In our haze we woke up this morning and managed to get to the ferry boat. The packed boat from Phi Phi to Krabi took a good couple hours and we were baking on the top deck under the sun the entire time. From the marna at Krabi we took a tour bus to Surat Thani. From Surat Thani we took another ferry to Ko Phangnan.
Once we arrived to Ko Phangnan we hired a tuk tuk to take us to Haad Rin. We checked into our hotel and finally settled in around eight o'clock...it was a long day. Our hotel, the Tommy Resort, had a beach front bungalow for $60 USD a night. It was an awesome bungalow that put on right on the sand.
After we got all cleaned up we spent the rest of the night walking up and down the strip of bars on Haad Rin beach. Long day, and good night.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Day Fifty-Three
We woke up this morning to find that our friend J-Lynn was already drinking! J-Lynn was drinking what the Thai call a Thai Bucket, consisting of a flask of hard alcohol, a can of coke, and a bottle of red bull energy drink. Jeff was primed and ready for a day at the beach. The beach at Phi Phi wasn't as nice as Haad Rin at Ko Phangnan. The sand was more coarse, the beaches were dirtier, and the water wasn't as clear.
We relaxed on the beach for a majority of the afternoon. Unfortunately, while Sam was wading in the water he somehow broke his water proof camera. Even more unfortunately Sam could barely walk from his Muay Thai fight the night before. Apparently the kicks he took to his left knee had caused significant swelling and throbbing pain.
Once Sam got back we called it a day. On our way back it started dumping rain. We decided a massage would be a good way to pass time until dinner. The massages were great. An hour long massage cost the equivalent to $10 US dollars. After our massages we took some Thailand naps.
When we woke up we went to the grocery store to get some beers and then we played drinking games back at the hotel. Although tonight was fun it wasn't nearly as much fun as last night. We went back to all the same bars as last night and the night ended with J-Lynn falling into the ocean and losing his digital camera in the water...silly Jeff.
We relaxed on the beach for a majority of the afternoon. Unfortunately, while Sam was wading in the water he somehow broke his water proof camera. Even more unfortunately Sam could barely walk from his Muay Thai fight the night before. Apparently the kicks he took to his left knee had caused significant swelling and throbbing pain.
Once Sam got back we called it a day. On our way back it started dumping rain. We decided a massage would be a good way to pass time until dinner. The massages were great. An hour long massage cost the equivalent to $10 US dollars. After our massages we took some Thailand naps.
When we woke up we went to the grocery store to get some beers and then we played drinking games back at the hotel. Although tonight was fun it wasn't nearly as much fun as last night. We went back to all the same bars as last night and the night ended with J-Lynn falling into the ocean and losing his digital camera in the water...silly Jeff.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Day Fifty-Two
Today was our fourth and last day of diving. Our first dive was at Miaay Bay and I'm pretty sure it was at Phi Phi. Our second dive was at the King Cruiser shipwreck. The strong current made the dive a little difficult but the labyrinths of rusting metal, tunnels, and toilets was great fun.
Before our third dive at Anemone Reef, Sam and I swam over to another dive boat at the same site and asked if they could give us a ride back to the Phi Phi Islands. The captain was more than cordial and gave us a ride for free! Unfortunately, we missed our fourth dive of the day but we saved ourselves a full day of travel which enabled me to go to the Half Moon Party back in Ko Phangnan.
When we got to Phi Phi we had another couple hours of sunlight. We checked into our hotel, right next to Hippies Bar, and went to the beach on the other side of the island. We ran into some English girls we had met in Phuket while hanging out on the beach. We had dinner with the girls and then split to get ready for the night life scene.
Later on in the night we met up with the girls at Jordan's Irish Pub. We hung out there for an hour or so before we went to the Tiger Club. When we got to the Tiger Club, Sam decided it would be a good idea to Muay Thai box a complete stranger as the bar had a boxing ring and referee. Unfortunately, Sam ended up getting a draw but he'll always be a winner in our eyes.
After a quick trip to Hippies Bar I called it a night. Later dudes!
Before our third dive at Anemone Reef, Sam and I swam over to another dive boat at the same site and asked if they could give us a ride back to the Phi Phi Islands. The captain was more than cordial and gave us a ride for free! Unfortunately, we missed our fourth dive of the day but we saved ourselves a full day of travel which enabled me to go to the Half Moon Party back in Ko Phangnan.
When we got to Phi Phi we had another couple hours of sunlight. We checked into our hotel, right next to Hippies Bar, and went to the beach on the other side of the island. We ran into some English girls we had met in Phuket while hanging out on the beach. We had dinner with the girls and then split to get ready for the night life scene.
