Advertisement
Published: February 11th 2011
Well, folks - it's been an entire week since last I posted and quite spectacular considering what I've seen, where I've been and what I've done in the last week. Last post, it was Tet, February 3rd, upon our return from Halong Bay to Hanoi, Vietnam. We had one day left to spend in Vietnam and as was much was closed due to the holiday we spent it wandering about, getting spa treatments, lazying about at a cafe.
Then Margot, Kim and I said our farewells to catch our flight out of Hanoi to Bangkok. We met a woman in the airport who is returning to Laos after having left 14 years ago to make a life in Florida. She became an American citizen Jan 11th and promptly got her passport so she could return. We saw pictures of her life in Florida (HUGE into fishing!).
Feb 4, 2011:
On front porch of our bungalow at In Touch resort in Koh Tao, Thailand. Just got back from a fresh fruit smoothie, picked up clean laundry after a fullly wonderful day snorkelling at a half a dozen spots around the island. There was 11 of us on the outting: an asian-russian couple, a German couple, 2 girls from sweden, an italian woman who is a professional puppeteer and presently teaching her craft in Bangkok, a Canadian from Toronto whose teaching English in Israel and another woman, I think German. The snorkelling was great fun - saw my first shark (a blue tipped one) was nervous before hand, but it was small enuf and uninterested enuf to calm my nerves. I saw it 3 times as it was crusing up and down along the huge rocks at the shore. Then we stopped at a small private island with one 1 resort and lots of visitors. I managed to not climb to the top of the mount for a view nor see the Japanese garden, but I did do more snorkelling. There's one area where the next island over is only a couple hundred meters, but a decent current perpendicular to the shores at one rocky corner near our side is a place where a lot of fish congregate, upon returning to the spot, I stopped and just floated in place and started rotating, pretty soon I notcied the fish started to close in on me and rotate in the opposite direction, all kinds of fish: parrot fish, surgeon fish, angel fish and others that were silvery and pale in color - at one moment I started to panic bcz why whoudl they lcose in on me like this and start rotating around me - they were also slipping thruy my fingers, in between my arms and legs, but I pushed that out of my mind and relaxed again witha "thank you". I was literally encompassed in a cylinder of tropical fish - so spontaneous and magical.
Everytime I'm in a water vesse, I am reminded how much I lvoe being on water and how much it instantly puts my mind at ease - is just weird to not be involved in the docking process here. Also, had one of those infamous Thai massages and it was fantastic.
Feb 8, 2011:
Today is our last full day here, in Koh Tao, Thailand. Yesterday was a big day beginning at 7 am. Actually, I was awoken before that at 3:45am to the bumping techno of one of the island bar-beach-parties still going strong and was getting bitten up by a pesty mosquito. But I got up at 7 for my morning coffee on the veranda on the beach. Soon after, we got our stuff together for our 9am Muai Thai boxing session. The techniques were especially difficult for me to pick up stylistically because a lot of the details (feet angle, punch trajectory, aim and recovery) were contrary to my previous training - so, I did the best I could to push all of that former training out of my mind (however, muscle memory can be very difficult to override). It was so great to get a sweat in and a great workout. then, we took our time walking back to do some shopping and grabbed brunch: mexican burrito and a super tasty iced cappuccino. After quick showers, we got our beach gear and hung out/layed out at the beach for the afternoon - reorganised, grabbed fresh fruit smoothies and headed to trapeze 4-6pm which was absolutely amazing - dream come true fun. We learned and did more than I expected: knee hang, arch, birds nest and catches and even practiced swinging without a harness. I was most jittery and nervous the first time up. And we were even invited to participate in the demon at 7:30pm, which gave us another opporutnity to fly and catch in the dark with the chrismtas lights lighting up the poles.
Feb 10, 2011:
After Au Leouk Bay yesterday, Margot and I headed back to return our bikes - we stoped in town south of sairee beach for some shopping and took a small dirt water-side road back to the rental place. The motor bike riding on the island got pretty dicy in places cuz the terrain was very variable. You also see lots of people (tourists) walking around with bandages, limps, injuries from motor bike accidents. There were parts that were dirt with rocks and grooves, mogles in mud and definitely the most challenging motorbiking I've experienced in my limited experience thusfar. After that, we headed back tot he bungalows stopiping for fresh coconut water ont he way and began packing for the departure next day. At 3;30 we headed out for our 4 pm trapeze class - this time, we learned whip (upside down picke position into a blind catch) and whip straddle (upsdie down center spits into a catch). After class, we had an hour to get dinner at Fizz and a glass of wine before the 7:30pm demo of that days's tricks. I finally caught the last trick: whip which felt great. Then we headed back for shower/change for our last night out.
Margot and I said our farewells to each other the next day after getting back to bangkok. She was going to her hotel and I was going to catch an 8pm flight out. The last bit of our goodbye was via the crack between the ascending and descending escalator - ramps - it was soooo weird to not be with her anymore and I realised I had to stop up my game bcz I often take back seat/passenger seat with traveling with others (so not too many chiefs). But, already, I feel like I've adjusted - so interesting how the human can adjust to new circumstances sometimes unexpectedly easy and uicly and then in other situations unexpectedly difficult and slow. And it's hard to know, prepare or plan how you will respond/react in each new situation or with each other. On the ferry, we already started making plans for our nextmission trip in 2010 to Peru with additiona travel to Machu Pchu, Argetnina and I would like to do a yoga/surf vaca to Coasta Rica.
Observations/things that surprise me:
1. The nonAmerican airlines (Asiana, Qatar, Bangkok) put American airlines to shame in service, product, comfort, seat size and food and the airports are impressively new & modern. Especially Seoul, Korea, Bangkok and Doha compared to American airports. Koh Samui's airport looks and feels like a resort being open air, resorty-looking shops/cafes, thatched cabanas for terminals and beautifully manicured gournds/gardens, etc - definitely doesn't look or feel like an airport.
2. I think I might miss the politeness and pleasantry of the Vietnamese people as I have witnessed very little aggression or rudeness expressed.
3. Koh Tao is much more developed than I expected (but not crazy, commerical, touristy like I hear some of the other islands are. and less crazy-party than Koh Phangan)
4. I've been much hungrier and more often in Koh Tao, not sure if that's because i've been more active.
Things I've learned:
1. No plan is best plan for traveling
2. Traveling alone is safer than I expected.
3. It was good to take a break from western life/Americans to be reminded that altho America is a great place to live, it's not the end all be all and there is much we can learn from other nations and their people about being kind, humane, humble, less demanding, expectant, entitlement - there's a way to do that while maintaining patriotism and national pride.
5. People are kind and trusting and it's not so hard to meet a new friend while traveling no matter how short or temporary that friendship is.
6. To judge less about what is right or wrong, good or bad, better or worse and caring for the human spirit while practicing physical therapy is paramount and often times more important than the "best/correct technique".
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0524s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
danni
non-member comment
hi!
Hi Suzanne! just wanted to say hi and let you know I started reading along with your blog! I'm full of envy here is Canada and can't wait to hear what adventures you have next :)