Another day, another tropical island

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I really wish I could take some more time to write better blogs but the beach is calling my name and this is taking the last few of my squandered Baht just to sit on here.

I've been in Koh Tao since 2 days ago. This islands sole purpose seems to be training people to dive. The price for a bungalow is about double if you don't book a dive through their resort. So I booked a pack of four dives while I'm here and went on two this morning. I don't have my diving certificate with me so I spent the better part of two days figuring out how to convince them that I'm certified under BSAC. I eventually produced a fake e-mail letter from Greenforce, the organization I did my training through (and spent 10 weeks in Fiji with) that verified that I was trained and certified with them. They said I have an honest face and they would check I knew what I'm doing when we got underwater.

The diving was a disappointment, as every dive has been since I left my remote tropical island paradise in Fiji, with it's incredible pristine coral reefs. I'm basically ruined for diving now. I've seen the best, everything else is now substandard to me. The coral reefs around Koh Tao just looked like grey boulders with a few bland fish swimming here and there, not like the bright pink and green coral with massive schools of tropical fish everywhere in Yadua, Fiji. The coolest thing I saw, which admittedly was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen underwater, was a Hog-billed turtle (maybe Hawk-billed) slowly swimming around. We got to check it out and watch it graze for a good 5 or 10 minutes, I got about 10 feet from it.

Tomorrow I go back to Bangkok for one more night at Khoa San Rd, swapping late night travel-tales with other travelers and giving advice to the new arrivals. I think I'm going to take the train, it's safer. I've met quite a few people that have been robbed on busses here. The luggage gangsters apparently put a sleeping drug in the air conditioning and raid everyone while they are passed out. They wake up to find all their money and cameras missing, even the money in their wallets. Then I fly to Sydney where I have 12 hours to kill, maybe go sit on the beach if it's a nice day, then to Melbourne where my brother and his kids will be waiting to pick me up.

There, blog done. Time to get one more sunburn before I leave.

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Photos

Hawk-billed Turtle
I swear I took this picture

Comments

[Mad Greek]

Bus robbers
Dude. The bus robbery only happens on busses with lots of tourists (or only tourists) on them--especially busses to and from the south and busses that were booked from Khao San Rd. If you want a cheap, safe bus ride, find a bus that only has Thai people on it. Trust me. They get the best busses anyway.