neq100
Nikki Quinn Joined: August 21st 2008
Logged in: October 9th 2009
Logged in: October 9th 2009
I currently work for a large biotechnology company in San Diego, Ca, selling medication for Multiple Sclerosis.
Travel Blog Posts
Ok, so I don't think that I have the writing skills to describe how truly beautiful Bali is. The Indian Ocean is so alive with energy that transfers into beautiful pealing waves as it meets with the coast of Bali. The waves here are the perfect waves that every surfer dreams of surfing. Winds blow slightly offshore all day and the swell is never ending. I only surfed one time since arriving. The breaks are fast here, and I am not used to surfing waves that break fast, or in a shallow reef (translation for non-surfers: big waves are breaking quickly in knee deep water on top of a razor sharp reef). My favorite thing about my day of surfing was the trip to the surf break. Here in Bali, everyone rents scooters to get around. ... read more
So today I arrived into Bali. Cat and I left Koh Tao (where we were only supposed to stay for a few nights) after almost two weeks! We got sucked in to the beauty and environment that Koh Tao offered. We took a 1.5 hour ferry to get back to Koh Samui from Koh Tao. The ferry ride was one that I will never forget. It was raining in gusts and the wind was howling when we left Koh Tao. The large ferry was rocking from side to side as it moved across the Gulf of Thailand's 6 foot swells. The rocking was so intense, that you could not stand up on the boat or you would fall over. Over 50% of the people on board were holding plastic bags and looked white in the face. ... read more
Mermaid
So, the adventures continue on. I have completed my advanced scuba certification. The course was a series of five dives. My dives consisted of a deep dive (90 ft), a night dive, a navigaion dive (using a compass to direct yourself in a desired course), a boyancy dive (using your lungs to adjust your boyancy as needed to view coral, look under coral, and have fun in an environment that is almost free of gravity), and a photography dive. In addition to the five dives that I completed for my advanced certification, I have also gone on 5 fun dives. The sea life here is beautiful. The thing to watch out for in the Gulf of Thailand are Trigger Fish. These large fish (about 3 feet long, 1.5 ft tall, and 1 ft wide) are very ... read more
Thai Boxing Pre-fight ritual
Right now I am on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, in the Gulf of Thailand. After spending two days on Koh Sumai, we boarded a ferry to come to Koh Tao. Koh Sumai was nice, but I like Koh Tao a lot more. In Koh Sumai, we stayed at The Wave, a nice backpackers hotel and library. The airconditioned room at The Wave was 850 Baht per night, or $25. Food in Thailand is super cheap. Cat and I have been splitting an order of Pad Thai and Curry each night for a grand total of about $7 per meal. During our first night on Koh Sumai, Cat and I watched some Thai boxing. There are interesting rituals that the Thai boxers go through before each match. They get on their knees in ... read more
Cat and Nikki
It is Thursday morning and I have just over 24 hours before I leave for my trip to Thailand and Bali. I know what to pack, but the one thing that I can't decide on is how big my travel pack should be. Do I want to keep it small and carry my pack onto the plane, or go large and check the bag? Hmmmm. As for packing, I am going to bring mostly tank tops, T-shirts, shorts, and sundresses. I am bringing flipflops and hiking shoes, bugspray, bathingsuits, music, books, dive certification card, camera, sunscreen, and some other stuff that I can't think of right now. I am about to leave the comfort and safety of my beach pad in San Diego and trade it for backpacker type hostels and cheap accomodations in a third ... read more
