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Published: November 12th 2006
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Backpacking in Thailand
So many backpackers...both lushes have received comments talking about the destruction of local cultures. If Thais didn't want it, it wouldn't happen. We finally said goodbye to koh phan ngan after what was probably the longest amount of time I've spent on a tropical island. After one last bucket party which hosted some well known figures like Gandalf and Frank the Tank, we set off early on the 8th for our third and final stop of the tropical island tour: Koh Tao.
The 1.5 hour boat ride between the two islands was the closest I've been to death on this trip, or at least it's the most scared I've been at any one point on the trip. As we began crashing through massive swells, flocks of people who had elected to get a tan at the front or sides of the boat began vying for the few remainding seats down below. With most of us now awake staring at the waves crashing off the windows, the water coming through the sides and ceiling, and the ceiling actually shifting on its' polls, I began to wonder how Trevor, Lush and Abes could be sleeping, and how much an ancient Thai boat can actually take before sinking. After about 30 more minutes of jumping one wave and crashing nose first into another many of
Beach Volleyball
Warming up for the game. the tourists below began to get sea sick and a few of the girls at the front started whimpering and screaming with each successive crash. At this point I decided to head to the patio at the back of the boat with many of the people trying to fend off sea sickness because I figured that if the boat sank, and I was pretty sure it was going to (my knowledge of what a boat can withstand is limited), I would have a better chance if I weren't trapped below. Another 30 minutes went by where the only difference was that - as I found out later - the girl down below began screaming more, and people actually began losing their stomach contents into garbage bags or the toilets. The captain also began cutting the engines at certain points which I assume is what he was suppose to have been doing the entire time. Sea sick and happy to be on land we arrived in Koa Tao to be greeted by a herd of touts directing us to their dive resort or their taxi.
Koh Tao is maybe half the size of the last island with lots of coconut
Beach Volleyball
We'd play until we couldn't see the ball anymore. It was good to actually do some exercise. tree covered hills, few paved roads, and beautiful beaches. Renowned for its' diving and snorkelling some may be surprised to find out that despite coming here for those reasons, we only snorkelled one day. The problem is that we've arrived during the heaviest rainy month for Koh Tao which means that while the visibility is sometimes 'good' at 10-15 meters, the dive instructors have been saying it can be as low as 5m. At 40$ a dive and considering that we can come back a month from now when it's better, it just didn't seem worth it.
Our days so far thus have consisted of eating, getting massages by old Thai women and preparing ourselves for the volleyball matches that take place at 16:30 every day when the tied has removed the water from the court. The first day of volleyball team Canada easily beat team Thailand three games to nil. Expecting to see ringers from all over the island show up on the second day, we were disappointed to find out that most have given up getting the ball spiked off their heads by James. So we played amongst ourselves with a few Israelis and a couple lady
Thai Food
In what has to be one of the weirdest meals to get at a restaurant, James gets a plate of raw seafood and has to cook it himself over a coal stove boys that just liked being around men with shirts off. The only other signisficant event on the island was our trip to the three islands whose name escape me but are very popular. We paid an old German guy 1500 baht to take us to the islands and snorkel. Although the snorkelling made me want to go dive, Roland said that in the high season the visibility is 10 to 15 meters more than it is right now. He also said that because of all the rain and bad weather, a lot of sewage from the main land has been pushed to the ocean floor around the island.
Tomorrow we head back to the mainland and then south to Phuket to check out the west coast. Not sure what the plans are from there although a few of us will be making visa runs, which consist of stamping out of Thailand, going to the Myanmar boarder post, stamping in and out there, and then coming back and getting a new 30 day visa for Thailand. If I time it right, that stamp should last me until I fly back home for a brief stint in vancouver for the holidays.
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Georgina
non-member comment
Hey Ry...I felt your pain buddy, regarding the ferry ride. I get sea sick in an elevator! Hope to see you over Xmas when you're home.