Thailand, Part 2

12/18

Almost a week has passed, and I am still sitting in the same chair in the same restaurant on the same island. Thailand does this to you. These people are quite smart. They have produced a chain of islands that make you never want to return to your home country. They provide good food at low prices, packs of bungalows every half mile, and more smiles than anywhere else on the planet. The island where Lisa and I are living on is Ko Tao. With 80 degree Fahrenheit water, amazing pad Thai noodles at $2/plate, and amazing rooms at $6/night, I see no reason to leave the island.

Even getting to the island is easy. We board the local bus that is Air conditioned, has reclining seats, and toilet paper as far as the eye can see. We happen to be the only westerners on the bus, as the "Lord of the Rings" movie is dubbed into Thai. It's quite funny to hear Gandalf say things like "Wat dee krap" and other broken Thai phrases. This guy must have really been some wizard.

The bus driver stops at the appropriate stop, helps us with our bags, and walks us to the Taxi station without even asking for anything. I am puzzled. The driver wants nothing other than for us to be happy. What a strange concept. I rub my head as I think about it.

We wait a few hours in Chumpon, the mainland port city. Lisa and I are taking the night boat to Ko Tao. After getting some dinner, we hop on the boat to find the accommodation of some dusty twin beds on the floor. We are accompanied by 60 other fellow passengers. People are coughing, farting and belching throughout the evening. The boat begins to rock as I try sleeping on my stomach. It's like a water bed without all the needless markup.

We arrive to the Ko Tao pier at about 5 in the morning. We arrive at the Seashell resort and wait for things to open. About two hours later, Koh, the attendant checks us in to the bungalow. Lisa and I fall asleep soundly to the waves and motor scooters. A Fifteen hour trip to paradise is worth it. Next time, I'll remember to bring the Dramamine....

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Ko Tao is named the turtle island, as it is a haven for divers There are roughly 40 different diving schools to choose from. Our hotel had a deal where we basically get a free room for the hotel if we sign up for their diving school. We do an open water 4-day course and get certified in some of the warmest water on the planet. I feel as Lisa and I are back in school. We get our PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) textbook. We have homework. We have to read three chapters and fill out the study guide. We finally get to paradise and I am taking notes. There is something wrong with this picture.

Our instructor, Fran is great. She is from England and has left her life to start a new one here as an underwater videographer. She helps Lisa and I through everything with ease. While all the regulators and vests seem intimidating at first, Fran makes it simple. It's only Lisa and I in the class. We practice sharing air, cleaning our masks and learning to be buoyant. By the last two days, we dive into open water and see trigger fish, yellow box fish, clownfish (Nemo) among many others. I feel like I'm in SpongeBob's world. Being underwater is like going to the aquarium, except they drop you inside of it instead. It's so peaceful that the 40 minutes you are down there seems like a nanosecond.

I imagine I'll grow tired of the beach, the fresh fish barbecues, the diving and the sun at some point. They even have thrown in some New Year's and Christmas decorations. If only I could find a menorah, it would feel like home.

So it's only right to say Happy Holidays. May the season bring love, joy, happiness and all of the other things that hallmark promises. By all means, take a vacation. I know I have taken my share. One of these days I should enter reality. On second thought, maybe not. So long for now from Thailand. The land of smiles. Keep smiling, wherever you are.

-Travelling Sherman