(I hit send WAY before I wanted to, sorry for the lengthy boring unedited post before this!)
Ok. Anyway I arrived in the airport too late to make the Ko Tao ferry, so I hopped aboard the Ko Phan Ngan one instead. I stayed one night in a hostel just between sunset and sunrise beaches. The little alleyways connecting the two were entirely hostels, bars, loud music, and 'western' restaurants. Neon signs and flyers shouted Full Moon Party! Half Moon Party! Buy two buckets get one free! Happy shakes! Free body paint with bucket! Yet the place was eerily empty as the party ended a few days before. It's hard to imagine what the beaches look like covered in masses of drunk westerners playing with paint and fire. I met someone who was burned on the neck from playing fire jump rope. Um?
I ate on the beach with my toes dug deep into the soft white sand. The tide slowly crept up to me as I sipped a mojito, a Singapore Sling, a Mai Tai. The moon finally broke through the clouds and I could understand how the first visitors felt inspired to celebrate. It looks huge and beckoning. I sat for hours writing in my journal and enjoying the salty air. Inhale. Exhale. Stress disappear... If I hadn't already booked my ticket to Ko Tao the next morning, I probably would have stayed another night or two.
But onward to Ko Tao, where my new dive shop picked me up, set me up in my beachfront bungalow and gave me a book to begin studying instantly. First dive tomorrow. No pressure!
The instructors did a great job rehearsing various skills with me, and I felt way more comfortable in the water than I thought. Soon I was exploring coral reefs with my small class and New Zealander instructor. It's hard to explain just how amazing diving can be. There's so many fish and sea anemones and coral and urchins and slugs... Despite all I had just seen in my travels, I felt like this was one of the most amazing things I've ever done. Just unbelievable and unreal. It's like swimming in an aquarium! (I know how dumb this sounds.) The density of fish is crazy and amazingly they don't 'run away' from you. You're just as much a part of what's going on, observing and interacting. I could push water towards a giant school of fish and watch them all shift direction seamlessly, like an emergent being moving at once. Brightly colored Christmas Tree worms would close up for a minute and slowly pop back open. Triggerfish would signal for us to back away from their nest like a dog baring its teeth. I saw giant grouper, sting rays, angelfish, banner fish, baby fish, squid eggs, sea slugs, giant hermit crabs... So cool!
After the certification, I talked over the next few days with the dive center. Everyone in my dive class agreed to taking a day off for Songkran New Year then spending two days getting the Advanced certification. This meant 30m dives, a shipwreck dive, a night dive, a navigation dive and a drift dive. It only got more amazing.
What a life, really... Spending all day on a boat off a gorgeous island in between diving. The staff would cut up fresh pineapple and set out cookies after we came up. Nothing could taste better!
I think I'm hooked. Anybody want to go diving with me?
Katie
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