Two years ago, I went to Panama. I remember being worried at that point about swimming in saltwater. I hated the thought of large objects (with big scary teeth) sharing the same space. It scared me, and I recall being quite hesitant to get in the ocean for the first couple of days that I was there. And now... well, apparently I am over that. I get in the water each day and dive to depths of 30 meters or more staring at the fishes and exploring new frontiers. I am completing my divemaster, which will make me a professional at being under the sea. It's a crazy turn of events that just brings on so many more questions. How far do I take this? How much more money should I invest? What will I do with it once it is complete? And more importantly, when will it be finished? I have a lot of decisions to make as I return back to the states in two weeks. Although I'm not ready for this to end at the moment, I'm welcoming the break to give me a sense of reality for a little while. Knowing that I have a ticket back to Thailand in July makes it a lot more bearable as well.
I did my second Burma run last week and hopefully it will be my last. It's very simple to do, but the sixteen hours of buses and smelly boats isn't really an ideal way to spend a night and day. I still got the butterflies in my stomach when I saw Koh Tao in the distance that afternoon. It makes me wonder how it will be when I return the summer. I'm going to be like a kid at Christmas jumping around the boat; ready to play with all of the toys on Koh Tao again. Upon my return, things were still the same. Sam was still gone, and I got back to my routine of four dives per day. We get up early, dive, have lunch, dive some more, and then find the time to get some games of cricket and whatever other sport is available in the steamy evenings.
Low and behold, one day I went out on the boat, as usual, only to return to the dive shop and find Sam sitting there waiting for me. She had just texted the day before to tell me that she'd be elephant trekking near Bangkok and that she'd make her plans soon, so I was quite shocked to find her back on the island ready to hang out for another week or so. She also happened to show up on a planned girls night out, so it was the perfect celebration of her return.
Since then, it's been business as usual. She decided to do her open water course, so I've gotten to dive with her, finally. It's so hard when people here aren't partaking in the underwater fun. You come back in the afternoon filled with excitement about what you've just seen, and they have no idea what you are talking about! With the visibility better than I've ever seen and the water bordering on 30 degrees, we had some perfect dives and I got to show her what it was all about. Of course, she was a natural and loved every minute.
The last day of Sam's course just happened to be Songkran. I've been hearing about it for ages, but really had no idea what to expect, other than to be drenched all day. Thai new year is celebrated with buckets and squirt guns, hoses and barrels. After coming up from our final morning dive, the boat turned to chaos. It all started with Natalie hatching a plan to get another DMT into the water. As she pointed to some non-existent fishes in the water, Adam leaned over the boat just enough for me to push him out. Then the boat boys came into play and dumped a huge bucket over the captain. The DMTs were running around like mad filling water bottles and splashing them around. A huge hose was brought out and they proceeded to spray other boats that were tied up to us. It was the best morning I've ever had on the boat. Everyone was high on life and covered in foam and water.
From there, we were wisked away in the dive taxi back down to Chalok bay. Our taxis here are open pickup trucks, so when we arrived at Bans to hop on, we were in shock to see the amount of people out on the road. This island has one main "road" so everybody who's anybody was out on it. Either standing on the sides spraying water, or in a car or motorbike ready to get splashed around every corner. It was like a parade. This island was just one big water theme park, and there's no way to leave.
After returning to the shop and cleaning our gear (and Sam getting thrown in the BCD cleaning bucket), I desperately had to go to the clinic. I had fallen a few days prior and had a small scrape on my knee. This wound turned into a yellow infected mess within a day as things just do not heal here. You'd think that saltwater each day would help, but with all of the reefs and coral in the area, the water is just filled with bacteria. A cut or scrape can take over a month to heal. You go to the clinic and the only thing they tell you is to stop diving....which is just not a viable option at the moment. I went in and the women proceeded to penetrate my knee with tweezers and a needle. If any of you know me well, I am not a good patient. I was very happy when this was over and I was able to resume the Songkran activities.
With a cleaned out and bandaged knee, we went to diving village for an afternoon fiesta, complete with squirt guns. We had snipers in the trees shooting people in the nearby road. It was the best way to spend a hot afternoon in Koh Tao.
From there, things just got better for the next eight or so hours. We made our way into Sairee village for dinner and water warfare and then to the beach for a beautiful sunset. We danced the night away as we were sprayed with water hoses. The evening was one I will not forget anytime soon.
Being wet for more than eighteen hours has caused problems with almost everyone I've seen in the past day. Bumpy rashes and minor bruises are rampant on this island at the moment. Yesterday morning was spent being dry and the afternoon was meant for diving. We went out to Chumporn Pinnacle yesterday and got to take in a cloud of fusilier fish and even had a shark spotting (I did not see them but my fellow divers did..and I'm ok with that). Last night, all craving western delicacies, we went out for Mexican food in Mae Haad. An expensive evening of food, but oh so good on one of my last few days here.
Today Sam is planning her escape again. She will be back, but by that time, I will be gone. I've only got five days left before returning to New Zealand. It's going to be really hard to leave, but I think I'll be able to cope...although I'm sure there will be tears. The last two months here have opened my eyes to what else is out there. It is an era that will always be remembered and I am so fortunate to have had this time. I can't wait to get home and tell everyone about it. And hey, anyone is welcome to join me when I come back in July. A little time in paradise never hurt anybody.
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