While there are many more stories from Thailand, I am now home and back at work! I did want to recount a little bit of my trip home though.
I was brought to the airport by the driver that had been taking me around all week. When we got there we met up with Oak and Ekky. They were there to see me off. It wasn't just them though. They came accompanied by Captain Mike of the Thailand security police. He was sent by "the General" who is a friend of Oak's father. He met us, and then made a few calls on his cell phone, disappeared for about 10 minutes, and then came back with an official from Thai Airways and two immigration officials. Captain Mike then takes us to the Royal Silk First Class check in area and I avoided all the lines and craziness of the usual check in area. The check in lounge was separate and calm and nice! Then we moved to immigration and I went through the diplomatic line, again, no waiting. Oak, Ekky, and the two drivers, were also able to go through the secure area to hang out with me for a while. After some brief shopping for a book, Captain Mike worked his magic and got me into the Royal Silk lounge and I was able to wait for the flight in comfort with snacks and food and computer use! It was actually quite civilized.
Of course, I got to the plane and was thrust back to coach class (where I truly belong, of course). We boarded the plane for our 17 hour journey back home. Of course, someone checked their luggage but then didn't get on the plane so it took about an hour to serach for this guy's bags. We take off and it is a relatively boring flight. I ate all three of the hot meals, had a couple beers and a glass of wine, went to the bathroom three times, watched 4 movies (or was it five?), and slept a bit. I watched the clock and was pretty excited when it was reaching 7:00am (NYC time).
The pilot informs us at 7:00 that we are going to have to circle due to "traffic". It will be another 30 minutes. 35 minutes later he tells us that we will be diverted to Newark because of bad weather. We change course and land at Newark at about 8:00am. As we landed I saw the fire trucks racing down the runway, when I realized that they were coming towards our plane. We landed, stopped moving, the firetrucks zoomed around us and then left. I figured we must be low on fuel after being in the air for that long. We taxied for a while to a gate. The flight attendents tell us that we will need to wait to hear from the ground staff about connecting flights. Then they tell us that we need to sit back down. Then they tell us we are not going to be able get off the plane right away. I guess Custom's in Newark wouldn't accept us. Then they tell us that we are not going to deplane at Newark, we are going to need to stay on the plane and then fly back to JFK "when the weather improves."
The woman behind me is now hysterical. Crying, yelling, sobbing. "I have to get off this plane." "Some stupid business man is getting rich becuase they won't let us off this plane." "I don't think I can take it anymore." "I want to be anywhere but here, I can't take it." "DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" etc etc.
I decided I would ask the flight attendent:
"So, why can't we get off the plane?"
"US Customs wont' allow you to deplane."
"Why?"
"It has something to do with the bags being tagged to JFK."
"How long until we go to JFK?"
"It could be up to five hours!"
"Five hours? Can I just get a Coke then?"
"Sure!"
I felt bad for the flight attendents, you could tell they were ready for us to be off the plane as well.
So I pulled out my phone, sent some texts, made some calls, watched another movie, entertained myself. About two and a half hours later they tell us that we are leaving for JFK (a 13 minute flight) because "some planes have been able to land successfully." First they needed to refuel. (Why the didnt' refuel in the first 2.5 hours, I am not sure.) Off we went and arrived at JFK at about 11:00 or so. It was about a 23 hour flight.
Wow. That is a long time to be on a plane.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Bangkok after dark
So I was taken out on the town last night. How this fateful trip came about is a long story (aren't they all). I will only say here that 1. I drank a bunch of Heinekens, and 2. I have never been good in the face of peer pressure. As always I consider my night one of cultural exchange! Don't worry, Mom, it wasn't as bad as you are thinking!
Smelly feet?
When you walk into a Thai home, it is polite to take off your shoes. The same goes for a temple. As a guy who doesn't much care for shoes in the first palce, I appreciate the ability to be barefoot. It is just that, if you have been walking around sightseeing all day, you better hope that your feet and shoes don't smell too bad. I (thankfully) have been lucky, but I am not going to lie, I am always a little worried about it...and then there is that whole changing thing again, taking off the shoes, putting htem back on, etc. The funny thing is that I would be happy to be barefoot all the time, in or out, but I guess that defeats the purpose as well. I think I would have been happy if I could have found the pair of Birkenstocks I was looking for before I left!
The monks have it right
Bangkok is hot and humid. If you are outside you are going to sweat. There is no way around it. Everything is air conditioned, but you walk outside and you remember that it is a hot country. I was watching the monks and figured out that they are pretty smart.