Later on in the night we met up with the girls at Jordan's Irish Pub. We hung out there for an hour or so before we went to the Tiger Club. When we got to the Tiger Club, Sam decided it would be a good idea to Muay Thai box a complete stranger as the bar had a boxing ring and referee. Unfortunately, Sam ended up getting a draw but he'll always be a winner in our eyes.
After a quick trip to Hippies Bar I called it a night. Later dudes!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Day Fifty One
Today was our third day of the dive trip, ( along with two new divers). Unfortunately visibility wasn't that great but we still had a good four dive day. Our first dive was at a dive site called Shark Point. We didn't see any sharks but we did see scorpion fish and octopus. About five minutes into our dive Sam actually had to call it quits because his camera couldn't go any deeper.
Our second dive of the day was right off the Phi Phi Islands at a dive site called Bida Nai. Bida Nai was a reef situated around the steep cliffs of a small island. To our disappointment the visibility was also pretty bad here too.
Our third dive, still at the Phi Phi Islands, was at a dive site called Ao Losama. The current was pretty strong so we couldn't see certain sides of the island's reef. We saw giant sea fans and a couple well hidden scorpion fish. After our third dive we snorkeled onto the main shore and followed a trail through a rock cave. The trail put us out on the beach where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. Unfortunately, the beach had been desecrated by years of beach goers' trash.
Our last dive of the day was a night dive at eight o'clock. We were each equipped with a dive flashlight. We caught a glimpse of a black tip shark but didn't see any other fish of interest. When we got back on board we watched the movie "Knocked Up,"...hilarious. Night guys.
Our second dive of the day was right off the Phi Phi Islands at a dive site called Bida Nai. Bida Nai was a reef situated around the steep cliffs of a small island. To our disappointment the visibility was also pretty bad here too.
Our third dive, still at the Phi Phi Islands, was at a dive site called Ao Losama. The current was pretty strong so we couldn't see certain sides of the island's reef. We saw giant sea fans and a couple well hidden scorpion fish. After our third dive we snorkeled onto the main shore and followed a trail through a rock cave. The trail put us out on the beach where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. Unfortunately, the beach had been desecrated by years of beach goers' trash.
Our last dive of the day was a night dive at eight o'clock. We were each equipped with a dive flashlight. We caught a glimpse of a black tip shark but didn't see any other fish of interest. When we got back on board we watched the movie "Knocked Up,"...hilarious. Night guys.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Day Fifty
Today was the second day of our four day dive trip. On a typical dive day, like today, we would have some toast and jam, do our first dive, have a big breakfast, do our second dive, have a big lunch, do our third dive, have an afternoon snack, do our fourth dive, and finish the day with a group dinner.
Before leaving the island of Racha Yai J-Lynn and I did our third dive skills lesson at the dive site called Homerun. Once we were back on the boat we started off on our way to the Racha Noi Bay, we ate breakfast in transit. J-Lynn and I were excited to get back into the water to do our final diving skills exercise. We practiced underwater navigation and a couple other vital skills.
Neil told us that during the underwater navigation exercise he was going to move so that we didn't cheat and just swim back to where him. J-Lynn took this quite seriously. In fact he swam right past us and kept going. I stayed put and Neil chased after him. Once J-Lynn was back in our company I finished up my skills and we were soon official Open Water SCUBA divers. During the second dive of the day I brought a 35mm camera that one of Sam's coworkers had lent him. Unfortunately the pressure from our diving depth smooshed the camera's capture button down. When you came up to a shallower depth the pressure would ease off and you could take pictures...but that's no fun!
Our third dive of the day was at Racha Noi's Banana Bay. After that dive we traveled back to Racha Yai and did our last dive of the day back at Racha Yai's Lucy's Reef. During our final day dive we saw a massive jellyfish which I managed to sneek a picture next to! We also saw a scorpionfish and an octopus.
After our last dive we came back to the Karon Beach marina so that we could drop off Neil, stay the night there, and pick up more divers the next day to join us. Sam, the Jeffs, and I disembarked and went into Patong Bay to get some drinks, we also bought some dvds to watch on the boat, ( Knocked Up, Transformers, and Die Hard 4).
Night everyone!
Before leaving the island of Racha Yai J-Lynn and I did our third dive skills lesson at the dive site called Homerun. Once we were back on the boat we started off on our way to the Racha Noi Bay, we ate breakfast in transit. J-Lynn and I were excited to get back into the water to do our final diving skills exercise. We practiced underwater navigation and a couple other vital skills.
