Cousin Resort Khao Lak

... with only 12 other people in nice cabins with awesome dives. Though we weren't happy about killing time for two days since we had several tours we could have taken in Krabi, it was nice to try and get caught up on my travelpod. One of our daily stops was oddly enough at 7-11. They are all over Thailand and the AC is a nice reprieve from the hot outside. We would visit 7-11 several times a day both in Bangkok and Khao Lak mostly just to "browse ...

We arrived on shore on a high, arranged to meet everyone at a nightclub (yes those things we have not visited in a year) and ended up having to stand them up due to Ems' sudden post-diving onset of a horrid cold. Luckily our hotel was very comfy and did goo chicken soup and it was bed by 8 for us. Next day a quick walk on the beach with memorials to families that died in the tsunami before heading south.

... until either they learn how to act correctly underwater or they just agree to never strap on a bcd and go back on their merry way. i suppose this all sounds racist but if you mention the words diving and japanese in the same sentence around just about any divemaster or instuctor, you will get a sad shake of the head and then an outburst of profanity that is both frightening and yet almost poetic in nature....think of it as a foul ...

... is the presence of some really strong currents on these dive sites. you find yourself really struggling sometimes trying to keep your proper buoyancy and going in the proper direction. i faired pretty well but there were a few times where a giant coral encrusted wall seemed to swerve out of nowhere into my path.....damn corals. in the end the trip was in essence a job interview and i passed. it is the beginning of the ...

... and yellow swim fins that match the fish. Taking mental photos and videos of everything around. Feeling cool currents, warm jets, lettnig myself get swayed back and forth with the fish in the tide. Swimly gracefully around underwater boulders and mini-caves to look for eels. A little creepy, thinknig I could get sucked and in stuck! Hearing my own breathing through the tube. The shimmering dappled sun creating surreal effects and shadows ...

... intentional attempt to bypass the phrase "Forsaking all others"! Then there was superb food and excellent champagne, accompanied by traditional Thai musicians playing what sounded very much like Gamelin music. Later, much later, we were all down on the beach for another traditional Thai custom [borrowed from the Chinese]. It involves lighting a flame inside a 3' high, 2' diameter bottomless calico lantern; holding the lantern until it has heated ...

... but the estimate, given by group leaders A and B (these were the guys that came with us from the Third party Thai company running the project and will be referred to as GL A and GL B henceforth!), was that it was only a further 30 mins to the top then an hour to walk down the other side to the dry river bed. Sounded fair enough - just dig in and enjoy the challenge of climbing the hill! Gradually, the "trek up the hill", turned into "clambering ...

... here; everyone else is from Germany, Norway, Russia, the UK and Sweden. Her name is Lili, and she knows Maile, turns out she taught ESL at the R35 school here in Khao Lak and at the International School in Saigon. The R35 School is the school that ISB is helping rebuild post-Tsunami. It's a K-12 school for poor families. The new school is on a hill just above the original ...

... pics and then pay the man his 50 bhats. The only shortcoming is the poor treatment and care of the snakes. The centre is overcrowded with snakes and they are very roughly handled and cared for. On return to Bangkok we briefly stop at a crafts centre where the standard of crafts is excellent. For example a hand crafted table and 8 chairs with extremely good decoration costs approx 140e, including shipping. It was the most incredibly beautiful teak furniture we've ever seen ...

... for a good couple of hours after which we went out to watcha parade in honour of the kings birthday and have some brekkie after which we returned to look at some of the more remote temples out of the main complex which took us a good couple of hours in the hot sun. It was thoroughly lovely. After all that fun we had some hard travelling work to do, we raced back to the hotel collected our bags and raced back to the bus station to catch a 1300 bus to Chiang Mai ...