Cooking Class

Yum

In Chiang Mai

Took the night train in from Bangkok last night. I think I'm just going to take it easy here in Chiang Mai. Trekking into the Northern Thailand hills is a very popular activity around here but I think I'm going to take it easy and skip out on that. Tomorrow I take a Thai cooking class on a farm outside the city, then on Saturday I think I will take a massage class, and then before I know it I'll be home...

I'm a Diver Now!

Today I was certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver.  I really like scuba diving.  I've always had a thing for water - ever since I almost drowned in 1st grade and my parents put me in swim class and then on the swim team, I've felt very comfortable in the water.  Being underwater - isolated from noise and consciously controlling every breath - is a good way to clear your head. I've met tons of folks here who are on diving vacations - here in Koh Tao for several weeks and then off to Indonesia or elsewhere, just to dive.  I can see the appeal - I've logged 10 dives in the last 5 days!  

Anyway, enjoy these pictures from today's dive for now.  Have a long travel day to Malaysia starting tomorrow afternoon but will try to post a more comprehensive update before then.

Full Moon Party Recap

Still a little tired so this post will not be as comprehensive as I might've hoped but oh well.  Went to the Full Moon Party last night.  It was pretty crazy.  Basically a whole beach full of drunken partygoers with glow sticks and body paint (I had glow sticks and body paint on too - it was fun) dancing to blaring music, carts selling buckets of liquor and crappy food all up and down the beach for 1km, people juggling fire, jumping through fire hoops, trippin balls on E lying in the ocean, passed out drunkies, etc.  I didn't bring my camera (didn't want to get it stolen or lost) so no pictures, but if you want to get a sense of it do some googling and you'll find plenty.  

Don't get me wrong - it was an awesome scene so I guess I would say it was a "good party" but really I was more impressed by the drunken debauchery.   I didn't drink much at all - just a beer - my primary goal was to people-watch.  And boy did I see some crazy stuff.  

One staple of the Full Moon Party is the fire tossers, who juggle flaming torches for the crowd's amusement.  Well as the night went on, the flaming torches were shelved and the flaming limbo bar brought out.  Then after that, it progressed to the flaming hoop.  The drunkies kept jumping through the hoop of fire and while many of them managed to impressively clear the hoop, many others of them failed and got caught and got burned.  At one point two guys tried to jump into the hoop at the same time from opposite sides and crashed into each other and caught on the fire ring spending sparks everywhere. I watched it with a mix of curiousity and horror like a trainwreck - you can't really peel your eyes away from something like that. One guy in my taxi (actually pickup truck with ten people stuffed in the back) coming home had a big burn mark and exposed flesh (for lack of better words) from getting caught on the fire hoop.

By 3 or so in the morning, there were tons of people just passed out lying on the beach contorted in various positions.  I saw one guy sitting on a step slumped over with vomit (or poo, couldnt tell) on himself.  I ducked into a massage parlor for an hour for a very pleasant foot massage, and by the time I came out around 4 the streets were filling with sloppy belligerent drunks, so that was my cue to bail out of there and take the boat back to Koh Tao.  

It was pretty ridiculous, actually, but I'm glad to have gone just to have seen/experienced it.  

More diving tomorrow.  

Not leaving anytime soon

After finishing my scuba course, I feel like I've only gotten a taste of it and so I've decided to stay on Koh Tao to take the Advanced course, with a break in between to go to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phan Ngan.  Not really in any rush to leave the islands, seeing as how it's all perfect here and all...

No underwater pictures yet but I'm planning on taking a photography dive as part of my advanced course so you'll have some to see after that.  

Diving, Beaches, etc.

Hello from Koh Tao, where I've just finished day 2 of scuba lessons.  I don't feel very verbose today, so I'll mainly leave you with some pictures of the scene here.  Scuba has been great - I've taken to the water quite easily and am pretty comfortable swimming already.  I'm a little hooked, to be honest, and am mulling taking the advanced course, which would give me another 5 dives here.  

Less talk, more pictures:

My home for the past few days

People hanging out on beach

My dinner, on the beach.  (Pork with Basil, $3)

Blue skies...coconut trees...beach...

Hello from Paradise

Arrived in Koh Tao this morning.  It's amazing.  Scuba lessons start in 2 hours.  More later.  

Goodbye Vietnam, Hello Beach

Flew into Bangkok this morning. About to hop on a train then ferry to Koh Tao for diving and chillin on the beach. More later.