Tag Archives: Koh Tao

Greatest Hits: my top 10 SEA photos

In remembrance of the year that has gone by since I’ve started my blog, and the approximate 12 months since I visited Southeast Asia, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and post my top 10 photos (as voted on by ME) from my travels in SEA, along with a little backstory on each one. All photos were shot on a Canon Powershot SX20 IS.

Without further ado, my personal top 10:

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This photo was taken on a tiny island (if you could even call it that) in the straights of Malacca, just off the coast of Ao Nang, southern Thailand. My friends and I had taken a deep water soloing trip and this was our lunch stop in between climbs. Our guide packed us fried rice and we took our lunch on the outside of a cave with this view of our boat in front of us.

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Taken while touring the grand palace in Bangkok, this row row of “guardians” lined the entire perimeter of the temple housing the Emerald Buddha. I can remember the heat on this day being unbearable amidst all the concrete of the royal complex.

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A spectacular post-sunset shot on Koh Phi Phi, while I was sitting on the porch of my hillside bungalow. At the rooftop bar in the bottom of the shot you can see they were projecting a replay of the nearby filmed movie, “The Beach”.

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The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Walking into the buildings takes you through a high end shopping mall, including a movie theatre and food court. Outside is a wonderfully clean public park and gardens. After touring the park, my friends and I settled in for back to back movies at the theatre. The movies were one of my most memorable experiences due to the cheap tickets, spotless theatre and absence of previews before the show.

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At sunset, touring the massive complex of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, just north of Bangkok. These statues were situated at the entrance of the massive space used for huge public meditations. The “arena” was larger than any professional sports complex I’ve ever seen, housing over 100,000 people in group meditation. At the center of the concrete complex sits a 5 ton silver Buddha encased by a golden dome covered in 100,000 tiny golden Buddha statues.

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Another sunset, this time within the ruins of Angkor Wat archeological park, sitting atop the elephant temple of Phnom Bakheng, the very first temple-mountain build in Angkor. The temple symbolizes the mythical Mount Meru in the Hindi religion. This is by far the best spot to take in the sunset in the park, but visitors beware, if you don’t get there early, you will be stuck at the bottom waiting in the queue.

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Looking up at my dive partner Dave Ho while training off the coast of Koh Tao for our Advanced certifications. Dave was one awesome dude, an Asian-American, Massachusetts native, who was currently taking a vacay in Thailand from his job in China.

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Inside the compound of the main Angkor Wat temple, just after sunrise. These structures were just massive in person, hard to imagine a monk wandering the grounds hundreds of years ago, just as I was that day. In the shot you can see Kelvin and Sophie, my two traveling buddies I met during the mind bending border crossing into Cambodia. Without them, I don’t think I would have made it to Angkor, nor would I have had near as much fun.

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Looking down on the isolated paradise of Railay Beach in southern Thailand. We had to to scale a rocky, muddy, rooty precipice to get to this unofficial overlook. Railay beach can only be accessed by boat and it is home to a huge community of rock climbers and monkeys, however I was more surprised to find out that Railay is a haven for both cannabis enthusiasts and the LBGT community.

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Just another long tail boat, ferrying passengers from Ao Nang to Railay for less than $5, with the signature southwestern Thai backdrop. Typical Thai ferryman smoking a cigarette while operating a makeshift auto-engine turned prop motor.

