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Published: January 15th 2011
The Reclining Buddha
at Wat Pho in BangkokDon't have a Khao
We were back on the road and ready for adventure after our week long love affair with Chiang Mai. The land-locked portion of our trip was coming to an end, and while the mountains and jungles were a treasure to discover, the beach was calling our names. We had to make a few short stops along the way, but for us, it was beach or bust.
The night train pulled in to bustling Bangkok around 7:00 a.m. We had the day ahead of us to explore the city before returning to the station for our overnight bus to southern Thailand. We maximized our day by visiting the famous Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, which is said to represent Buddha during his enlightenment as he approached death. The house of ‘Original Thai Massage’ was also within the temple complex. After an excellent hour long massage and a little more city exploration, we took a night bus to the border of Thailand and Burma/Myanmar for our visa extension. Unfortunately, our time in Myanmar was limited to the border town of Kawthaung and we were there only a few hours, obviously not enough time to get a feel
for the country. Known for its political unrest and lack of tourism, the beauty and culture of Burma is somewhat of a mystery to most Westerners. However, people we have met along the way say that it is what Thailand was years ago and truly an amazing gem in Southeast Asia. We would like to go there the next time we are in this part of the world; hopefully we will have the opportunity.
A train, a visit to Myanmar, and a few buses later, we made it to Khao Lak where we planned to spend New Year’s Eve. We found an affordable guest house right on the main drag with everything we needed after a long journey: a comfy bed, hot water shower, and some peace and quiet. Khao Lak is known by many for the vast devastation during the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, but since the disaster it has been largely rebuilt. Due to its proximity to the Andaman Sea and the Surin and Similan National Marine Parks, there is a wide array of scuba outfitters, day tours, restaurants, bars, resorts, and white sandy beaches. We were drawn to Khao Lak by Julie Jack’s friend from
A Chinese Rock Giant
used here as a gate guardian university, Alex Lindbloom, who now lives and works there as a dive master. We were lucky enough to be invited by Alex to bring in the New Year in Khao Lak, as well as join him on a scuba diving boat that explores the Similan Islands.
We arrived in the evening of the 29th and were told at the dive shop that Alex was out to sea on a three day live aboard boat, taking clients diving until the 31st. In the mean time, we used our day to explore a number of Khao Lak’s beaches by foot and bicycle. The first beach we visited was appropriately called White Sand Beach. With books in hand, we lounged in the sand and looked out upon the Indian Ocean for the first time. After a long day of bike riding, reading, swimming and shell collecting, we headed back to town and enjoyed yet another bowl of beef noodle soup from the parking lot food vendor.
On the 31st we gladly welcomed the rain. Most vacationers dread the rain; however, we were happy to have an excuse to catch up on trip planning, emailing and sleeping. After the rain subsided, we
Aaron w/ Chinese Rock Giant
and chedi in the background passed by Sea Dragon dive shop to connect with Alex and had the good luck to catch him right as he returned from his trip. We enthusiastically made a plan for dinner and New Years’ celebrations which included a party at the dive shop and a trip to the beach. After catching up with Alex and hearing all about his job, we wanted to go scuba diving more than ever. From the party, we shot down to the beach for the countdown into 2011 and arrived minutes before midnight, just in time to catch the grand fireworks show. As we had done during the Loi Kathrong festival two months prior, we released a lantern, along with thousands of others, filling the night sky. The fireworks display, dance music, and the bonfire on the beach, made for a sensory filled New Year’s celebration.
The next day we were in recovery mode and mostly just hung out on Nang Thong beach. We went to the dive shop that evening and with our good fortune found that there were two spots left on the Nangnuan, the first live aboard dive boat ever to be used in Khao Lak. It was decided, we
Longtail boat
headed for Burma on a visa run were leaving the next morning on a three-day/two-night scuba trip in the Similan Islands with Alex as our dive master. After we successfully booked, Alex brought us to an amazing all you can eat Thai barbeque dinner that we cooked ourselves right at the table. We returned to our room filled with excitement for the trip ahead, packed a small bag each, and tried to get some rest.
Those who know us well know that we don’t voluntarily wake up early; however, the morning of our trip we woke with enthusiasm at 6:00 o’clock and hiked up the road to Sea Dragon. Alex was already at the boat preparing to set sail, but we met our other guide Matthias and the five other guests who would be joining us on our escapade. All together our boat housed two dive masters, the cook, captain, first mate, and seven divers.
