Monday, March 27, 2006
Thai Media
Finally collected and cleaned up all the Photos and Videos from the Thailand Trip. I'm back to studying C# before starting the new job next week. Having a tough time turning on the left brain and shutting down the right brain. Maybe a couple more days will help. Might be going over to Orondo to scope out some vacation property I'm going in for with Khasha. Not sure how we're going to afford it but it's a good investment. I want the kids to have something like that.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
My way stuck in Taipei
I sold my soul to the devil, and the price was cheap
And it's cold on this level cause it's twice as deep
But you don't hear me
Ignorance is bliss and so on
Sometimes it's better to be thought dumb
Shall I go on?
-DMX
I just got booted off the plane in Taipei and told that my flight to Seattle is delayed for 4 hours. So I bluffed my way into the China Airlines VIP lounge to use the internet and let loved ones know I'll be late. But I think I'll stick around for a while. The free cookies and tea are very yummy and the couches don't hurt my back. A fella could get used to this.
A strange thing happens when you spend too much time in airports. You start seeing people and constantly trying to figure out where they're from, where they're going, and other details about them. Sometimes you're right on the money. Other times you're way off. I get a lot of looks for being non-asian. I can't tell if it's curiosity, admiration, or disdain.
I'm ready for home. I miss the fam ..... Stay tuned for the massive photo and video collection from Thailand. I'll post them as soon I download them off Mack's Arcos.
I reminisce
try to clear up all the myths
for an imaginary kiss
with you again
Not even friends
though I wish that I could mend
like a tailor and be Olive Oil's number one sailor
I ams what I ams, still I falls like an anvil
She's heavy on the mind sometimes it's more than I can handle
But men aren't supposed to tumble into the den B
Macho, but I hancho like Pancho will give in
Family oriented, but not Oriental
A dame is supposed to claim ya even if you drive a Pinto
A hero is a sandwich and a manwich is a meal
A marriage is a paper, are they fakin' or for real?
-Pharcyde
And it's cold on this level cause it's twice as deep
But you don't hear me
Ignorance is bliss and so on
Sometimes it's better to be thought dumb
Shall I go on?
-DMX
I just got booted off the plane in Taipei and told that my flight to Seattle is delayed for 4 hours. So I bluffed my way into the China Airlines VIP lounge to use the internet and let loved ones know I'll be late. But I think I'll stick around for a while. The free cookies and tea are very yummy and the couches don't hurt my back. A fella could get used to this.
A strange thing happens when you spend too much time in airports. You start seeing people and constantly trying to figure out where they're from, where they're going, and other details about them. Sometimes you're right on the money. Other times you're way off. I get a lot of looks for being non-asian. I can't tell if it's curiosity, admiration, or disdain.
I'm ready for home. I miss the fam ..... Stay tuned for the massive photo and video collection from Thailand. I'll post them as soon I download them off Mack's Arcos.
I reminisce
try to clear up all the myths
for an imaginary kiss
with you again
Not even friends
though I wish that I could mend
like a tailor and be Olive Oil's number one sailor
I ams what I ams, still I falls like an anvil
She's heavy on the mind sometimes it's more than I can handle
But men aren't supposed to tumble into the den B
Macho, but I hancho like Pancho will give in
Family oriented, but not Oriental
A dame is supposed to claim ya even if you drive a Pinto
A hero is a sandwich and a manwich is a meal
A marriage is a paper, are they fakin' or for real?
-Pharcyde
Monday, March 20, 2006
Purple Haze - Don't teez the deez
It's been a long time since my last post from Thailand. A lot has happened and I will no doubt fail to recall all the details but I'll do my best. One of the reasons I haven't written in the blog is because I've been busy. The other reason is that I wanted to make sure I was in a positive mind-state when I wrote. Certain events have been a bit overwhelming to deal with and therefore, I was't sure if I'd be able to write anything worth reading. Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the rest of the story ...
Budda's Revenge
The day after my last post I woke up early to fullfill one of my new vows which was to run at least 2 out of 3 days. I wake up to find Mack already awake, he gives me his WWF stare down and points at his gel-formed mohawk. He tells me it's his "running do". Kewl. Let's do it.
We run all the way down to the end of Chaweng beach and do sprint intervals on the way back. I feel great. Lungs, legs, everything is solid. Then, out of boredom perhaps, we do these running drills where I run and change directions based on Macks signals. Forward, Backward, left, right, and 4 corners diagonnally. They're sand drills intended to give you better feet and defensive reflexes for volleyball. I don't know if it was the slanted beach, the 2 days of pounding on the bikes, or my minor back injury before I came here. For whatever reason, something went really wrong and I had the worst lower back tweak I've ever had. Sitting, standing, & walking all become a massive challenge. I'm an old fuck-head.
