The (Koh) Tao of Diving

So I made it away from the smoggy frenzy of Bangkok to the beaches at last! I left the City of Angels (they have one on Thailand too) on Tueday morning via train.  The train south was rather slow expecially as it left the city. The downtown core gave way to shantytowns, then floating ghettos, then suburbs with large house and satellite dishes, and finally rice fields in every direction. Some dry and being burned to ready them for the wet season, the ash swirling in the windows of the train. Some still green and verdant, scarecrows warding off thieving birds.  People would get on the train at every stop and walk the aisles selling all manner of snacks and knickknacks. I had a variety of seatmates from a grumpy old man to quiet Muslim women with babies to a lovely little family that I shared my my Ipod with. 

After nine hours, the train deposited me in Chumphon, one of the gateway cities to the south. I bargained my way onto a cheap pickup truck-taxi that took me to the pier 10km outside town.  There I got on the midnight boat to the island of Koh Tao.  The boat was much cheaper than the highspeed catamarans that most tourists take bc it steamed through the night for 8 hours.  You get a slim mattree to crash on and a dirty pillow.  Along with a young couple from Los Angeles, we were the only farang (foreigners) on the boat. The rest of the people were Thai going to work on the island, fisherman, and dock workers that loaded the boat high with Chang and Singha beers destined for the resorts on the island.  As we ran out through the river to the ocean, we passed many fishing boats and canneries. I fell asleep to the gently rocking of the waves in the Gulf of Thailand (a far cry from the heaving of the Bering Sea!)

Woke at sunrise as we pulled into Koh Tao.  My new friends and I then began the hunt for accommodations. What we didn't realize immediately was that the island was inundated with kids that had just come over from Koh Pha-Ngan and the biggest Full Moon Party of the year that coincided with New Years. It took us several hoursto find a spot, but I finally settled into my first Thai teak and rattan bungalow at the Pranee Bungalows (about 15 bucks a night and almost right on the beach).  I just stayed at Pranees for 3 nights to relax and take in the beach scene before beginning the scuba training.  Pranee's was at the quiet end of the beach, next to a posh resort, but only a 5 minute walk up the beach to all the restaurants and bars.  The weather has been dodgy with scattered downpours and some cool, but still muggy days. That being said I have still managed to get sunburned even with the little bit of intense equatorial sun that has managed to hot my weak Alaskan/Montanan skin!  I have made some really nice friends here from all over, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Sweden, etc. and on their recommendation decided to do my scuba course with the Big Blue Dive Resort.

I started the dive training 2 day ago with just classes the first day and shallow-water skills training yesterday. Today, we got to go to 12 meters and two different dive sites. Already I have seen some nice angelfish, triggerfish, sting rays, squid, barracudas, pufferfish, conchs, sea slugs, and lotsa coral.This afternoon I passed my final exam, and tomorrow I complete certification with 2 dives at 18 meters. I will then be a certified Open Water Diver. I am liking it so much that I may go straight on for the Advanced course after a rest day. It is about another 200 bucks (the regular course being 300), but Koh Tao is about the cheapest place to do it in the world and supposedly they certify more people than anywhere else as well.  The one downside to doing it in Koh Tao is that the pressure of so many people diving here and the development to accomodate them all is evident.  The water quality that I have seen thus far has been pretty bad with extremely low visibilty.  There is coral bleaching evident all over, caused by pollution run-off, and just lotsa broken coral everywhere from novice divers kicking it.  The resorts cosume a lot of seafood and fishing stocks have taken quite a hit in recent years. Paradise lost I suppose. However, the diversity of marine life is still amazing, and tomorrow I will most likely get to swim with some bull sharks. Plus, one juvenile whale shark has been lurking about one dive site. Fingers crossed...

Not quite sure where I will head next, but if I do the Advanced course, I should be here in Sai Ree Beach for at least 3 more days.

As promised, here is a list of the better foods I have eaten so far. It pretty much looks like a menu from a restaurant at any Thai restaurant in the US. I haven't gotten too adventurous yet, because I am trying to hit all the basics first.
Pad Thai - my first meal at a street vendor in Bangkok. Sadly, not very good. Not even peanut sauce. This national dish varies widely from place to place. But then I had amazing pad thai (or pat thai) here in Koh Tao with tofu  all the fixins.
Tom yum khung - spicy prawn soup, eaten from a vendor underneath a banyan tree on temple grounds
Spicy fried catfish with mango salad - at the Chatuchak weekend market
Green Coconut curry with chicken -Outstanding!
Chicken balls on stick - from a street vendor on the Khao San road, drunk food, not so good
Spicy papaya salad -Yum.
Banana bread - bought from a vendor on the train platform, awesome!
here in Koh Tao - Panang (dry) Curry with pork and friend rice, Pad Kraopao (fried basil wih mild chillies and veggies), Massaman Curry (sweet curry with peanuts and potatoes).
My breakfast is invariably either banana pancakes or muesli with yogurt and fresh fruit.
The fruit here is great, and often blended into cheap shakes: coconut, mango, papaya, banana, watermelon, and more.