Ko Lipe...haze above water...still amazing diving with friends!

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It is already the half-term holidays at school. Impressive to think that Christmas is just two months from us. On these 10 days holidays, we first stay a long week-end at home, to enjoy our family time, and to play a little round of golf on Monday morning, family style!



Tuesday morning arrived fast, waking up at 4.15am for the long ride to Ko Lipe. First there is the ride to the airport, the 80 minutes flight to Hat Yai. Than comes the 90 minutes drive to Pakbarra pier....buy the ferry ticket for Lipe and wait a good 90 minutes to board the speedboat. That can be another 90 minutes ride, but it is still low season, so we have a 15 minutes stop in the National Park of Tarutao....and finally, at 1.30pm, we made it to our second home, we are on Sunrise beach, Ko Lipe.



Our last trip here was just 10 months ago. Today there is something very different, the colors have disappeared, it's all grey. This is call the haze, and it's coming from Sumatra due to the burning to clear fields for palm oil. This is criminal, but there is nothing new about it. Back in 1997, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were already suffocating for weeks! There are no clouds, but you will not see the sun...everything is grey, everywhere! Ko Lipe had been already covered by the haze for 10 days. Than the wind changed, came from the North, and the haze disappeared for 5 days. But two days before our arrival, the wind changed again...and the haze came back. Lucky us, we only left Lipe on Sunday afternoon, and by Sunday morning, our normal Lipe was nearly back to normal. The place felt like Shanghai or Beijing for few days, and trust me, this is not right! We are lucky, this is not our first time here, and we are diving...so below the water, it is still paradise!



We have come here nearly yearly for at least 5 years, so yes, this place feel like home. The people to stay with and dive with are at Forra diving. Antoine owns the biggest diving center on Lipe. But this is still the low season, so there are still more staffs than guests around. A page has turn, the lease on the old Forra resort on Sunrise beach ended last season. The old resort is gone, the new one is just a little further on the beach. Well, I would say it will be in the coming days, as for today, they are still deep in the construction. The new resort will have 18 bungalows....and our two bungalows were only finished....20 minutes before we arrived. We are staying in the first two bungalows of the new Forra Resort on Sunrise Beach. Thanks Antoine! Another first! Yes, here too we are part of the family! This place will be truly cool in the next few weeks once the bungalows are done, and the restaurant and bar read to welcome guests.



When it comes to diving, this is a first for us in the low season...and we are in for a great surprise. At Christmas, the top of the high season, the water is green due to the amount of planktons in the water....but today, we had great visibility and amazing blue water...8 dives each in 4 days, paradise! We missed a whaleshark by 24 hours on 8 Mile.....one day it will happen...specially for the kids as I've encountered my fair share of whalesharks all over the world!



So we had fishes, and fishes, and even some cool macro. Diving was amazing, thanks to Brad! Food was amazing too, even if our preferred pizza place is still closed due to low season. We ate a lot of gorgeous thai food....and we even went out for the rugby...and few beers!



Lipe, we will be back...in 14 months...and for me, next week-end is another adventure....just a very very different one this time!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Nemo
Great shot