Neil told us that during the underwater navigation exercise he was going to move so that we didn't cheat and just swim back to where him. J-Lynn took this quite seriously. In fact he swam right past us and kept going. I stayed put and Neil chased after him. Once J-Lynn was back in our company I finished up my skills and we were soon official Open Water SCUBA divers. During the second dive of the day I brought a 35mm camera that one of Sam's coworkers had lent him. Unfortunately the pressure from our diving depth smooshed the camera's capture button down. When you came up to a shallower depth the pressure would ease off and you could take pictures...but that's no fun!
Our third dive of the day was at Racha Noi's Banana Bay. After that dive we traveled back to Racha Yai and did our last dive of the day back at Racha Yai's Lucy's Reef. During our final day dive we saw a massive jellyfish which I managed to sneek a picture next to! We also saw a scorpionfish and an octopus.
After our last dive we came back to the Karon Beach marina so that we could drop off Neil, stay the night there, and pick up more divers the next day to join us. Sam, the Jeffs, and I disembarked and went into Patong Bay to get some drinks, we also bought some dvds to watch on the boat, ( Knocked Up, Transformers, and Die Hard 4).
Night everyone!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Day Fourty-Nine
We woke up early to prepare for our first day of diving today! After eating breakfast at the Best Western Karon Beach, (our hotel without power), an Australian man named Rudy accompanied by our German divemaster Waldi picked us up to take us to the dive shop. At the dive shop we met our dive agency director Jamie, who to our disappointment was a man. We met up with our fourth wheel, Jeff Davidson. Once we were all together Jamie geared us up with dive equipment and then Rudy took our entire crew to the Karon Beach marina.
At the marina we were J-Lynn and I were greeted by our personal dive instructor Neil. Neil was an English born Australian who had been living in Thailand for the past five or six years diving and giving lessons. From this point on the trip was complete luxury. Our group had the entire Sai Mai diving yacht to ourselves. We had our own personal boat crew which consisted of a captain, chef, and two deckhands to take care of our every need.
We left the marina around ten o'clock. From Karon beach we went to our first dive site Racha Yai- Bay 2 where Neil instructed Jeff Lynn and I for our first dive skills lesson. Sam and Davidson went along with Waldi to test the quality of their new underwater digital cameras.
{ Before I go on I need to tell you how awesome our deckhands were. Before each dive our deckhands would make sure all of our equipment was functioning properly, they would fill our tanks, help secure our vests, and even get down on their knees to slip our flippers on for us. SWEET!}
Anyways, after our first dive the deckhands helped us out of our gear and then we went upstairs for lunch which was awesome. Around four o'clock we jumped in for our second dive of the day at the same dive site. This time J-Lynn and I were able to do our second set of dive skill exercises within five minutes. This gave us ample time, (about 35 minutes), for our first underwater exploration in Thailand. To name a few we saw Moray Eels, Lizardfish, Trumpetfish, Indian Lionfish, Pufferfish, and Triggerfish.
After our second dive we had a nice dinner and relaxed to the sunset. The "big boys," Davidson and Sam (the certified divers), went on a night dive around seven o'clock. Neil wouldn't take J-Lynn and I because we weren't "certified" enough... Anyways, I ended up putting on my wetsuit and followed them around with a flashlight. I had a great chance to practice my free diving skills which I must say have gotten better since the last time I went out with a snorkel. I was able to dive 5 to 7 meters and stay down for 15-20 seconds each time, it was sweet! At one point I even dove down and grabbed Sam's leg when he wasn't expecting it...I'm suck a jokester.
Once Sam and Davidson were out of site I had J-Lynn keep an eye on me from the side of the boat while I circled around a small reef about 10 yards off. The reef didn't have much going on, that was until I saw a funny looking football shaped thing hovering around. Upon closer inspection I noticed this football shaped being had arms on one side. Besides being alone by myself I was in the dark water with only a flashlight. The fainthearted may have gone back to the boat. I on the other hand chose to hover around, dive, and flashlight this little creature I had discovered. After about fifteen minutes of watching this thing scavenge through the sand with its arms I decided to call it a night. When I got back on the boat Neil told me what I had seen was a Cuttlefish, ( a fish that falls in the same family as octopuses and squid).
Post dive we chilled on some beers and watched some Asia Cup soccer.