There are all these rules when you are a monk. You collect alms, you can't touch money at certain times, etc. There is something like 277 rules they have to follow. Mostly though, a monk prays. And he shaves his head. And he wears an orange toga thing. And he is barefoot a lot of the time. And people give him food, and other supplies. How smart is that? You can wear nearly nothing, and people love you and give you food! So in this hot and humid country, it is socially acceptable for you to be comfortable all the time!
What I didn't realize is that most Thai men will be a monk for a short period in their lives. It is an important act for families to have their sons be a monk at some point in their life. The kids I was with said they are planning to do it for about 3 months at the conclusion of school. That is intense!
There are all these rules when you are a monk. You collect alms, you can't touch money at certain times, etc. There is something like 277 rules they have to follow. Mostly though, a monk prays. And he shaves his head. And he wears an orange toga thing. And he is barefoot a lot of the time. And people give him food, and other supplies. How smart is that? You can wear nearly nothing, and people love you and give you food! So in this hot and humid country, it is socially acceptable for you to be comfortable all the time!
What I didn't realize is that most Thai men will be a monk for a short period in their lives. It is an important act for families to have their sons be a monk at some point in their life. The kids I was with said they are planning to do it for about 3 months at the conclusion of school. That is intense!
Elephants, Snakes, and Pandas
This past week, I travelled north to Chiang Mai, what in some travel guides in known as the "spritual capital" of the Thailand. It was a great little city, a lot less hectic then Bangkok but with a lot to see. Most of the tourist destinations in the cities are temples (or wats) and they are all unique in some way but have the traditional Thai architecture and they all have a ton of Buddha representations. Chiang Mai is no different. We arrived and immediately we were off seeing temples. Some are really impressive, some are just touristy, and at some you can really feel a strong spritual presence. I was wondering why I kept going to temple after temple, but then it is just like so many other places, houses of worship draw the spiritual as well as the visitor!
The point of the entry however and to say that one of teh things we did in Chiang Mai was check out a bunch of animals. I was sent up north with one of my students Ekky and his father's secretary/driver/"go to" guy. When we arrived at the airport we met our driver for the next two days and off we went. We went to the snake park, and then the elephant park, and then the next day we also hit the zoo to see the Pandas and Koalas! We were constantly on the move. AFter being here for a while, I am not sure that my sister, the vet, would really approve of the treatment and cages for the animals. They were somewhat primitive and I wopnder about whether it is really good for the snakes. We saw the "snake show" which was entertaining, but also a bit hectic. They would antagonize the snakes to get them to strike, etc etc and then left them in their little pens until the next show!
The elephant show was much better! They made the elephants do a bunch of things that may be unnatural for the elephant, but they also clearly had an appreciation of the animal and what it can do. We watched them kick soccer balls and move logs and swing their trunks and play harmonicas. But the most impressive thing that they did was paint pictures. Now, I thought it would be a gimmic. But I watch with my own eyes as about 10 elephants actually painted recognizable pictures with their trunks. There were trees and flowes, an abstract work (he must still be in training, but the most impressive picture was of a branch of a tree with some birds. After he painted the birds the elephant then painted "I love my mother" in Thai! Pretty incredible.
WE headed off to the zoo to ssee the pandas. Much like at the Memphis Zoo, the pandas are kept in a special enclosure, purposefully built to house them with climate control and everything to make them happy. These Pandas were a gift to Thailand from China. The Thai's did a nice job with it. I was excited to see them, not just becuase theyare cool to watch, but it was the first time I have seen a panda where I haven't been jostled by a crowd of people. There were very few people watching them so it was very relzed and actually quite nice. Also, there wasn't glass between the Pandas and me. There was a ditch (moat) but not glass. It was great to see them!
All was good in the north of Thailand this week.
The point of the entry however and to say that one of teh things we did in Chiang Mai was check out a bunch of animals. I was sent up north with one of my students Ekky and his father's secretary/driver/"go to" guy. When we arrived at the airport we met our driver for the next two days and off we went. We went to the snake park, and then the elephant park, and then the next day we also hit the zoo to see the Pandas and Koalas! We were constantly on the move. AFter being here for a while, I am not sure that my sister, the vet, would really approve of the treatment and cages for the animals. They were somewhat primitive and I wopnder about whether it is really good for the snakes. We saw the "snake show" which was entertaining, but also a bit hectic. They would antagonize the snakes to get them to strike, etc etc and then left them in their little pens until the next show!