Sealab 2012

Koh Tao is a small island in the gulf of Thailand that is world famous for its diving. Calm, clear water, plenty of coral reefs, and sea life that include turtles, rays, whale sharks and a colorful array of fish. These natural wonders combined with the ridiculously low cost of diving make it one of the most thriving diving communities in the world, qualifying over 2% of all the worlds DMTs (dive master in training). So it’s no wonder that I decided to make a return rendezvous with this island when I decided to gain some experience as a diver myself.
My pre-existing diving experience came in the form of a Cozumel, Mexico resort about 15 years ago. The, “dive instructors”, at the resort simply handed me the full equipment, showed me how to put it on and promptly escorted me to the ocean and told me to walk in and start breathing underwater. I also took part in what is called “Snuba-diving” at one point during a family vacation to Hawaii about 10 years ago, which simply amounted to being the joke of the holiday. Consensus: Mexican resorts are irresponsible and Snuba is a joke not worth telling. Coming to Koh Tao and immersing myself in the diving community that exists there truly showed me how serious a sport diving really is.
The first step for any aspiring diver is their Open Water Diver certification, which qualifies a person to dive anywhere in the world up to 18 meters deep with the proper equipment and an experienced instructor. Of the multitude of diving outfits in Koh Tao, I chose Big Blue Diving for my training. Big Blue came highly recommended by my friends and is one of the larger diving schools on the island with a typical class size of 10 students. One might also choose to go with Ban’s Dive school, one of the largest in the world or perhaps a smaller outfit with smaller class sizes and more personal attention such as Rocktopus Diving school. It all depends on the experience you want and the level of personal attention you feel you need.

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My Open Water Diver course was to take place over the span of 4 days and I was offered free, “dorm room”, accommodations at Big Blue as long as I was enrolled. I enrolled the day I arrived on the island and I was to start class at 5pm. After checking out the dorm room accommodations I was satisfied with the free price and lukewarm shower so I proceeded to claim a top-bunk and have a meet-n-greet with my fellow bunk mates, all of which were also divers of varying levels and solo travelers like myself.

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The, front and center, dorms also included the entertainment of all the local pet dogs in the area. To explain; Koh Tao has an abundance of canines, which are readily taken care of by the locals and semi-permanent dive instructors of the island. All the dogs have their own personalities and territories, Big Blue claiming about 4 different pups, most notably the kitchen dog named Sausage, seen here:

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The first day was a classroom setting where myself and a group of 10 others learned the basics of equipment, diving physics and sea life, such as the definition of SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus) and the hazards of improper ascent and descent (the Bends and lung over-expansion). After class we were provided with textbooks and homework, sent home with the promise of actually being under water the next day.
Day two included a bit more classroom activity, but in the afternoon we attempted out first underwater excursion…in a pool. We were fitted for all the equipment (BC, regulator, tank, mask and fins) and were shown how to properly assemble and wear the get-up. We then proceeded to break up into groups and practice the skills we learned in the classroom. My group included a German couple, an Icelandic couple (I still don’t believe their language is real), and myself. I got to partner with the instructor, Guy, from the UK. We all passed the drills smashingly and were all ready for the next day of actual ocean diving.

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Before we could step into the ocean however, we had to take our Final Exam. The Final Exam consisted of 50 multiple choice questions regarding all the skills we were force fed over the previous two days. I finished first, very confident that I got 100% (offered the reward of a free beer), only to find out I missed 5 questions. Oh well, I still passed and I think that most of the questions I missed were debatable, seems about par for the course with my academic career. In fact, everyone in the class passed, but no one with 100%, but it didn’t matter since we were all juiced for our first open water dives that afternoon. The only real setback was that my previous instructor, Guy, had gotten himself badly electrocuted right before class by trying to use a defunct electric socket. Apparently plugging your laptop into the wall is more dangerous than diving. After a few hours he was OK, but not in any condition to dive, so I was assigned a new instructor and dive buddy, Luke, also from the UK…where else.
Dives 1 and 2 took place at 12:30pm the same day as the final exam. We were fitted for our BC, fins and mask and taken by long-tail boat out to the larger Dive Boats situated in the bay. After a quick 30 min boat ride to peaceful Mango Bay on the other side of the island, we were anchored and gathered downstairs for assembling our gear and getting in the water.

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A little flumbly with the gear and a few hiccups with the assembly, but after our first, “giant stride” entry, we were in the water and descending (we would later learn the “dead Mexican” and “James Bond” entry styles). I was a bit nervous at first, but once my ears started equalizing normally and I realized the beauty around me I was too excited to be scared. Once we reached the bottom around 11 meters deep, we proceeded to get comfortable swimming and then practice a few of the emergency drills we learned in the pool the previous day such as; filling and clearing your mask of water, removing your mask, removing your rebreather and using your secondary rebreather, amongst others. Removing the mask is definitely the hardest one for me, the salt water still burns your eyes and it takes more focus than you think to try and breath only through your mouth without pinching your nose underwater. The total dive lasting about 45 minutes, the longest I’ve ever been underwater for sure, unless you count that old submarine ride at Disney World.
Dive number two took place at Japanese Gardens, a nice outcrop of coral where we once again practiced some skills and worked on our buoyancy and kicking techniques. After skills were complete to Luke’s satisfaction, we were free to explore a bit and take in the scenery. We encountered hoards of Yellowstripe Scad, colorful Bannerfish, tiny Perian Carpet Flatworms and the territorial Titan Triggerfish.

