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Published: August 7th 2007
Thailand’s Islands - and a Bustling Bangkok
The trip from the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia to the mainland involved piling 7 people, with at least as many bags, into a little dingy with a very fast motor, the “captain” convincing some to get in by telling them they were headed for a bigger boat (not true). Nervous smiles and laughter were passed around as we crashed into waves, water soaking me to the skin every where but my hips which were squeezed between two other passengers and water tight. A few days earlier, Bryan and I had met a couple from Canada named Audrey and Andrew and the goal for the four of us was to head for the Tarutao National Marine Park in Thailand. The park consists of 51 large and small islands in the Straights of Malacca in the Indian Ocean and we were headed for two of them, Ko Tarutao and Ko Lipe.
After our dingy voyage we had a 90 minute taxi ride to the Thailand border where we walked across and received our 30 day visa. We arrived just in time to catch the next train and enjoyed a 3 hour journey across the
Tsunami evacuation signs dotted the western coastline.
Tsunami evacuation signs dotted the western coastline.
narrow strip of land from east to west. Next came a 2 hour “taxi” ride in the back of a truck to the port town of Pakbara. Bryan and I were quite comfortable as the truck had a camper shell, air conditioning, and padded benches. We propped ourselves against the backpacks and exchanged funny faces with the uniformed elementary students heading home from school.
Since we arrived too late to catch the boat to Ko Tarutao, we spent the night in Pakbara and enjoyed a huge seafood dinner with Audrey, Andrew, Gian (a new Italian friend that we met at the border) and another traveler from Germany that the waiter brought over. I was once again struck by how different socializing on the road is; making a connection over big barbequed fish, sometimes continuing our travels with new friends for several days, as in the case of Audrey, Andrew, and Gian, and sometimes simply sharing a few hours of stories with a German dinner guest.
We arrived on the quiet island of Ko Tarutao the next day at noon and settled into a twin
bed bungalow on the beach. Andrew, Audrey, Bryan, and I dawned our suits and
Our bungalow on Ko Lipe
Our bungalow on Ko Lipe
started our way up the coastline to explore. We climbed rocks, waded in waist high water around coves, swam with a school of jellyfish (until we realized they were there), tromped along the open stretches finding sand dollars, and enjoyed the fact that we seemed to be the only people around. As it neared dinner time we met up with Gian, who had also found his way north, and we all settled down for cold beer and spicy fish, the only customers in a tiny restaurant on the beach. The conversation flowed from the intellectual to the absurd and back again many times with our favorite quote for the night being Bryan’s insistence that “There is no United States of Mexico!” (One of those great ‘you had to be there’ conversations). Before we knew it, it was very late and very dark and midnight found the five of us kicking, splashing, twirling, and swishing in the ocean as we stirred up the most brilliant lights of phosphorescent we’d ever seen. None of us had brought a
flashlight, so we finished the outing by sloshing our wet selves back along a dark dirt road.
Bryan’s and my ultimate goal for
Having a blast about 60 feet under the sea.
Having a blast about 60 feet under the sea.
our Thailand island time was to obtain our PADI diving certificates. We had enjoyed our snorkeling experience in Malaysia so much that we wanted to be able to truly explore these waters. We spent the next two days relaxing and conversing with Andrew and Audrey and then followed Gian to Ko Lipe to find out about diving courses. Gian met us as our boat arrived at Sunset Beach and showed us to the last bamboo hut available. The island of Ko Lipe was busier than Ko Tarutao but was small enough to walk from one side to the other in about 15 minutes. This turned out to be just an overnight stay as we learned of yet another island, Ko Tao, which seemed more suitable for our diving course.
We left Ko Lipe, just after our lunch of jumbo prawns with butter and garlic, on a boat headed for the mainland, in order to catch a train
to the Gulf of Thailand’s port city of Chumphon. A boat, a taxi, and a train ride landed us in the quiet train station of Chumphon at about 2:30 in the morning. An old lady with a small snack shop told us
Our first independent dive,
Our first independent dive,
the bus would be there in the morning and brought out a cot, pillow, and blanket setting us up on a bench nearby. She smiled a toothless grin and said the cot was for the lady and patted the bench for Bryan. I fell asleep on my cot in the middle of the train station feeling warm inside from the kindness of this stranger. We awoke to people bustling around and the old woman telling us the bus was here.