The elephant show was much better! They made the elephants do a bunch of things that may be unnatural for the elephant, but they also clearly had an appreciation of the animal and what it can do. We watched them kick soccer balls and move logs and swing their trunks and play harmonicas. But the most impressive thing that they did was paint pictures. Now, I thought it would be a gimmic. But I watch with my own eyes as about 10 elephants actually painted recognizable pictures with their trunks. There were trees and flowes, an abstract work (he must still be in training, but the most impressive picture was of a branch of a tree with some birds. After he painted the birds the elephant then painted "I love my mother" in Thai! Pretty incredible.
WE headed off to the zoo to ssee the pandas. Much like at the Memphis Zoo, the pandas are kept in a special enclosure, purposefully built to house them with climate control and everything to make them happy. These Pandas were a gift to Thailand from China. The Thai's did a nice job with it. I was excited to see them, not just becuase theyare cool to watch, but it was the first time I have seen a panda where I haven't been jostled by a crowd of people. There were very few people watching them so it was very relzed and actually quite nice. Also, there wasn't glass between the Pandas and me. There was a ditch (moat) but not glass. It was great to see them!
All was good in the north of Thailand this week.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Bangkok Traffic
In almost everything you read about Bangkok, you learn about two things: the nightlife, and the traffic. Even though I had read about it, and heard about it from our Thai students, I don't think I really got it; I am not sure it is possible to get it!
The traffic is horrendous, horrific, terrible, frustrating, (fill in your own adjective here)! I realize that I walk to work, and that my longest commute (in my life) to and from work has only been 15 minutes and for that I am lucky. I really do know that. My father has driven 50-70 minutes one way to work as long as I can remember. I know I am spoiled. I can tell you though, I have seen a tremendous amount of Bangkok out of the windows of a car. It is nearly impossible at different times during the day to move at all in the city. Many of the traffic lights have a countdown so you can see how long you have to wait. The shortest one I have seen is 90 seconds, followed by a 25 second green light! Talk about road rage! It is not that the roads are to small, most of the main roads are 4-6 lanes in one direction. It is not that there isn't public transportation, there is the sky train, a subway, buses, and taxis. It is just too many damn cars! They estimate about 4 million cars in the city! 4 MILLION! No wonder it is crowded!
They have these boards to tell you which roads are congested. If the road is really bad, it is red, then yellow, then green. Any way you look at it, I have estimated even in off peak times going place to place in the city is about 45 minutes. I will try to remember this as I complain about having to wait for a minute as I cross Route 75 to work.
The traffic is horrendous, horrific, terrible, frustrating, (fill in your own adjective here)! I realize that I walk to work, and that my longest commute (in my life) to and from work has only been 15 minutes and for that I am lucky. I really do know that. My father has driven 50-70 minutes one way to work as long as I can remember. I know I am spoiled. I can tell you though, I have seen a tremendous amount of Bangkok out of the windows of a car. It is nearly impossible at different times during the day to move at all in the city. Many of the traffic lights have a countdown so you can see how long you have to wait. The shortest one I have seen is 90 seconds, followed by a 25 second green light! Talk about road rage! It is not that the roads are to small, most of the main roads are 4-6 lanes in one direction. It is not that there isn't public transportation, there is the sky train, a subway, buses, and taxis. It is just too many damn cars! They estimate about 4 million cars in the city! 4 MILLION! No wonder it is crowded!
They have these boards to tell you which roads are congested. If the road is really bad, it is red, then yellow, then green. Any way you look at it, I have estimated even in off peak times going place to place in the city is about 45 minutes. I will try to remember this as I complain about having to wait for a minute as I cross Route 75 to work.
Chana Camp 2007
Since I have known Peem, he has always talked about their farm, a couple of hours north of Bangkok. He has described it as this somewhat idyllic place. They have some wildlife and it is really relaxing. Then my friend Cathy was visiting a former student and she, too, said it was really great. Needless to say, when something is supposed to be great, I want to check it out. Throughout this year, I kept asking questions about the farm. I found out it had miniature ponies, regular size ponies, emus, water buffalo, cows, horn bills, chickens, peacocks, a macaw, and any other number of animals. Of course, I was dying to go.