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The next and final day if diving in the Open Water certification course took place promptly at 6:30am. So the usual Koh Tao nightlife spots of Lotus and Fishbowl we’re without my presence for at least one night. Bleary eyed but excited I showed up at the equipment shack to claim my gear and hop on the long tail boat to be ferried out to the dive boat. The mornings two dives would be at Liem Thieam Bay and Red Rock, two great spots for seeing aquatic life and staying above our depth limit of 18 meters. The skill tests were over for the most part and this final day was about just having fun and enjoying diving. They even send along a film crew with you on the final day in order to produce a video of your group at the end of the day (in hopes that you will buy it). The final 2 dives did not disappoint, I felt much more comfortable and confident in my abilities and got to see a pair of white-eye Moray Eels, Jenkins Stingray, Orange Spine Unicorn fish, Malabar Grouper, Glass Shrimps, Sixbar Angelfish and a Black Blotched Porcupine fish. There was also a fair amount of goofing off for the cameras.

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The diving wrapped up around noon and once our dive books were properly logged I was ready for a nap. Later that evening we were presented with our official “Open Water Diver” certification cards and we all sat down at the Big Blue bar for a beer and the premier of the video that was made for our graduating class. As the video says: Congratulations, Open Water Diver. Next up, the Advanced Diver certification.

Housecleaning

Greetings my fellow Americans (and the internationals I’ve met along the way), this is my state of the vagabond address. I am writing to you from my porch in Koh Phi Phi, watching the sun set.

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I will have to move indoors soon since swarms of mosquitoes will be out in force when that big glowing disk moves below the horizon. I have been in Thailand for close to 3 weeks now and I already feel as if I have some blog housekeeping to do. I want to catch you up on a few thoughts, pics, and goings-on that I have neglected in my previous postings.
First, my current location, Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee), the small island off the coast of western Thailand, slightly south of the more renowned tourist destination of Phuket (pronounced foo-ket). Phi Phi’s local Thai population is 80% Muslim, but i don’t believe there are many actively practicing Muslims here due to the raging beach parties this island hosts on a nightly basis. There is one Mosque and a noticeable lack of the requirement for the removal of shoes. I have been here for 2 nights and am staying at the Tara Inn. The Tara inn is low budget at best (numerous cockroaches and geckos share my room with me), but the hillside view is amazing. My surroundings sort of remind me of a Brazilian favela.

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Down below are the bustling sidewalks of Koh Phi Phi’s urbanized area. The area is an interconnected web of narrow stone walkways, as automobiles and scooters are not allowed on the island. The cobblestones are tightly lined with markets, bars, food stalls, dive shops, tour agencies, hostels and mostly shallow storefronts selling the same t-shirts and trinkets the tourists love to buy. Koh Phi Phi is definitely a young backpacker port of call, tons of twenty somethings are roaming the streets at all times and you can hardly notice an ounce of Thai culture left on the small island. While the westernization for the sake of tourism is depressing to me, i realize that it is vital to the Thais and many Malaysians that live here, since this area was ravaged by the big Tsunami in 2004. Many structures are still damaged and there are empty lots here and there where nothing has been rebuilt. Almost every store or restaurant I enter has pictures of the local owner picking through the post-flood rubble. To my knowledge this was one of the hardest areas hit by the carnage. On a positive note, this Island was the filming location for the Hollywood movie, “The Beach”, starring Leo Decaprio. The nearby beach of Koh Phi Phi Ley (Maya Bay namely) was the setting for Dicaprio’s hidden island paradise (and hippie commune) in the film. Keeping things positive, as I’ve been writing the sun has set and colored the bay a gorgeous purple.

