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Subject: Under the sea...
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 05:30:38 +0000
Hi everyone!
Feels like ages since I last spoke to you all! How are you all diddlin'? Hope everything is going well! I've been itching to send an email for a few days but was waiting to finish something! Little Mendez has been studious in the last few days and has passed... guess what?... her open water diving certificate (PADI 5 Stars). This means that she can go diving at a maximum depth of 18metres (about 60feet I think) and that's without a divemaster, just another buddy of the same level!!!
It has taken some doing! When I first got into the pool and tried to breath through the regulator I just couldn't. My breaths were getting faster and shorter! Thank god the instructor had some patience and she gave me all day to get used to it! After that it just got better and better! We did 2 dives at 12metres, one at 14metres and a last one at 18metres! We missed the sharks! Everyone else saw them but we didn't! :( Apart from that I am learning new fish names that I won't be using at the local fish market!! :)) (Rabbit fish, butterfly fish... etc). What an experience. Unfortunately Bry couldn't complete the course cos he can't equalize and he's not confident with his swimming so he's adopted a hammock right by our hut and has been watching me slowly fading away over the last 4 days! (Diving is knakering all right!!! ) Never seen Bry so relaxed... he's starting to look like Ric :))
Ko Tao is a little island, so whatever spare time you have you use it to eat, drink, sleep, read, catch some rays, snorkel or the best option is to loaf!!! I feel on holiday!!!! On the 1st Sept we are taking a boat to Ko Samui which is bigger therefore will probably be more touristy! Bry will fly back to Bangkok on the 4th! (Time does fly when you're...).
Bangkok was quite an experience. We manage to cover quite a lot of things:
- The Grand Palace (Gold! I don't believe in Gold...! So much gold,
decorations and splendour!!)
- The reclining Buddha (the poor sod seems very confined in his temple! You can't really step back and have an overall view, which is a shame, but this smiley Buddha seems a much more appealing and chilled out figure than the poor Christ suffering on the cross, these Buddhist definitely know something that we don't! :)
- Chinatown (as crammed as the real China! with as many smells, vendors and a little bit more dirty than I remember it!)
- Muslim district (small area with a distinct Arab feel to it! Muslim districts in Asian countries always feel like a drastic change in culture to me! Malaysia will be interesting for that I think...)
- Floating market (don't believe the hype. It's nice but there are more tourists on boats than actual vendors on boats which makes for a bizarre experience where tourists start looking at each other!!! :))
- Thai boxing (Damn it these guys hit hard but make it look so easy!!! This was one of the most traditional things I have seen here, with half a stadium, betting and creaming like mad, Heee. huuuu, haaaa. All fitting specific hits!)
- Pat pong (In other words the red light district!) I actually found the place fascinating. It makes me laugh how they seem to have put a market in the middle of the street to make it easier for all tourists to come and have a look under the pretence that they want to do some shopping!!! Yeah right! Everyone is there to catch a peek (if not more) at what really goes on in this place! Let me tell you that Amsterdam is quite subtle compared to this! The word 'ping-pong' will never mean the same to me(!) :))
- Kaosan Road (if you're a westerner you just can't avoid it, it's the most popular road amongst travellers and is filled with guesthouses! Here you get pretty much anything you might need, along with all the other hordes of foreigners!!! (Ironically it does reflect a lot on Thailand since it relies a lot on tourism!
- Henna Tatoo (yes we are wimps, we can't do the real thing so we had a laugh and had the non-permanent stuff! Boy did I feel like a hard nut with a dragon on my back for 7 days!!! :)
All of the above is without mentioning the hard bartering with the tuk tuk drivers, the lovely fresh fruits for breakfast, the abundant and tasty Thai foods, the refreshing shakes, the long distances for everywhere you want to go, the surprisingly huge amount of dogs living on the lose, the pollution and the great ferry trips along the river which is the easiest way to travel around the west part of Bangkok!
That's about it for Thailand so far. We're going to experience our first beach party tonight. There is a half moon party close to our hut! What better excuse than go and celebrate there and soak in the party atmosphere!
See you in Ko Samui or back on the main land!
All take care! Lots of love!
Lucky Little Mendez xx
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