Island dreaming

Oh me oh my, there is nothing like deprivation to make luxury seem all the more fabulous. I went with four other meditators and spent time on a beach in Koh Pah Ngan.

We stayed on Tong Pai beach at the Dolphin resort and hung out in hammocks, drank, swam, snorkelled, ate and chattered. It was heaven. All too soon was time to make a move and I headed to Ko Tao. I didn't stray far from the Lomprayah ferry. Got in, tripped to the Crystal dive resort and there I stayed. The room they gave me was so filthy I complained and they put me in a new room. Also filthy but modern so I went and bought a sponge and cleaner and cleaned it myself.

The diving standards were infinitely higher than the cleaning and I embarked on my PADI Advanced Open Water. Myself and a Denmark guy who was friends with the instructor were doing the course. He turned out to be the biggest buddy wanker you can imagine. I finally confronted him about the staying close to your buddy just before our first deep dive - he kept swimming off and the instructor kept telling us to stick together. Damned if I am going to swim after some wanker buddy who is constantly trying to get away from me and the instructor and who says he is there just for fun and gives not a toss for the rules. Anyway him aside did some amazing dives, saw very cool fish, sharks, squids and sea cucumbers.

Met with the most vicious fish, a triggerfish. You don't expect vicious fish especially when the sharks were so peaceable. This fish defends his territory. Luckily dive instructor was out in front and it went for him. Myself and new non course buddy stayed well clear whilst the fish repeatedly attacked him. Eventually having chased us back about 30m he desisted and we endeavoured to swim past going a long way out of our way over his territory or so we thought. As we swam over Mr Trigger found us and started attacking again. He finally backed the instructor into a rock whilst myself and the other diver watched from a safe distance. It was slightly amusing once you were safely above to watch the instructor on his back, fins up for defence with a rather beautiful but large and aggressive fish threatening us clumsy divers out of his epoch.

My last days were just of pleasure diving, no training, no exhilarating but scary night dives just four dives a day swimming about with cool people seeing cool underwater thangs. Met lots of South Africans and hung out with them a while. Why are these people so attractive to me? Once the blisters got so bad and I shattered from diving I said goodbye to the islands and headed back to Ko Samui to get a flight.

I ended up at the airport a day early my flight, was not until the following day but I went anyway. Having got that far I might as well carry on. I went and spent a few days in Bangkok. I had not originally intended to go there and I was quite right. Big, smelly, dirty city with lots of people and far too many temples. I stayed in China Town and was able to look in the shops and know what many of the strange substances to be found there were for which was fun. Reminded me of home and the year to come. I did a bit of shopping and reflected on my time. Thailand surprised me with how much I liked it. I was right about some of the things I had thought and the scary back packer trail and the small children fresh out of nappies exploring the world (yes jus like I once was). It is an easy place to be, fun to travel not like Africa but lovely. Amazing food the best I have ever had anywhere and I am still cooking the Mussaman curries back home. Wonderful people, so friendly and accommodating often attached to particularly unattractive older British men but if it works who is to cuss?

Yeah I had a fab time. Tough meditation but very worthwhile and a proper relaxing time diving. Weird but true I was quite glad to come home. I loved being away but I am getting rather middle aged. I don't need 5 star luxury and maybe it was partly about the meditation but I did not want to have meaningless conversation with people I would never see again. I did not want to expend all of that effort. The people I met at the Wat Kohw Tahm were amazing people I was glad to meet. I had some nice chats to people on the boats but as to spending my nights hanging out with them in the bars. No. My scene has changed baby and I am ready to embrace that.