We boarded the high speed catamaran in a strong storm and as each person stepped on they were handed a plastic throw-up bag. This didn’t seem like a good sign. Bryan and I have been on some rough boat trips with our Sifnos, Greece ferry, Zambezi white-water rafting, and Perhentian Island dingy all coming to mind, but we had no idea that we were in store for our worst
ride yet. About a half hour out we anchored near a tiny island and rolled on the waves as deck hands dived under the boat to remove debris that was stuck in the water intakes. An hour later we headed out into open water again with the engines runny full
Sunset from our balcony on Ko Tao
Sunset from our balcony on Ko Tao
speed through the high seas. People all around us started to get sick and as we crashed from side to side the deck hands zigzagged their way down the isles handing out more bags. About two hours into this journey we could hear people crying and the lady behind us started yelling at one of the workers to let her off the boat. Meanwhile I had an iron grip on Bryan’s knee, thinking about what he had told me about catamarans not being suited for such high seas and doing my best to ignore those throwing up around me. Bryan, trying hard to focus on staying well, kept his eyes tightly shut. About four hours into the voyage we crashed particularly hard against a huge wave that sent us tipping well onto our side with the
hold cracking loudly. Bryan and I were both prepared for our exit with the thick metal doors in our sights. Fortunately, the boat righted itself and we continued for another hour to the sounds of more crying and sickness until we reached the port of Ko Tao. We were greeted at the dock by a large crowd asking how we were as we debarked
The office of Sunshine Divers on Ko Tao was located on this beautiful beach.
The office of Sunshine Divers on Ko Tao was located on this beautiful beach.
and the storm and boat ride was the talk of the island for days following.
The next day Bryan and I met our friendly dive instructors called Bear and Liz at Sunshine Divers just down the beach from our award winning bungalow of Balinese architecture at the View Point Resort. We were issued our Open Water Dive Manuals, Planners, and Log Books, and told to report for class the next morning with the first three lessons in our books completed. Bryan copied all the answers from me over breakfast the next day as I lectured him on not being prepared, but he was to show me up
soon after. For our first hands-on lesson we dawned all our gear and Bear took us out into the waist deep water of a quiet cove. Lesson one was simple: learn to breathe underwater; simple in theory and simple for Bryan. I, on the other hand, felt claustrophobic and not in control even though I knew on an intellectual level that everything was fine. Bear kept the pace moving and insisted I go under again and again, reassuring me that most everyone feels this way the first time. Meanwhile, Bryan, the homework
Tuk-tuk traffic, Bangkok
Tuk-tuk traffic, Bangkok
skipper, bobbed around happily underwater like a big fish, popping up every once in a while to tell me how great it was. I started to wonder if I was cut out for diving and thought I may have made a big mistake signing up for this. But the learning curve was quick and within the hour we were going through all our underwater exercises, moving on through lessons two and three.
The following day we had our first two dives and I wrote in the comments section of my log book:
“Great 1st experience! Really nervous for 24 hours
before. Had to count to three 2x before I could jump in. Worried about equalizing ears, but much easier than expected. Fear went away quickly once at bottom and coasting along. Saw butterfly & angel , coral garden species of damsels, and parrot fish (rainbow).”
There was no turning back after this first day of wonderful dives and Bryan and I went on to complete our PADI Certificates and our Advanced Open Water Dive Certificates. We spent the next two weeks doing 11 dives to include: deep (100 feet), underwater navigation, multi-level, fish I.D., night, and A.W.A.R.E.
The Upper Terrace of the Grand Palace, Bangkok
The Upper Terrace of the Grand Palace, Bangkok
clean-up dives. We were now hooked and, although living in Tucson doesn’t lend itself to diving, we have decided we will figure out a way to continue this hobby.
My first blog stated what a surreal experience it is “Realizing on my 39th birthday, that I have no idea where in the world I'll be when I turn 40.” But, now I knew. On February 8th, on the island of Ko Tao, Thailand, I entered a new decade. I liked turning 20, didn’t mind 30,
but 40 was a little hard for me. I’m sure others will relate to the feeling of not identifying with a particular age. I told myself that it was a nice even number, easily divisible, and I could always draw little smiley’s in the zero. When Bryan asked Bear what we might do, he suggested we spend the day at Jamahkiri Boutique Resort and Spa. My transition into middle-age was eased as we sat in the steam room followed by a full aloe-vera body wrap, deep cleansing facial mask, and three massages of aromatherapy, traditional Thai, and hot stone. That night as we bounced around in the back of the open bed of a
Mythical Creatures of the Grand Palace, Bangkok
Mythical Creatures of the Grand Palace, Bangkok
“taxi truck” on the way back to our bungalow, I thought to myself that 40 wasn’t all that different than 39.
