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Published: January 11th 2006
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Firstly, please excuse the typo's and punctuation....these keyboards are barely English and my touch typing is out of practice!
Also I have yet to master how to insert pictures in the correct places.....If anyone can figure it out please let me know!
We moved on to Koh Pha Ngan and were dissapointed to see what a mess it was! The full moon party had been held a couple of days before and due to unusually high tides there was no beach to party on! Two Israeli girls unfortunately drowned that night. They apparently pulled one ahore but no=one knew CPR and by the time the ambulance got there she had died and her friend found later. No swimming signs were up all along the beach and in every shop window and hotel.
We were appalled to see broken glass sticking through the sand and bottles, cans and debri scattered all up and down the beach....and no attempts made by anyone to pick it up. We walked up and down picking up broken glass and moving it somewhere a bit safer. It's the Westerners that are blamed for the mess these islands get into but I think if you
make your money but advertising a place as being a 'party island' then you need to take responsibility for the consequences and tidy up after such events! The partiers should be a bit more considerate too! We left after one night BUT NOT BEFORE SHARING A BUCKET OF VODKA!
We took a Catamaran to Ko Tao......it was very rough to the point that you left your seat and were airborne in some places....I was very, very, very ill. On the plus side we arrive on the Island to great sunshine.....which I missed because was still sying under my mosquito net in our hut!
We started our Diving with Easy Divers and when we weren't sunbathing outside our beach hut, just feet from the shore, we were in the classroom studying! On our first open water dive I could not get more than a few feet because of pain in my ears. I was told they were swollen and maybe had infection so would have to stop diving for a few days and take tablets and drops before trying again. We stopped for a week and on Christmas Eve I made it to over 10 metres and was thrilled!
I loved being under water and the fact that I could breath down there and swim with the brightly coloured fish!
Christmas day was odd! Sunbathing, coconut for breakfast and then trying to eat a full Christmas meal in blazing sun....phew! We didn't exchange gifts but did get given a fantastic sunset that day....best yet.
New Years was so brilliant! We'd met some fantastic people, Antonia from England, Zrs currently living in Bangkok and a pair of Austrian brothers who's names I can't remember! Plus others who too drunk to recall! We danced on the beach and watched the fireworks.
Lanterns lit the sky, set off in memories of loved one's and too send away bad spirits. On boxing day on other islands that were hit by the Sunami, apparently over 3000 lanterns took to the sky. They're like little hotair balloons and just take off and keep on going. It looked like the starts were ablaze and would come crashing down at any moment.....but then I'd drank a lot!
Jan 2nd we were to do our final 2 dives before setting off for Cambodia. Richard is now a qualified Padi open water diver! He clearly
loved it and we were both always sent to the back of the group when in the water as were apparently the most compitent and had excellent bouyancy in the water! I did not qualify though as my ears went bang, crackle, pop, OUCH! I was very upset and returned to the boat to eat the contents of the biscuit tin. Antonia was also on the boat doing her advanced and she didn't have to do her second dive so we scuba's above the divers and I swam above Richard the whole time. There are jelly fish stings that come off and float as little particles in the water....got stung in places you really don't want to be stung!
In the last week or so we have done boats and buses and gone from Ko Tao to Cambodia to Aranyarathet to Siem Reap to Phom Penh to here in Saigon although it is now called Ho Chi Min City.
We went to the Killing Fields in Cambodia. It was strange to be there and horrible to see human bones and clothes pertruding throug the floor like that. There were picnic tables set up and people sitting aroung chatting
with visable human remains just feet away....I felt rude somehow...I've been brought up that cemetry's are quiet scared places and you never step on a grave! Here there were no graves. Just piles of bones. Terrible to think all these slaughterings only ended in 1979.
Children here seem to appear at night time and try to sell books or beg for money. Children as young as about 6 carry small babies with them to beg. It's sad to see. A little girl came up to our table last night and when I didn't give her money she just stood there staring at my food before specularly hacking a cough over it.....computer says no!
We have been to Angkor Wot and seen some amazing things!
We are very brown, I have had to cut off a few inches of hair due to serious damage. I like getting up and not wearing make up or wondering what to wear today and not tottering around in heels.
Richard seems very relaxed and says he is loving travelling.
I'm posting a CD back with lots of pictures on.....maybe to one of the lovely girls at AHP so they may view
and copy and send original on to our parents? purleeeease!?
WE LOVE TRAVELLING!
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McTavish
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Wicked!
WOW hun, pictures look great. Well done Richard for quailifying!