At the marina we were J-Lynn and I were greeted by our personal dive instructor Neil. Neil was an English born Australian who had been living in Thailand for the past five or six years diving and giving lessons. From this point on the trip was complete luxury. Our group had the entire Sai Mai diving yacht to ourselves. We had our own personal boat crew which consisted of a captain, chef, and two deckhands to take care of our every need.
We left the marina around ten o'clock. From Karon beach we went to our first dive site Racha Yai- Bay 2 where Neil instructed Jeff Lynn and I for our first dive skills lesson. Sam and Davidson went along with Waldi to test the quality of their new underwater digital cameras.
{ Before I go on I need to tell you how awesome our deckhands were. Before each dive our deckhands would make sure all of our equipment was functioning properly, they would fill our tanks, help secure our vests, and even get down on their knees to slip our flippers on for us. SWEET!}
Anyways, after our first dive the deckhands helped us out of our gear and then we went upstairs for lunch which was awesome. Around four o'clock we jumped in for our second dive of the day at the same dive site. This time J-Lynn and I were able to do our second set of dive skill exercises within five minutes. This gave us ample time, (about 35 minutes), for our first underwater exploration in Thailand. To name a few we saw Moray Eels, Lizardfish, Trumpetfish, Indian Lionfish, Pufferfish, and Triggerfish.
After our second dive we had a nice dinner and relaxed to the sunset. The "big boys," Davidson and Sam (the certified divers), went on a night dive around seven o'clock. Neil wouldn't take J-Lynn and I because we weren't "certified" enough... Anyways, I ended up putting on my wetsuit and followed them around with a flashlight. I had a great chance to practice my free diving skills which I must say have gotten better since the last time I went out with a snorkel. I was able to dive 5 to 7 meters and stay down for 15-20 seconds each time, it was sweet! At one point I even dove down and grabbed Sam's leg when he wasn't expecting it...I'm suck a jokester.
Once Sam and Davidson were out of site I had J-Lynn keep an eye on me from the side of the boat while I circled around a small reef about 10 yards off. The reef didn't have much going on, that was until I saw a funny looking football shaped thing hovering around. Upon closer inspection I noticed this football shaped being had arms on one side. Besides being alone by myself I was in the dark water with only a flashlight. The fainthearted may have gone back to the boat. I on the other hand chose to hover around, dive, and flashlight this little creature I had discovered. After about fifteen minutes of watching this thing scavenge through the sand with its arms I decided to call it a night. When I got back on the boat Neil told me what I had seen was a Cuttlefish, ( a fish that falls in the same family as octopuses and squid).
Post dive we chilled on some beers and watched some Asia Cup soccer.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Day Fourty Eight
Today we woke up around ten o'clock, I was a little sick from the night before. We hired a tuk tuk, ( taxi truck with benches in the covered bed, to take us to the Ko Phangnan marina. Our ferry took three hours to get to the Surat Thani marina.
The operation was a little shady and we somehow ended up in a travel agency/restaurant/ internet cafe in the middle of the city. Fortunately the Thai people are on top of their stuff and we had a private minibus as soon as we finished our late lunch.
The bus ride from Surat Thani to Phuket took about four and a half hours. When we got to our hotel at Karon Beach we were disappointed to find out that they had no power. Reluctantly, we picked up our luggage and followed a bellman to an adjacent resort.
Once Jeff and I got settled in we took a taxi to Patong Beach, ( "The City on the Sea), to meet up with our friend Sam. We anxiously waited for Sam at a bar called the Tiger Club. The Tiger Club was less of a bar than it was a drunken outdoor fiasco consisting of multiple pubs. We were happy to see Sam and had quite the interesting night once we had him in our company, (i.e. The Dragon Club).
Traveled from Kp Phangnan to Phuket to meet up with Sam...(to be completed).
The operation was a little shady and we somehow ended up in a travel agency/restaurant/ internet cafe in the middle of the city. Fortunately the Thai people are on top of their stuff and we had a private minibus as soon as we finished our late lunch.
The bus ride from Surat Thani to Phuket took about four and a half hours. When we got to our hotel at Karon Beach we were disappointed to find out that they had no power. Reluctantly, we picked up our luggage and followed a bellman to an adjacent resort.
Once Jeff and I got settled in we took a taxi to Patong Beach, ( "The City on the Sea), to meet up with our friend Sam. We anxiously waited for Sam at a bar called the Tiger Club. The Tiger Club was less of a bar than it was a drunken outdoor fiasco consisting of multiple pubs. We were happy to see Sam and had quite the interesting night once we had him in our company, (i.e. The Dragon Club).
Traveled from Kp Phangnan to Phuket to meet up with Sam...(to be completed).
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