After two tropical weeks on Ko Tao, we decided it was time to continue on and thankfully we enjoyed a calm boat ride back to the mainland where we caught a bus to Bangkok. After spending the last month island hopping, the bustle of Bangkok was disorienting. We learned to
get around by riding in the tuk-tuks, a three wheeled open vehicle that was more economical than the air-conditioned taxi’s but also required a willingness to breathe exhaust fumes as we weaved through traffic. Our Bangkok highlights included a visit to the Grand Palace. The Palace was established in 1782 and includes the royal residence, throne halls, government offices, and the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The golden monuments, mother-of-pearl inlays, mythical beings, and long stretches of walls painted with scenes from the stories of Ramakien (King Rama) are a photographer’s playground. Bryan and I also spent several days walking around the traditional Chatuchak open market which houses everything from birds, fish, and red squirrels, to soda-can wind chimes, shell-carved chopsticks, and designer brand knockoff clothing. In
Students on a field trip at the Grand Palace, Bangkok
Students on a field trip at the Grand Palace, Bangkok
stark contrast to this market was the high-tech Siam Square shopping center with many stories of all that’s new in technology. We purchased the complete Microsoft Office package for the equivalent of $3 and found a new battery charger for the camera. But, several days of Bangkok’s busy pace left us wanting
to move on and we started planning for our exodus to Cambodia.
The great temples of Angkor awaited…
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Nurse Eileen
non-member comment
Read the part about Birds in Thailand
I enjoy reading your blog so much. You have such a great writing style besides all the exciting things you are doing. I still want to keep you healthy...here is an updated alert for that part of the world..... Avian Influenza (bird flu) Created: July 22, 2005 01:05 GMT Updated: March 30, 2007 18:46 GMT Myanmar reported its first H5N1 flu outbreak in 10 months in late February. A farm on the outskirts of Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, was affected. Sixty-eight chickens, ducks and pullets died and the facility culled its remaining 1,292 birds. Five other farms near Yangon reported outbreaks within weeks, including a large commercial facility. Myanmar hasn't had an outbreak since April 2006, and the nation declared itself free of the virus by filing its final OIE report in August. Laos reported its first-ever human infection in February 2007, just weeks after the virus re-appeared in the country. The nation had been free of outbreaks since July 2006, but detected it on two duck farms in the capital, Vientiane, on February 13. Both farms are in the Sisattanak district. On February 27, WHO confirmed that a 15-year-old girl from Vientiane was infected. She died of the disease, as did a 42-year-old woman from the Pong Hong district in Vientiane province. Indonesia continues to experience sporadic human infections. Their case count - 91 sick, 71 dead - does not match the official WHO tally. They differ because Indonesia stopped sharing virus samples with the international community for several months, citing issues of inequity and intellectual property rights. They resumed the accepted best practice of sending samples for confirmation in late March. People have been infected in 10 provinces. Avian flu H5N1 has returned to Thailand. The disease reappeared among ducks in January 2007, when about 100 ducks on a farm in Muang district, in the northern province of Phitsanulok, died. A second outbreak was reported among chickens in the northeastern province of Nong Khai in late January. This province is not adjacent to Phitsanulok, where the disease re-emerged in Thailand several weeks earlier. A third outbreak occurred in the central province of Angthong, and a fourth was reported in of Mukdahan province. Outbreaks of avian flu H5N1 continue to spread in domestic poultry in Vietnam. In mid-December, two provinces (Bac Lieu and Ca Mau) experienced the first serious outbreaks since late 2005. By mid-January, six additional provinces in the Mekong Delta reported outbreaks of H5N1 among birds: Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Can Tho City. Officials in the nation feared that the entire Mekong Delta could suffer outbreaks among birds within the month, and that the disease may spread to northern Vietnam by the end of February. But outbreaks in the Mekong Delta actually slowed to a stop in mid-January, and the area appeared flu-free until ducks were reported ill in Vinh Long and Can Tho City provinces in March. Northern Vietnam reported its first outbreak since 2004 in late February, on a farm in Hai Duong province. Ha Tay then reported cases, and the diease spread to the capital, Hanoi. A total of 56 outbreaks have occurred so far in 2007.