Under the Sea......

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Everything is better, and colder and more terrifying, and more technical and darker, but more colorful, and more interesting, and bascially everything that Sebastian said it would be. Nha Trang, on the coast of Vietnam was where Jaime and I scheduled our Open Water Scuba Diving training. And to not keep you in suspense, we passed, we are both certified and can scuba dive, with guides, just about anywhere in the world. It was four days of being back at school, there were quizes, and textbooks, and tests, and many skills that we had to master before we could walk out with our certification and smile for our ID card. At times, the skills were challenging and I worried that maybe I wouldn't pass, but I think the $275 deposit on the class helped things along.

Jaime, Michelle (our new friend from Vancouver who works on cruise ships....so jealous) and I had a blast laughing at each other and for the most part amused our instructor, Suzy. We did 3 half - days in the classroom, 2 half-days in the coldest swimming pool, and 2 mornings out in the sea. It was compact, it was challenging, but it was good to learn a new skill. At times i felt sick to my stomach and felt shivers throughout my whole body because of the chill of the water but being able to see clown fish, and baby octopus and lion fish and all other sorts of things that I don't even have names for was.....for lack of a better description, pretty cool. It was the longest time, besides Siem Reap in Cambodia, that we had stayed in one place, but we were all so busy that the time just few by.......and again we were off.

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Photos

Just before going deep
Our last dive. We look like professionals here, but let me take you it was a long and winding road to get here.

All dressed up
Eli, the professional, gets ready to jump in.

Nothing like a good wet suit
a full mask and 6kg of weight around your stomach to make you feel sexy.

Comments

[Mom]

Your are quite the adventurera and been since the day you were born! Love you!

[Dad]

Now that you've traveled over and under Southeast Asia, what's next? Keep clear of those lion fish... Have a safe trip back.

[Aunt Diana]

You are amazing as all the sites you have shown us!!! Love ya