I fell a bit better after shower and breakfast. The guys talk me into getting a Thai massage. HUGE mistake. I come out worst than before. Now I'm REALLY fucked. They suggest another day on the bikes (brilliant) and I agree (genius). We go to the south end which we haven't been to yet and check out some ancient fishing villages. On the way back, we stop at an intersection in the middle of no where. I see a truck with a Monkey on the back drive by. I watch the monkey, gun it to catch up with truck and keep watching him. Small detail ... when you gun the throttle like you're on concrete but you're really on sand here's what happens. Your back tire shoots out to the left and your right elbow drops. This cranks the throttle down even more, exacerbating the situation. Then your front wheel cranks right and you flip over. You skin your shouder. This last part is optional but I chose it for the full experience.
Luckily, a chicken shack at the corner had 1st aid and some friendly Russian nurses nearby were kind enough to clean me up. This process was a bit embarassing since all I wanted was to get out of there. The eyes staring at me burned more than the alcohol swabs wiping sand out of my skinned back. Towards the end Mack comes by and encourages us to attend the "Snake Show" at the other corner. So now I get parraded to the 2nd corner at the same intersection. The snake show was actually kind of cool. I even let the guy put scorpions on my arm since I figured after my morning back injury and afternoon bike wreck, god couldn't possibly keep fucking with me anymore. We got pics of the scorpions, my back, and other cool stuff.
After the show, I get paraded to corner #3 for some skewered chicken. Once the fellas had ensured that the Thais had had their fill of staring and laughing at the idiot American who wrecks his bike at 3 mph, we headed back home. We had a fun dinner on the beach where I got beat in checkers twice a by a fat 10 year old kid who went around the beach betting foreigners. Granted I was on painkillers and Vodka by this point, but I lost very fast & easy. The fellas had a good laugh about it. I returned my motorcyle and booked boat tickets to Koh Tao leaving the next morning for all 3 of us. Needless to say, I went to bed early and slept in the fetal position crying all night.
House of Pain
We get up early and catch the boat to Koh Tao. Packing is excruciating. Putting the pack on and off is even worse. I try not to complain too much even thought I know I do. Mack laughs at me. Matt helps me. I'm glad I don't have to be tough around him.
The cutest little girl insisted on playing cards with us and listening to our mp3 players on the pier. I got pics of her. Little butterball.
While on the boat someone tells us that the full moon party is actually on the 13th, not the 14th. We also find out that the boat is stopping at Koh Phangan on the way to Koh Tao. After stepping up the line of scrimmage and reading the defense I call an audible and change the game plan at the last second. We're getting off in Koh Phangan. Pooping on the boat was quite an ordeal. I won't go into details.
We get off and start looking for a beach-front bungalow close (but not too close) to the main party on Haad rin beach. We don't find anything beach front that works for us but we end up staying at a brand new (we were the 1st occupants) bungalow just off the beach at Bayshore Bungalows. Perfect. We spend the rest of the day swimming and chilling on the beach and checking out dive shops. We also find out that the full-moon v-ball tournament is cancelled due to the reconstruction of the bar that hosts it. We're a bit relieved due to my back and Matt's knee problems but I'm also a bit torn at the same time. I'd been thoroughly consumed with training for this tourney for over a year. It was the light at the end of the tunnel that kept me motivated to eat clean, train hard, and play in freezing weather. And now ... just like that ... poof ... the light is gone.
The next day we rent snorkels and explore the rock formations all the way north to the next beach. It is deserted. I stretch. We swim back. My back feels better but not nearly ready enough to play volley ball. I fall asleep on the beach. When I wake up, Matt's gone. I ask Mack where he is, but he just laughs at me. I see Matt playing v-ball. Mack laughs harder. It hurts. Kinda like watching your girlfriend making out with some other guy.
He have dinner and finalize our dives. We decide to go diving with Phangan Dive Shop. The owner and main dive master is a stocky long haired Swiss named Alex who looks just like Sammy Hagar from Van Halen. He was intelligent, articulate, laid back, and funny. We trust him. We book with him.
We head out of for a bite and plan to go to bed early but get temporarily side tracked when we get invited to a beach party somwhere else on the island. We go. It's fun & different but we cut out early due to our morning dives.
