have to remember to equalise my ears... Similar to airplane ear pressure). There's not as many weights as I need but Liz helps me down, and on the way back up we see 3 x blacktail sharks, plus a number of other creatures... Although slightly distracted by the fact that I have got my tank in slightly the wrong place and it keeps hitting me on the back of my head! On the surface Liz says that he dived 20 times before he saw a shark! Debrief, have completed all skills, so relax and eat lunch (chillied chicken!).

So, breifing for dive 4. Done most things, the main ones I have are CESA (emergency ascent, so getting to the surface from 6-9 metres in 1 breath) and the full mask removal. I only make it to 2 metres before I have sucked more air, and I seem to have blown my main chance! So, we go diving - we're about to settle on the sand for mask removal when Liz spots a Scorpion Fish... Don't want to land on one of those for obvious reasons. So, we keep going. I'm not managing mask removal so we just dive. Back on the surface for some reason feel tearful - think am cross with self as was unable to do the last 2 skills - maybe we can do them in the pool. Liz tells me again am a good diver, just need to RELAX... And talks about seeing the excitement in our eyes as we go underwater is the payment.

We get back to the shop and find that the swimming pool would not be enough, have to do CESA and mask removal at sea. For this would need to go diving again tomorrow and pay another GBP50ish. For now, Liz takes me to the pool where kit up again and keep trying at the mask removal. Practice breathing underwater without mask on and he shows me another way to put the mask on... And suddenly I've done it - 3 times! Also manage the 9 metres across the pool for the CESA the second time.

On the way back to the shop, have decided WILL dive tomorrow, but when get there realise how tireed I am and how much I need the day to relax on the beach tomorrow (I keep crying for one thing, and I think I really understand that expression 'tired to the bones). So, having had some supermarket food, I go through the options now and decide to settle for getting my scuba certification plus a referral form which means that within the next year I can just finish off the last two skills and then get my open water, but if I decide not to I still have the scuba! Michael and his girlfriend come back - he's just finished the exam, and they've brought us all a drink so hang around for a bit, then decide to go back to the hotel, go to sleep about 11 after reading some more.

Thursday 8th
Not sure what time I awake, but is later than the 6am which has happened for about 3 weeks... Get up 8ish, then decide to read - go down for breakfast 5 to 10.. Just in time. Have brought my book but Mary, a Russian living in Belgium is up for talking. Leisurely breakfast over, get my stuff (leaving camera behind!), and head for the beach. Lie and read and snooze... Mary comes along the beach (she was going to Rai Ley but changed her mind) and settles down next to me. Give her book I've finished and get back to Eat, Pray, Love... Interpersed with dips in the sea, snoozing and having lunch (brown French bread from the supermarket... And Maltesars which are rather melted). I know I've done the right thing in not going diving today - still feel pretty spaced (just think of all that water pressure that was on me!).

About 4pm I go for my planned Thai Massage (I was ready for the 'milky massage is better'.. Also more expensive)... First real one, along with foot scrub, manicure/pedicure (just want to lose the red paint!), and then, might as well, facial too ('you look 20 then!'). Total is 400 Baht for 2 hours of time - that's about GBP6! Can't see Mary so head back to hotel, past Poseidon - Michael is there planning more dive trips. Could meet those guys, but Mary knocks on door and says she knows this great Thai retaurant so decide shall do that. We walk for ages... And it's started raining... Don't find it so by about 10pm we're soaked, still hungry and grab a tuk-tuk back where I eat some cereal am still carrying around, read and go to sleep!


Additional photos below
Photos: 39, Displayed: 32


Advertisement



Tot: 0.418s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 30; qc: 100; dbt: 0.1605s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.4mb