Holiday!
Trip Start
May 06, 2006
1
45
81
Trip End
Mar 23, 2009
Ko Tao,
Thailand
Thursday, April 5, 2007
I had to get away from the temple 'cos I really think my time there is done. I'm sick of so many things and so many people and I want to leave on a fairly good note. Things got a little better again after 2 Swedish girls left and spoke to the abbott about how they didn't like the way the tigers were being treated - the next morning a 45 minute yelling from the abbott occured which I was told by one of the boys was about the way they treat the tigers and people who have come to help leaving 'cos they hated it
Sunset on the island
. In addition, we're getting to do less and less with the tigers and we have nothing at all to do with the cubs who are stuck in a cage that's far too small for them simply because there's nowhere else to put them. We tried walking them the other day to let them play and get some exercise but they've never really been anywhere in their 4 months and so were plain petrified of EVERYTHING! It's such a shame 'cos if they'd let us do a little bit each day then they'd be fine. Pure frustration. Of course, even now, I miss my baby FaDaeng and I know leaving her is gonna crush me but I don't really feel like my being there is helping any more so I'm moving on. I may go back for a few days before I leave and definitely on my last day to say goodbye but other than that I'm finished there.With that in mind and knowing that I'm heading to Australia in just a few weeks and that on my arrival there I will also be working I figured I would head off and finally see the islands of Thailand before I absolutely, no excuses, definitely have to leave this country with so much to offer for the pure fact that I cannot change my flight again! It's been almost a year since I left and I already let go of the flight from Oz to NZ 'cos I simply couldn't fit it in so I can't let go of another one!
And here I am, with my Thai boyfriend, Jom, on the beautiful island of Ko Tao. It's not quite as remote as I'd expected or hoped but when there's something this beautiful it can't stay undiscovered for long! In some ways I prefer the little island I visited in Malaysia that hardly anyone knew about 'cos there are honestly more foreign people here than Thai people so it's a little spoiled in that sense but once you're under the water you don't really notice!
Ahhh, under the sea! I've taken the opportunity to learn to dive while I'm here. I know I'll want to do some diving in Australia and it's more than twice the price to learn there so I decided to get my Open Water Course and my Advanced Diver Course done while I was here. It's also one of the best places to do it 'cos you get to see all the amazing sights while you learn that you usually wouldn't get to see on most learner dives. So, the past few days have seen me doing 5 dives going to a depth of 18 metres and in the next 2 days I will do another 5 dives where I will get to see even more sea life at a depth of 30 metres! There have been many shark sightings that far down and just in the past few days there have been whale sharks spotted which everyone is extremely excited about and I might also get to see! Only problem is, it has made the dive sites very busy! I think I'll also take a night dive as one of mine which would be a very surreal experience. As the majority of you will know I spent a lot of my youth in the water and so being able to breathe underneath it makes the whole experience even more thrilling! That with seeing so many amazing creatures and colours under the water has just added to the bug. I have no intentions of going all the way and becoming an instructor and sticking around but I've definitely been bitten by the diving bug... even if the equipment is so damn heavy!!
One small piece of advice I do have for anyone visiting this island is not to hire a normal motorbike. You won 't get anywhere except for the paved roads! As soon as you leave the main town it gets ridiculously hilly and there's no paving so it's way too dangerous to go anywhere. You can hire these big dirt track bikes and these cool beach buggy style things and I would definitely recommend that if you wanna explore. They're a lot more expensive but probably worth it for the day (we didn't get one but I'm gutted I didn't get to explore how I wanted to).
Being here has, of course, made for some idyllic photographs which I hope to share once I get everything sorted - probably not until Australia now 'cos I'm having so many problems getting a card reader that reads my damn memory card! Stupid sony and their individuality!!
Other than that, not much news. I"m going to go and sit on the beach with a cocktail and chill out for the rest of the evening preparing for my dive tomorrow where I hope to see sharks - wish me luck! I hope all is well with everyone and I hope to hear from you all soon! Take care all.