We set sail mid-morning and received our first briefing about the days ahead. There were to be nine dives around the Similan Islands; most of the dives were during the day with the exception of a sunrise, a sunset, and a night dive. Each fifty minute dive required a two
In Burma
briefly before we had to go to three hour ‘surface interval,’ the time necessary to ‘detox’ from the dive. Free time was used for eating, reading, snorkeling, or exploring the beach. Not too shabby!
As we prepared for our first dive, Alex looked at us with a gleam in his eye. He said that if we’re lucky we might even get to see ‘Santa,’ the superstitious code word for a manta ray, one of the more coveted sightings for any diver. Not to be mistaken with a sting ray, the manta ray can grow to have a wingspan of 25 feet, yet are as docile as a puppy and as majestic as a whale. They effortlessly dance through the sea, and lucky for us, are as intrigued by humans as we are by them. Alex, who was approaching 400 dives, had only seen about ten. Our chances were slim.
We hit the water, deflated our buoyancy controls, and were immediately transported into a brightly colored submarine world. The immense boulders of granite and pillars of limestone not only made the scenery stunning, but also provided shelter and home to many fish, sea creatures, coral and aquatic plants. Then, halfway into our dive like a
Our boat captain
for the boarder crossing bird in the sky, a manta ray soared into view. It had a 15 foot wingspan and was the largest and most graceful animal we had ever seen underwater. Intrigued by our air bubbles, it lingered for several minutes while we stared in awe.
We were on cloud nine after our manta sighting, and we decided that no matter what else happened our dive trip was already a success. We continued with zeal, spotting countless moray eels, octopi, sting ray, hundreds of different species of fish (including a clown fish named Nemo), as well as a sea snake and a curious green sea turtle.
The only downside of the trip came with an upside. As an enthusiast and a professional, Alex owns a specialized camera with underwater housing, but he is not allowed to use it while taking out clients. Thus, Alex offered Aaron the camera to use while out at sea. After several successful dives and some great photos, Aaron was getting comfortable with the camera. As we reached the surface after our fourth dive, Aaron turned to Laura and said that he did not have the camera and that it must have slipped off his wrist
just before ascent. A few expletives later, we decided that the best thing we could do while we waited for our three hour surface interval was to snorkel around looking for it. Unfortunately, it was just too difficult to distinguish at such a depth. As the hours passed our anxiety grew, but there was still hope. During the next dive Alex, Aaron and Laura returned to the dive sight and desperately retraced the route, hoping that with some luck we would be able to find it. Our oxygen tanks were approaching empty, and we knew we only had a few minutes left before our search and rescue would be considered a failure. In a final attempt to find the camera, we separated around a boulder. When we met on the other side, Alex and Laura looked at Aaron with regret. A smile slowly emerged from behind Aaron’s breathing device as he pulled the camera out from behind his back. In the crevice of two boulders, 65 feet down, Aaron found the camera and its housing still intact and working perfectly. Oh the joy! We returned to the surface completely elated. Alex, who was very forgiving the whole time, was thrilled
Parking lot dining
Eating noodle bowls at a restaurant that sets up on the street in the evening that we found his camera, and we were glad that he could still be our friend!
Of all the dives, the manta sighting was amazing, the camera rescue was a miracle, but the night dive was one of a kind. We descended into the dark ocean with waterproof flashlights to illuminate our way. To our surprise, much of the sea comes to life at night. Many creatures come out of hiding to feed, and with the help of our torches we were able to see the most brilliant colors. When the light was off or muted, it felt like what we imagine space to be. Disturbed phosphorescence were glowing all around us like little stars, and the sound of our breathing, like that of Darth Vader, was actually quite meditative.
On a few of our surface intervals we were able to explore the famous Sail Rock, walk through the jungle, and relax on some of the most exquisite beaches either of us had ever visited. The water was royal blue, the sand a powdery white, and the foliage, emerald green. All of these colors only to be enhanced by a clear blue sky. The Similan Islands are so
Sea Dragon Dive Center
celebrating New Years with a party beautiful that the Princess of Thailand even has a private vacation home there. Pictures don’t do the place justice.
After three days and nine dives, it was time to head back to solid ground. Reaching port, we were ready to sleep after an overly exciting and exhausting trip. Feeling lucky to have had such a phenomenal opportunity and experience, we thanked Alex and bid him farewell, as it was time to depart Khao Lak and meet the beaches of Krabi for more sun and sand.
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Ray Sone Hovijitra
non-member comment
Yay!
So glad you guys worked everything out with the visas, had a more than successful time in Khao Lak _and_ that you guys were able to fit in a Sea Dragon liveaboard!! Did Alex cut you guys a sweet deal? ;) posting this on our FB wall...See ya in Feb! Cheers, Ray and Nok