Poom (the father), Pam (the sister), and I drive up on Friday after noon. Peem had already gone up. It is a nice drive out of Bangkok and I am excited to get out of the congested city for a while. The drive was uneventful and was fairly relaxing. When we arrived at the farm, I immediately knew why people like it so much. It is really amazing. In fact, as I told the family, it is my dream to own something like that in South Africa. Once in the driveway you are looking at two log cabins, connected by a deck with a huge tree growing in the middle. Of course there are tables and chairs and a hammock and you immediately feel relaxed. You look out over several of the ponds on the property and see the swans (black and white) you see the little ponies, and the emus. Just to the left is where the chickens (and the mean emu) live. There is a huge lawn with great tropical foliage all around you. You feel like you are at a resort. They have recently added a huge deck with two other buildings (both equipped with plumbing, electrictity, and kitchens). There are little gazebo type things to sit in with tables, lounges and hammocks. A great place to relax. Which is exactly what I did!
For the past two years, several Thai families have been hosting a camp at the farm for underprivileged kids in the area. Last year Peem coordinated it, and this year, another student of ours did. It is really a great weekend for these 30 young Thai girls. They are selected 4th-6th graders, not the top of the class and not the students who usually receive accolades, but those kids who are good and solid citizens of their school. The 18 or so high school kids facilitate games and activities for the kids for the weekend. It was great to watch a group of high school kids really run a camp for the younger ones. They planned and executed a two day event which went smoothly even through some heavy rain! A great leadership event for all involved and hell, it could make a good college essay too!
Poom (the father), Pam (the sister), and I drive up on Friday after noon. Peem had already gone up. It is a nice drive out of Bangkok and I am excited to get out of the congested city for a while. The drive was uneventful and was fairly relaxing. When we arrived at the farm, I immediately knew why people like it so much. It is really amazing. In fact, as I told the family, it is my dream to own something like that in South Africa. Once in the driveway you are looking at two log cabins, connected by a deck with a huge tree growing in the middle. Of course there are tables and chairs and a hammock and you immediately feel relaxed. You look out over several of the ponds on the property and see the swans (black and white) you see the little ponies, and the emus. Just to the left is where the chickens (and the mean emu) live. There is a huge lawn with great tropical foliage all around you. You feel like you are at a resort. They have recently added a huge deck with two other buildings (both equipped with plumbing, electrictity, and kitchens). There are little gazebo type things to sit in with tables, lounges and hammocks. A great place to relax. Which is exactly what I did!
For the past two years, several Thai families have been hosting a camp at the farm for underprivileged kids in the area. Last year Peem coordinated it, and this year, another student of ours did. It is really a great weekend for these 30 young Thai girls. They are selected 4th-6th graders, not the top of the class and not the students who usually receive accolades, but those kids who are good and solid citizens of their school. The 18 or so high school kids facilitate games and activities for the kids for the weekend. It was great to watch a group of high school kids really run a camp for the younger ones. They planned and executed a two day event which went smoothly even through some heavy rain! A great leadership event for all involved and hell, it could make a good college essay too!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Looking for Emeralds
Thailand is famous for its jewels, or at least its jewel trade. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds. Now, I am not much of a jewelry shopper, but I like to look, not that I know much. My mother, Joanne, has a good friend, Sue, who has a friend, Jor, who works in the jewlery business here in Bangkok. So Sue suggested to my mother that I meet with Jor and buy some jewelry at wholesale cost (before it is shipped to the US for department stores and jewelers). Sounds like a plan. Sue suggested we have an idea of what we wanted to purchase and how much we wanted to spend and then I could meet with Jor and do a little shopping.
I was sent with Jor's name, number, address, and a few thoughts of what my mom may want. Well off I went with Oak and Ekky to find the Jewelry Trade Center and meet Jor. I called ahead and set up an appointment. Well it is a little confusing at first. Jor did tell me that she was on the 32nd floor of the this building but you had to take one elevator, followed by a security check (where ID was taken), followed by a security check point to another elevator. Finally, we made it we are on the 32nd floor and find the office. There are two security doors to get buzzed through, and we are ushered into a small office cramped with about 20-25 people all at desks. Some are on the phone, others are looking at gem stones, others seemed busy, but I am not sure what they were doing. Jor looks up, we are a few minutes early and brings us into the conference room, about a 10 by 15 foot room overlooking Silom Street. We are given water and on the table behind me are just some bracelets and rings. No locked glass case, just out there. Jor comes in and asks a few questions. What do you want how much do you want to spend, but most importantly when are you leaving so that she is able to know whether they can make something, or if they will just have enough time to replace some stones. We want to look at bracelets so JOr digs out a few styles to choose from. Jor also reminds us that we aren't to haggle over prices with her.