The next day goes well, we go to Shark Island near Koh Tao and I pass my 1st of 2 days of open water dives required for my certification. Visibility is poor but I'm just glad that the cert process in under way. The guys decide to skip diving the next day due to poor visibility. I go anyway since I just want to get certified. I meet a guy named Manuel on the boat. He runs an e-commerce site out of Amsterdam that sells Marijuana seeds. He's very intelligent and well-travelled. We get along great. I pass everthing and officially get certified. I go to the beach with Manuel and he meets the fellas. He takes off to dinner with Mack. I sit and watch Matt cheat on me some more with some little Israeli dude named Udi. He actually turns out to be a super cool guy. My back's feeling fine now and I want to play but Matt insists that I wait one more day per the game plan. 2 days of diving and no stress have helped the healing process along quite well.
That night we go out and celebrate. I had not partied since I got to the Island and I was ready to seriously kick it. We celebrate 3 things:
1) Matt's Birthday
2) My certification
3) My healing
We kick it Sea-Town style, Deez-like, call it what you want. We have a blast on the beach, meet lots of people, and party like little boys. It was great. We were definitely the stars of the Island that night (maybe just in our own minds).
I sleep great and attack the beach ready to take out all my pent up aggression on the v-ball court. I win a couple of games with Matt and then he grabs a bite to eat. I team up with a Danish guy named "Moegens" (Pronounced "Muntz") and we rattle off another 5 wins before losing a close one to a Swedish Team of "Johan & Johan". My back is not 100%. I can't jump serve, but manage to play within my limits and have a fun, pain-free day. That night I meet up with Muntz and his girlfriend and some other Danish & Sweedish folks for dinner. He ends up getting real drunk and leaving his girlfriend with some other gals. The two of us walk around the Island and drink buckets of Samsung. It's a good time. He's very funny and intelligent.
The game plan for the next day was to drink some "Special" Koh Phangan shakes and climb some waterfalls north of Haad rin that have to be reached by boat. We stop at a place called Purple Haze where a Macaque (Monkey) stole my shades. I could not get them back. The bastard was so quick. Finally, I took a shiny blue carbiner off Matt's back pack and sorta traded it with the Monkey for my shades. We got the whole thing on video.
Once we drink the shakes, however, Matt and Mack melt into the Sand and I do what I do. Muntz is eating nearby but he's EXTREMELY hung over. I team up with an Amazing Australian named Jim. He's not only a great player, he's also a great person in general. His wife helps me with my back pains and gives me advice on how to take care of it. We don't lose the entire day. I eventually stop playing due to back pain.
Matt: "How can you be playing volleyball right now?"
Ardi: "It's the only thing I know how to do."
We're like Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek except on the beach instead of the dessert.
We go out and have more fun that night. Frankly, I can't recall the details. The next day we keep our promise and do climb the waterfalls, albeit sans-shake. It's a good climb and we do some small cliff dives at the top. The challenge on these dives was getting to the edge using vines as ropes. We swim through a little cave and explore some more. We go to a Thai Boxing match which was pretty cool and go out briefly but take it easy since the following night is the full moon party.
The day of the party is spent playing more v-ball. I can feel the repeated back injuries sapping the snap out of my core and legs. My 1st step is very slow and I'm not jumping very high. I play poorly but go all out and play 'til sundown since I know it's my last day of playing. I have dinner on the beach right next to the courts wrapped in a towel and laughing with friends. As coldplay would say (1st song, 1st album) We live in a beautiful world.
The full moon party is great. So many colors, lights, music, and strange people. I curse myself for forgetting to charge my camera battery despite Mack reminding me. We see so many strange, funny, and beautiful things and I wish I could have took pictures of them. We see people passed out on the beach and their freinds building sand castles on them. We see a 300 lb woman who can't get out of 2 feet of water. We see a guy who spends the entire party just digging a hole in the beach. We see people with strange body paint. We walk, watch, & laugh. I loved it.
We watch the sunrise on the beach with 1000's of others and euphoric Robert Miles cuts. We go to our rooms, pack, and catch the boat to Koh Tao with no sleep.
Koh Tao
After my first trip to Thailand, if you were to ask me about the most beautiful place I've ever been, I'd say it was Koh Tao and possibly Kauai 2nd. If you were to ask me that today, you'd get the same answer. Koh Tao is the smallest and northern-most most Island in the Surithani province. It is very primitive and primarily a diving heaven. There's something surreal and almost cartoonish about the way the trees, rocks, and buglows are all interwined with each other on the hillsides and jagged cliffs. It's almost as if Dr. Seuss was hired as the architect and told that the only rule is you can't move or destroy any rocks or trees when you build the bungalows. Unreal.