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As far as food goes, I am trying to keep my eating habits regular. Sometimes I eat twice a day, sometimes eight times a day. It is common for newcomers to SEA to lose 10 to 15 pounds at first but I think I have reminded stable since I eat more carbs here than I did back in the States, although all the scales I step on measure my weight in Kilograms or Stones, so its hard to know exactly. I try to eat local whenever I can and I find that breakfast is the hardest meal to eat local since Thais dont have many breakfast options other than the rice porridge, Jok, or fried rice with a fried egg on top. I have had just about every Thai dish that appears on a common menu. Lots curries, soups, rice, omlettes and the bounty of condiments. Here are a few more food pics I snapped along the way:

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These are some pig legs (I think) in one of the many roadside markets in Bangkok.

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The deliciously spicy Tom Yum soup with shrimp.

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JB with fried rice, traditionally served in a pineapple down in south Thailand.

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Typically called “no-name”, these are basically deep fried vegetable fritters with Thai chili sauce.

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Mussels in a spicy brown gravy sauce. The shells are blue in color on the edges and they are a bit smaller than the ones in Charleston.

Just to clean house, here are a few pictures of some things I deemed noteworthy but not enough for a full blog post:

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One of many large Geckos found all over Koh Tao, this one was probably a foot long and was hanging outside my hotel door.

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MBK, the huge mall in Siam Bangkok where you can buy any kind of knock-off product, most popularly iPhones, iPads, and Havaniana sandals, for dirt cheap.

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A cave in the limestone cliffs next to the my hotel in Railay. It was filled with bats.

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A hike up a waterfall the guys and I went on in a Koh Phangan national park.

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A Mosque in Ao Nang, southern Thailand.

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A few shots from one of the many boat ferry rides I’ve taken to get around the islands. Even Buddhist Monks get their travel on.

Ok! I feel much better after getting these words off my brain and pics off my hard drive, I hope you enjoyed them also. Barring any travel mishaps, my next post should be about my upcoming visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Look Twice, Save A Life, Motorcycles are Everywhere

The most popular mode of transportation in Thailand is by far the scooter or motorcycle. Although I have heard that Thailand is the second largest market for pick-up trucks. The scooters and cycles you see in Thailand take on many shapes and sizes. It seems like every Thai is a professional at taking random car and motorcycle parts and patching them together to make a contraption that is uniquely their own. Since the roads are notoriously bad and sometimes simply dirt. Almost every person who has been in SEA for more than a few months has wrecked their scooter at some juncture, the pink scars on elbows, feet, knees and palms are always a conversation starter. Personally I love riding these things and have plenty of experience riding dirt bikes as a kid (thanks Dad). I took the liberty of filming my decent from the highest point on Koh Tao, a tricky ride for a scooter build for the asphalt:

Happy Turtle

Koh Tao, which in translates in English to Turtle Island is so named because of the many sea turtles that come to lay their eggs on the white sand beaches here. Located in the gulf of Thailand, the water is extremely calm and while I am disappointed there are no waves to surf the upside is that this island offers some of the best diving and snorkeling on the planet. Most of the tourists here are Brits and Aussies, Americans are definitely few and far between. It’s strange being the minority but I am really enjoying the experience and the attention that comes with being a novelty. The local Thai islanders are extremely laid back and friendly, most speak decent broken English and they are patient enough to even allow you to express yourself through hand gestures and charades when the language barrier proves too tricky. I wanted to share a few of my experiences in Koh Tao so far in order to give you a taste of the island lifestyle.

First, my living situation. Accommodations in Koh Tao are relatively basic, bungalows, community housing, beach huts or just a hammock between two coconut trees. The going rate for a room with air-con and a lukewarm shower is about 1000 Bhat per night (about $33) but the rooms are definitely a far cry from my posh hotel in Bangkok. Since I had awesome buds with “connections” here I was able to get a scooter and a “luxury” place to stay my first night.