Well Oak and I settle in on a couple of different styles of bracelets that we like, although they are currently set with sapphires not emeralds.So we imagine what they might be like and let her know. Jor them goes out and comes back with bags (ziplocks, really) or emeralds and we pick the stones (or some of them) that we like. She says she will email me with quotes and that was the end of the "shopping."
It was a very cool experience to see that side of the jewelry business, although it was a bit difficult because you don't know what all the options are. Maybe it was actually better because you had to know what you liked. You don't want to waste peoples time! Jor was wonderful and so helpful! Thanks, Sue. So hopefully I will bring home something my mother likes!
I was sent with Jor's name, number, address, and a few thoughts of what my mom may want. Well off I went with Oak and Ekky to find the Jewelry Trade Center and meet Jor. I called ahead and set up an appointment. Well it is a little confusing at first. Jor did tell me that she was on the 32nd floor of the this building but you had to take one elevator, followed by a security check (where ID was taken), followed by a security check point to another elevator. Finally, we made it we are on the 32nd floor and find the office. There are two security doors to get buzzed through, and we are ushered into a small office cramped with about 20-25 people all at desks. Some are on the phone, others are looking at gem stones, others seemed busy, but I am not sure what they were doing. Jor looks up, we are a few minutes early and brings us into the conference room, about a 10 by 15 foot room overlooking Silom Street. We are given water and on the table behind me are just some bracelets and rings. No locked glass case, just out there. Jor comes in and asks a few questions. What do you want how much do you want to spend, but most importantly when are you leaving so that she is able to know whether they can make something, or if they will just have enough time to replace some stones. We want to look at bracelets so JOr digs out a few styles to choose from. Jor also reminds us that we aren't to haggle over prices with her.
Well Oak and I settle in on a couple of different styles of bracelets that we like, although they are currently set with sapphires not emeralds.So we imagine what they might be like and let her know. Jor them goes out and comes back with bags (ziplocks, really) or emeralds and we pick the stones (or some of them) that we like. She says she will email me with quotes and that was the end of the "shopping."
It was a very cool experience to see that side of the jewelry business, although it was a bit difficult because you don't know what all the options are. Maybe it was actually better because you had to know what you liked. You don't want to waste peoples time! Jor was wonderful and so helpful! Thanks, Sue. So hopefully I will bring home something my mother likes!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Muay Thai
So Peem and I were trying to figure out what to do with the evening. We were going to go workout (at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club), and then to dinner. What then? That is when we saw the sign for Muay Thai and decided that is what we needed to do!
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) is like kick boxing. You are not only punching the other guy, you are swinging your foot to meet his face as well. We walk into the place prepared to by the cheap seats, you know the ones that are further back. In this case, third tier. When we get there to by the tickets we are told that we shouldn't purchase those, there ahve been a lot of fights lately in the thrid tier, by some seats closer up. (Remember, this negotiation is between the ticket person, Peem, and his driver all in Thai.) The next thing I know we are being ushered to the floor for ringside seats to this boxing match! It was great. There is nothing like watching a guy get beat up a little bit, and we were close enough where you can see the fighter really trying to focus on not passing out after he got a kick to the head. There were a bunch of take downs but know knock-outs.
Part of the fun was having Peem's driver explain what was going on, who was winning etc. The "heavyweight" division was having a championship bout on Tuesday. I think the bigger guy may have weighed 150 lbs. No lie, there were little and skinny (although perhaps mean) men. One aspect that is interesting to note is that fighting runs in the family, where most of these fighters are probably the sons of former fighters, etc.
I am not going to lie, my favorite match-up of the night was the bare knuckle round. But the thing was, it wasn't really bare knuckles. They didn't where gloves, although they wrapped their hands with rope and fought like that. They hit hard and kicked hard. Sort of like UFC, without the octagon.
We met these two guys who were sitting next to us. They were from Los Angeles and were there hanging out for a couple of weeks. Besides betting on the fights a little bit, they were asking where to go in Bangkok, they were leaving the next day. Peem suggested that they go to Patpong. This is a small neighborhood famous for its nightlife. They were looking to "hang out with some girls for the night." Hmmm...wasn't sure whether they were looking to experience Bangkok's famous flesh-trade or perhaps just pick someone up in a bar. Anyway, Patpong is known for it's Ping Pong shows, and we aren't talking about table tennis. Basically, the young woman shoot ping pong balls at targets without using any hands! Oh yes, you have the picture, they are shooting Ping Pong balls with their _____. We figured that this area would be just what these two guys were looking for.
