Ah This Is The Life

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Hi Folks!

We have finally got round to another post, its amazing how lazy doing nothing makes you!

We are still in Koh Tao but since our last post we have become kings of our own castle. We have moved into an apartment, which we might add is much better than the flat/bedsit/hovel we were living in back home in Leeds. For a mere £120 a month we have sat tv, wireless internet, sea view balcony and most importantly a hot shower! The apartment also features a resident lizard that we have named Patrick.

Well where to begin with what we have been up to, first of all we will tell you about the scooter we are currently hiring. Viks went to hire the bike a couple of weeks ago, this was far from a success. After shooting out into the road from the parking bay (don't worry mums and dads there isn't much traffic on Koh Tao) she decided this was just a blip and she could drive it home. This proved to be a silly decision and after only a few yards she admitted defeat,turned the engine off and wheeled it back to the shop. After much consideration, the fact that Koh Tao is the hilliest place ever, Rik decided to go and hire the scooter. He was successfull and after a short ride around the island he felt confident enough to drive us both around. We decided to visit a place on the eastern side of the island called Tanote Bay. Everything was going well (its only 4.5km to the beach), but oh my god what a drive. We giggled as we attempted the first hill of rocks and sand, bear in mind this is a scooter with an hairdryer engine and it had both of us on board, eventually Viks had to get off the bike and let Rik drive it up the hill (not that she is the heaviest but remember she can't drive). The hills after that just got worse some were like cliff faces, after about six of these hills we decided enough was enough and turned back. This was the easy part for Viks as she simply walked back down! Rik had the task of going back down the hills, one skidding sideways and another just wheeling the bike back down as it was just too steep.

After this adventure we went in search of a whale skeleton that Viks had seen on the map. Nothing can go wrong there apart from Viks the super navigator thought it was all left turns when it was actually right turns. We did however find the most beautiful spot to look out to the other islands. It was a resort where you weren't supposed to speak - Rik was nearly thrown into the sea for asking directions to the whale skeleton. We decided to give up on the whale skeleton and try and teach Viks how to ride. We found a nice quiet stretch for her. The first attempt Viks set off and went about a metre before declaring she would never be able to do it. The second attempt was better apart from the small fact of steering the scooter, something Viks hadn't grasped and she just pointed the scooter in a direction and ended up on the wrong side of the road. After much giggling we decided to attempt it again. This time Viks stayed on her own side of the road but felt the need to do an emergency stop at about four miles an hour, amusing Rik no end as her bum flew in the air and she crashed into the handle bars. That is where the lesson ended as we couldn't stop laughing - we will keep you updated on future lessons.

Speaking of comedy we have had our fair share of giggles including Rik leaving the apartment with a pair of Viks knickers hanging off the back of the rucksack. Vik slipping and going flying while trying to answer the door. Rik conning Vik that there was a rare leaf fish in a river we were crossing (it was just a floating leaf). An evil one legged bird trying to mug Viks for her dinner, when she didn't comply with its demands, it crapped on the back of her chair. Been so laid back we forget to pay in one of our regular eating places and had the poor owner chasing us up the street (he laughed about it afterwards). Riks near death experience after eating a super hot chilli hidden in a bowl of rice. Viks getting lost in a three aisle supermarket and trying to exit through the deep freeze, while the girl at the counter and Rik both wet themselves.

Changing the subject, we have really been enjoying our diving. We've sampled lots of the local dive sites and have seen loads of marine life such as Barracuda, Reef Sharks, Giant Jellyfish, Titan Triggerfish and Moray Eels amongst others. The sea is really warm (anything up to 29 degrees!) and we continue to enjoy it, our next dives are booked for this Thursday with us going to South West Point and Shark Island.

Well thats all for now folks, hope you are all ok. We'll try and be more regular with our posting hehe.

Vik and Rik

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