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The next thing you should do if you are in Koh Tao is to get a traditional Thai massage. Unlike the massages I’ve had in the past, the Thai massage is a bit less formal but a lot more functional. It combines both deep tissue, full body stretching and copious amounts of Tiger Balm (an intense Asian version of IcyHot). Instead of your own private room, all the massages take place on the floor, alongside other customers. You are given a pair of linen Capri pants to wear and are instructed to lie down on one of the many pallets on the floor. The therapist then proceeds to go to work on you. They literally climb all over you in order to get the best positioning for the required massage or stretch. They use their hands, feet and elbows to work out knots and pop your joints in ways you wouldn’t think possible. At one point you are even instructed to place your head in their lap so they can massage your scalp, face and neck. There is also a bit of chiropractic work involved as they twist your torso or walk up and down your back until it makes a sound like jiffy-pop. It is really a great massage and a cool experience and at a price of 300 Bhat per hour ($10), I can honestly say its the best I’ve ever had and I don’t think any other massages will live up to it. Oh, and I can squelch any rumors about “happy endings”, these beefy farmers daughters are consummate professionals.

Then of course are the picturesque beaches and rocky outcrops that make up the landscape. Below are a few pics from the southern tip of the island, including a view of Shark Island, just one of many secluded dive spots:

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As far a food goes, I am liking it better than Bangkok. Fresh fruit abounds and there are hundreds of restaurants serving up a myriad of cuisines. Due to all the expats on the island you not only have great Thai food but also lasagna made by Italians, sushi made by Japanese, curry and lassies made by Indians and much more. I’ve really enjoyed the Thai omlettes, they are not your typical breakfast omelette as these are usually lunch or dinner fare, and they usually contain minced chicken or pork with veggies, rice and the traditional thai condiments:

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For beverages I won’t let a day go by without some sort of shake, my personal recommendation is the coconut or the mango, there is no sugar or syrups added and I have never tasted anything fresher. You can also opt for a fresh young coconut, straight out of the nut and extremely hydrating after those long nights out.

When the sun sets and the heat falls back a free degrees the island really comes alive. I was lucky enough to attend a Muay Thai boxing match and it was quite the experience to say the least. Makeshift bleachers, smokey atmosphere and traditional Thai and Burmese music. These guys may be small in stature, but even the 12 year olds could wipe the floor with me. Here is a video of the 150lbs weight class:

Once the fights are over it’s time to head out to the beach bars. Half sand, all open air and all pumping the latest Asian top 40 hits. Almost all the bars have “fire dancers” which are Thais or Burmese that swing balls of fire or swords of fire in mezmerizing fashion. Most of the fire dancers are just local guys doing it for fun and they will gladly give drunk tourists it he opportunity to try it out themselves. They wear their street clothes and mingle in and out of the bar goers. There is an obvious safety risk, but hey, this is Thailand where common sense rules and safety regulations are not heard of and surely there are no statistics kept on the number of severe kerosene burns. Here are some videos of a few guys from the Fish Bowl bar (yes, one is smoking a cigarette and the other is wearing a Cincinnati Reds cap):

The alcoholic drink of choice at all Thai beaches are called “buckets”, they are literally plastic buckets typically filled with Thai rum called Sangsum, Asian red bull and sprite. They are meant to be shared so you are given about 3-5 straws, all for the price of 200 bht ($7).

Good times abound and I will be sad to leave this island paradise tomorrow as we head to Koh Panyang for the infamous full moon party. however I have promised many locals (over a few buckets) that I would be making It back here before my journeys are over. I also have one more post in mind regarding Koh Tao and the treacherous roads filled with scooters, so keep an eye out for that one soon. In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, “until next time, you stay classy, Planet Earth”.

The Journey to Koh Tao

My stint in Bangkok is now over and it’s time to move on to more azure pastures. I have decided to go to Koh Tao to meet up with a couple good friends from Asheville NC who have made it their home for the past 3 months. Koh Tao, which in English means Turtle Island, is a small island in the southern gulf of Thailand, closest to the larger tourist destination of Koh Samui. It’s a divers paradise with many coral reefs and dive shops. Since teleportation and tube technology are still a few years out, this means I have to make the journey in more traditional methods. I visited a local Bangkok travel agency to have it all arranged, what follows is my account of this not-so-fantastic voyage:

To book the exodus out of Bangkok I took the recommendation of my tuk-tuk driver (questionable move on my part), he set me up with the “renowned” (insert sarc-mark here) establishment named, “Amazing Grand Thai Travel Limited Partnership” whose slogan on their business card reads, “we care your life”. I knew the travel included something like 9 hours by train or bus and then a 3 hour boat ride to get to this small island paradise in the souther gulf of Thailand. The agency set the details and charged me 1600 bht (about 50 usd) for the total package. I though I was sittin pretty.
Follwing my travel agents instructions, I arrived at the designated bus stop promptly at 6pm. This bus stop was in a fairly seedy part of Bankok amidst some dilapidated housing and that can only be described as an authentically local slum. The street was littered with old car parts, stray dogs and here and there a pick up truck full of garbage. As 6pm passed and the sun began to set I put my faith in the relaxed nature of the Thai people and their tendency for tardiness. My mind couldn’t help but wander to the negative: was this the end of the line? Would I be abducted for the sex trade, have my organs sold on the black market or be forced into being a drug mule? Which option would I prefer?….think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think….and then, at around 7:15pm a passenger van rolled to a stop in font of my bench. The driver got out and railed off some indecipherable Thai, the only part I understood was “Koh Tao”. I was loaded into the van to find myself crammed like a sardine with 2 Russian couples and a pair of Brits. The Russians didn’t speak English and the Brits seemed way more confused that I was, so I just settled in and prepared for the 9 hour ride.
Not so fast. Within 15 minutes of being picked up we were being instructed to unload at yet another seedy street corner in downtown Bangkok. Like good little tourists we waited on the curb until a large double decker tour bus came careening around the corner and squealed to a stop in front of us. Loading up again into the top level of this bus I was immediately greeted by the unmistakeable smell of body odor and musty upholstery. I was seated next to another young traveler who introduced himself as Shaun, a South African from Cape Town. Shaun seemed to be a nice guy, but also one of the main sources of the BO smell. I found this to be rather common among the backpacker types that made up most of the passengers in this bus.
As the bus lurched onward we were privy to several bootlegged movies as we journeyed into the night. I chatted Shaun up for quite a while and found that we had quite a bit in common, especially our tastes in music and love for the outdoors. Shaun had just finished a tour of India and imparted some valuable wisdom of that area that I may get the opportunity to use if I survive this midnight cruise. After our gums got tired of flapping I laid back and decided to try for some shut-eye.
I was abruptly awoken by the sound of screeching breaks and the shouts of the driver yelling something about Koh Tao. Me and several others, including Shaun, were herded off the bus and directed to sit on yet another curb in the middle of nowhere Thailand at 3 in the morning.
After waiting a good 30 minutes, dwelling once again on if my harvested organs would perhaps be given to local Thais in need or shipped off to the Baltics, an army-style passenger truck came to a stop in front of my curbside crew. We loaded up once again, this time packed even more tightly into this open air vehicle, and went speeding off toward what I supposed would be the boat docks. It took the better part of an hour until we arrived at the Chumphon boat dock. It was pitch black but I could smell the salty air and didn’t have to be told we were near the ocean. Already at the dock station were another dozen or so travelers just as exhausted as I was. Somehow word got to me that the ferry boat would not be launching until 7am, so we had a good 3 hours or so to waste. There were an assortment of seating options, everything from cardboard on stacked car tires to ripped up old seats removed from minivans. Other travelers were sprawled about, some sleeping some playing games, some watching a hazy tv in the only thing that functioned as a building. I passed the hours by reading a little fiction while seated on a wooden bench. Slowly the sun began to rise and my surroundings became visible. The calm ocean, a dozen long-tail fishing boats, and several huge island rock formations rising out of the water just like you see in the travel books. Suddenly it felt like this journey was turning around as the night turned into day.
Once the sun was up, the call came out to board the ferry and the other travelers and I got in line and took our seats below deck. Since the sun was now out, so was the irrepressible heat, luckily the boat lurched forward and a breeze came through the window. Afternoon while I decided to go above deck to check out the surroundings ( and I was feeling a bit seasick in the open ocean). Climbing to the top of the stairs I take in the panoramic view of blue and in the distance I see the shadowy shape of an island, Koh Tao.