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) is like kick boxing. You are not only punching the other guy, you are swinging your foot to meet his face as well. We walk into the place prepared to by the cheap seats, you know the ones that are further back. In this case, third tier. When we get there to by the tickets we are told that we shouldn't purchase those, there ahve been a lot of fights lately in the thrid tier, by some seats closer up. (Remember, this negotiation is between the ticket person, Peem, and his driver all in Thai.) The next thing I know we are being ushered to the floor for ringside seats to this boxing match! It was great. There is nothing like watching a guy get beat up a little bit, and we were close enough where you can see the fighter really trying to focus on not passing out after he got a kick to the head. There were a bunch of take downs but know knock-outs.
Part of the fun was having Peem's driver explain what was going on, who was winning etc. The "heavyweight" division was having a championship bout on Tuesday. I think the bigger guy may have weighed 150 lbs. No lie, there were little and skinny (although perhaps mean) men. One aspect that is interesting to note is that fighting runs in the family, where most of these fighters are probably the sons of former fighters, etc.
I am not going to lie, my favorite match-up of the night was the bare knuckle round. But the thing was, it wasn't really bare knuckles. They didn't where gloves, although they wrapped their hands with rope and fought like that. They hit hard and kicked hard. Sort of like UFC, without the octagon.
We met these two guys who were sitting next to us. They were from Los Angeles and were there hanging out for a couple of weeks. Besides betting on the fights a little bit, they were asking where to go in Bangkok, they were leaving the next day. Peem suggested that they go to Patpong. This is a small neighborhood famous for its nightlife. They were looking to "hang out with some girls for the night." Hmmm...wasn't sure whether they were looking to experience Bangkok's famous flesh-trade or perhaps just pick someone up in a bar. Anyway, Patpong is known for it's Ping Pong shows, and we aren't talking about table tennis. Basically, the young woman shoot ping pong balls at targets without using any hands! Oh yes, you have the picture, they are shooting Ping Pong balls with their _____. We figured that this area would be just what these two guys were looking for.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Back to Bangkok
We headed back to Bangkok today. It was a good trip overall. As my first diving trip at a diving resort, I was struck by the fact that your whole focus is diving. Seems pretty simple, right? You are going to go SCUBA diving and that is what you do. Well I like to dive. I like it a lot. I always suffer from a little nervousness, there is always the hyperventilating on the first dive, and the constant vigilance regarding the amount of air that I am using. Overall though, I really like it. It is different, it is fun, you see cool stuff, what is not to like?
Well there are two things that drive me a little crazy, having to rush, and having to change my clothes. Sounds stupid, I know, but there it is. While at the resort, I didn't ever have to rush (even though we got up early), but I did have to constantly change clothes. Put on the swim suit, put on the wet suit, grab the mask, fins, and weight belt. Put on the weight belt, put on the fins, put on the BCD, put on the mask. Ugh. I am not trying to complain here, but I think that this aspect of the trip kind of weighed on me. When you are suiting up and unsuiting up three times a day, plus the regular clothes before and after, it takes a toll on you!
The hurdle to get ready to dive was soon forgotten as soon as I fell backwards off the boat and sunk 25m (75ft) under the surface of the water and saw the sea turtles, the sharks, the barracudas, the fish, the coral, the wrecks, the reef. Overall, things on this trip were great. It solidified my enjoyment of SCUBA diving, made me realize that there is a reason that Sipadan Island (Malaysia) is known as one of the top ten dive sites in the world.
That said, all that changing and suiting up was still a lot to take!
Well there are two things that drive me a little crazy, having to rush, and having to change my clothes. Sounds stupid, I know, but there it is. While at the resort, I didn't ever have to rush (even though we got up early), but I did have to constantly change clothes. Put on the swim suit, put on the wet suit, grab the mask, fins, and weight belt. Put on the weight belt, put on the fins, put on the BCD, put on the mask. Ugh. I am not trying to complain here, but I think that this aspect of the trip kind of weighed on me. When you are suiting up and unsuiting up three times a day, plus the regular clothes before and after, it takes a toll on you!
