Koh Lanta: Scuba and Sunflower
Happy Thanksgiving! Okay, I’m a bit late for that. But still. On turkey day, I was scuba-diving off the coast of Thailand at a place called Koh Haa — and now, I’m officially certified as an open water diver. Wootie woo!
Yeah, it was a really cool experience… Even if at the start, it was pretty nerve-racking and slightly uncomfortable. There’s a lot to deal with, with all the remembering to breathe properly and equalize pressure the right way, and then to do all the safety exercises correctly. Just a lot going on, which makes you breathe more, which depletes your tank faster… But on the fourth (and final) dive of the course, we did one final exercise — and then it was a fun dive. And that’s when it hit me how awesome the experience of being 18 metres (60 feet!) underwater really can be. We just cruised around and checked stuff out — bazillions of all kinds of fish, including a porcupinefish and a scorpionfish (dangerous!), some beautiful anemones and starfish, a sea snake, a moray eel, a nudie branch (yeah, Oscar and Jme, I saw one!), and an underwater cave that was cool to look at, but really dark and thus a bit freaky. Does a giant octopus live in there?
We didn’t find out.
And now I’m certified to dive anywhere in the world! Of course, now I want to dive more — but it’s actually quite expensive, even over here. On my ‘ackpacker budget, anyway. So I’m going to take a break, probably till I get down to Bali — or at the least, till I’m in Australia and can dive the Great Barrier Reef. Yeah, I’m really excited about that.
But hey, before all that, I had a supergreat time meeting up with my buddy Tony — we just kicked it and wandered around some of the beachy areas down here, including Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. Highlights include: seeing a dope fire show on the beach, a Thai-reggae band playing a few feet away, a muay thai fight, all the kooky ladyboys in Patong, and going on a snorkel trip to Maya Bay, which is “The Beach” beach. It really is as pristine and picturesque as it looks in cinemascope, though we were talking to some folks who say it has become more and more littered upon, and the coral in the bay is being damaged by the increasing number of tour groups. They said the tsunami actually helped clean the beach of a lot of refuse that was starting to accumulate, but now it is starting to return, in direct proportion to the number of tour groups. Hopefully it gets sorted before it gets any worse, but, for now and for us, it was really lovely.
It was great to have a good travel buddy for a few days, as well. Talking shit, debating random subjects while watching tv, gossiping about the folks back home — it was nice to not have to introduce myself and do the rundown of who I am, where I’ve been, where I’m going and all that. For a bit. It was enough anyway to help re-energize and propel me onward, as I carry on with my walkabout.
So Tony went on back home, and I made my way here to Koh Lanta, which is amazing — but it’s really all about where I’m staying. Without a doubt, it’s the best guesthouse I’ve ever stayed in — called Andaman Sunflower. Run by a German (Norman) and his Thai/French wife (Kitima), it has a very familial, warm, positive-energy type atmosphere. There have been a couple nights when everyone at the guesthouse have gathered around the common table and eaten dinner, family-style, all together — all digging in to a giant broiled grouper, passing salad and rice bowls around.
They are the warmest hosts, who want only the best for their guests — they make everyone comfortable and at ease. They hang out, lead discussions on interesting things, give you tips on places to go and see, and tell you the prices you should pay. And it has created such a “good people” environment. All the travelers I’ve met here are cool, interesting, fun — and we all sing the praises of Norman and Kitima amongst ourselves, and say how we need to tell people about it, making a point to be sure it’s only the right kind of people. It’s a place where you don’t go for a night — you stay for a week. You see what I mean. Meanwhile, Norman always kids me because he says I’m not a real American — meaning not loud, egotistical and messy.
“You’re not American,” he says, “You’re from San Francisco.” When I tell him I was actually born in San Diego, he says, “But you still tell people you’re from San Francisco. Because you know there’s a difference, too.” It’s funny, but he’s right. And I tell him there are plenty of people in San Francisco who would agree with him. I mean, right?
Did I mention that they now have me going into the kitchen, to mix cocktails for everyone each night? Indeed, my caipirinha skills are being put to the test… But how fun is that? I’d kind of like to see a couple more places before I have to leave Thailand at the end of the month, but the Sunflower is a place that’s really hard to leave. And hey, that ain’t a bad thing. At all.
Anyhoo, folks. Hope yer good. Go Chargers.
Tags: scuba, Thailand
ismateo
Matt: Congratulations on being a certified open ocean diver! We are sorry we missed your telephone call. Sounds like you are having a great time. We are all well. Love you, Dad