I'm in a small airconditioned internet cafe on the main street on Ko tao right now. I think I forget to describe the places I'm in, focussing more on what I am doing, so here it goes:

Ko Tao is a gorgeous 21 square km island, definitely an island paradise. The lower elevations are covered in a thick palmtree forest, while the peaks are carpeted with dense rainforest. Within the main bay around Mae Haad beach are loads of brightly coloured fishing boats moored together in bunches. The water is shallow, maybe 2 or 3 meters deep, so you can see the reef below the surface. I snorkelled today to a distance of about 100m from shore and saw tonnes of beautiful fish - not nearly as nice as on our dives, but still good considering it was right in the main bay. The main 'town' is full of little shops selling sarongs, clothes, bathing suits and souvenirs, and of course there are lots of little restaurants everywhere. Most places worth eating at are found lining the beach, with large patios built out to the water's edge. There are palm trees everywhere, and you always need to be cautious with your head - I've heard many loud bangs where a coconut has fallen, near to where I've been sitting. Most tables are low and are surrounded by Thai style cushions, really comfortable dining. Ko Tao has more western style restaurants than I have seen in anywhere else in Thailand, mostly because of the crowd that is draw to this island - divers. Accomodation here is expensive unless you book a dive with a company here, which are all western run. All the courses are taught by aging beach bum divers who never wanted to leave thailand, instead finding a comfortable existance here.
One of the dive sites near here is just off Ko Nangyuan, notable for its three islands linked by sand bars - truly beautiful.

Anyways. I went out yesterday for my first and second dives, but the cold I developed almost overnight prevented me from being able to equalize the pressure in my inner ear, meaning I couldn't descend very deep... Instead I came up and went snorkling around Nangyuan. I could have supplied xotics with fish for years from just this one bay... saw tonnes of fish that they get from the philippines, and lots more. I spent the afternoon on the deck of the dive boat lying in the sun listening to the new cd's which I had bought earlier that day. just over 2$CAD each, so I bought a bunch...
I had planned to do the dives today, but I hadn't improved much, so I decided to wait a few days. To make use of my time I am making a Visa run to allow me to stay longer in Thailand. My current Visa expires on October 29th, and overstaying costs about 500baht a day. Tonight I catch a boat to Chumphon, then buzz over to Myanmar to get stamped, then back here tomorrow. It's kind of a tour, since it is VERY common for the Dive masters here to make these runs. I'll resume my course the next day.

It's jsut finished raining here - the first rain that i;ve seen in weeks - and the sun is blaring again. Actually, now that I look outside, I can't see any sign of wetness; I guess it's evaporated already!

Hope everyone is well, I'll check back in after I return from BURMA!!!