The hurdle to get ready to dive was soon forgotten as soon as I fell backwards off the boat and sunk 25m (75ft) under the surface of the water and saw the sea turtles, the sharks, the barracudas, the fish, the coral, the wrecks, the reef. Overall, things on this trip were great. It solidified my enjoyment of SCUBA diving, made me realize that there is a reason that Sipadan Island (Malaysia) is known as one of the top ten dive sites in the world.
That said, all that changing and suiting up was still a lot to take!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort
Well it has lived up to the hype. The Sipadan-Kapalai resort is a series of huts, built on stilts over a reef in the middle of the water. Very cool. While there is land around you that you can see, the most settled town is about an hour away by boat. To add to the mystique of place about 5 or 7 years ago, pirates came and attacked a resort, taking the western tourists for a few months. While I am glad that I have not been taken by pirates yet, it would be quiet an adventure. This resort was built to resist the pirates, since the water around us is shallow (due to the reef), the big ships can't make it in to kidnap us!
The diving has been pretty remarkable. While the water is not as clear as the Carribean or Belize, and is a little cooler as well, I have seen thousands and thousands of fish. We have seen a ton of massive turtles...huge turtles who are chilling out. They are like the giraffes in South Africa, the first time you see one you are all excited and spend some quality time watching it. As the dives go on, you see a turtle and you are like "oh, another big turtle." That said, it is pretty remarkable to see these huge animals! We have also been able to see quite a few sharks. A couple varieties and they are decent size (3 feet or more). I am not sure they would want to eat us, but it is cool to see them.
The thing that I have like most was this morning. We left the resort at 5:30 am to head out to Sipadan Island. We dove early ( I guess certian fish are only by the reefs at the break of dawn?!). We were able to see tons of fish, big huge schools of fish....not just one variety but many. The highlight of the morning for me was the school of Barracuda. We swam through and then sat under a huge school of barracuda who were just looking at us and swimming around...thousands of them. Very very cool.
Nemo was here as well...I did spy a couple of orange clown fish hanging out by some coral/anenomes like they do in the movie...just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
We have four dives left and then the day's journey to get back to Bangkok. It was truly a mission to get here: Flight 1-2 hours, flight 2-3 hours, bus ride-1.5 hours, boat ride-1 hour. Add in there wait time and loading, unloading, and you have yourself a mission! The good news was that I was able to finish Harry Potter!
The diving has been pretty remarkable. While the water is not as clear as the Carribean or Belize, and is a little cooler as well, I have seen thousands and thousands of fish. We have seen a ton of massive turtles...huge turtles who are chilling out. They are like the giraffes in South Africa, the first time you see one you are all excited and spend some quality time watching it. As the dives go on, you see a turtle and you are like "oh, another big turtle." That said, it is pretty remarkable to see these huge animals! We have also been able to see quite a few sharks. A couple varieties and they are decent size (3 feet or more). I am not sure they would want to eat us, but it is cool to see them.
The thing that I have like most was this morning. We left the resort at 5:30 am to head out to Sipadan Island. We dove early ( I guess certian fish are only by the reefs at the break of dawn?!). We were able to see tons of fish, big huge schools of fish....not just one variety but many. The highlight of the morning for me was the school of Barracuda. We swam through and then sat under a huge school of barracuda who were just looking at us and swimming around...thousands of them. Very very cool.
Nemo was here as well...I did spy a couple of orange clown fish hanging out by some coral/anenomes like they do in the movie...just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
We have four dives left and then the day's journey to get back to Bangkok. It was truly a mission to get here: Flight 1-2 hours, flight 2-3 hours, bus ride-1.5 hours, boat ride-1 hour. Add in there wait time and loading, unloading, and you have yourself a mission! The good news was that I was able to finish Harry Potter!
Thailand and Malaysia
Well I arrived in Thailand on Tuesday and was met at the airport by a former advisee Oak. What was remakrable about this was that I walked off the jetway and into the the terminal and that is where Oak was waiting. I guess his father knew someone who knew someone, and basically they had a undercover member of the immigration staff meet me with Oak at the plane and rush me through the process. I was processed (not with the rest of everyone) but at the diplomatic counter. Very nice.
While there is more to write about the journey to Thailand. I left shortly after arriving and I am currently in Malaysia SCUBA diving. So far it has been great!
While there is more to write about the journey to Thailand. I left shortly after arriving and I am currently in Malaysia SCUBA diving. So far it has been great!
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