All the bungalows and dive shops are intertwined so you usually dive with the place you stay and save $ in the process. We stayed at Sairee Hut. They had a brand new dive shop and super cool dive masters.
We check in, swim, clean up, have dinner and go to bed super early since we got a dive the next morning and no sleep from the night before. I stay up a little later and chat with Jeff, an American from North Carolina who now runs the artificial ski slope in Dubai. What a crazy job.
We get up at 7:00 the next day. We walk 50 yards and we're on the boat by 7:30 and under water by 8:30. That's what's so cool about Koh Tao. Everthing is so close and convenient. The dives are cheap and take no time. You can do 2 dives by noon and still have the whole day to do other stuff. And that's exactly what we do. We dive in the morning and explore the Island on motor bikes the rest of the day. We go to a bay on the Southern end of the Island called Shark Bay (for good reason). It required us to take our little toy mopeds off road. I have video footage of some of the trail. It was comedy (& terror). We skin dive with black tip sharks. I swam next to one that was the same size as me for close to 30 seconds. A small 3 foot one attacked Matt and he had to fight it off with his fins. I'd hate to see what the 7 footer would have done to me.
We eat a snak at the same place we rented snorkels from, right on the beach. The beach is surreal. It has bush-like trees growing right in the middle of it, almost creating separate rooms on the beach for extra privacy and something to hang hammocks on. I really like the owner. He was very hospitable and kind. The kind of person you'd read about in the Celestine Prophecy. He has an older relative (dad/brother) that drinks samsung all day, sings, and teases the owners little daughter. It's a beautiful vibe all around.
We ride our bikes up a treacherous hill to the highest point on the Island, to a place called Happy Days to catch the sunset. We drink Opium tea. We get severly sick. It was hell. Matt and I puke (repeatedly) right over the edge into the jungles below. Each trip to the bathroom is like a long walk on a boat in rough seas. This is not the warm, fuzzy, blissful effects of opium that I'd read about all my life. We keep waiting to stabilize enough to ride our bikes back. Eventually we give up on that plan, stumble down the hill, and catch a pickup truck taxi back. There was something nostalgic and endearing about the whole exprience. I felt like shit but I somehow knew the whole thing sounded cool on paper and for whaterver reason that made it a bit more bareable. 3 buddies poisened on bad opium on a small primitive Island in SE Asia. As the Deeez would say: "How cool am I?" Well ... I was cool enough to puke in an alley as we went to the store to get some gatorade for rehydration.
Couple of symptoms we had to battle that night:
1) Severe Itching: I kept coating myself in bug repelent but I was itching all over like crazy.
2) Inability to Urinate: I also kept drinking fluids to stay hydrated and clean my system out. But none of us could pee so the fluids would build up and we'd eventually puke it all out.
Eventually we fell asleep and woke up around 11:00 feeling a bit better but not even close to 100%. We had a 1:00 pm dive booked so we had some breakfast and head back south to get our bikes. Boy oh boy, the walk up the hill in that state in the noon sun and full humidity was biblical. We were walking up the mountain of our past sins with gods vengence beaming down upon us with no mercy. Classic.
I actually felt a lot better once I got on the bike. By the time we got on the boat I was good to go. The dive was great fun and we went out that night and partied the old fashioned way.
The fellas left the next morning. I woke up long enough to say goodbye and move my stuff into a smaller bungalow for 1 person. Passed out again and woke up at 1:00 to a knock on the door. The dive master was waking me up for my dive. Only in Koh Tao.
It's another great dive. On the way back I grab some pineapple and head to the front of the boat. I sit there. I'm tanned black. I've lost weight. Got a 3 day beard. I remember seeing a picture of my dad rowing a boat when he was younger. He was thin, tanned, and looked happy. I think it was in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. I imagine that I must look a lot like him in that picture. I also realize that it's almost 5:00 pm and I'd spent the entire day asleep or under water.
Before the fellas left, I'd been telling myself that I'd enjoy a few days of alone time. What a crock of crap! I missed them. A lot. I went out to dinner and drinks with a few other divers but it just wasn't the same. I walked home alone and got some water on the way.
I always advise folks to travel alone but I guess by this point I was so hooked on the good times and fellowship that I'd been taking for granted that I just wasn't in the mood to get close to anyone else. Not cool. But true.
The next day was a dive free day. I took off and explored the entire Island on my inadeqate bike. I ended up at the same bay where we dove with the black tip sharks. I was in a deep funk but the owners recognition and hospitality was a nice treat. I ate, read, slept, swam and made my way back to Sairee. I booked another early morning dive and went to bed early. The next morning I packed and checked out before the dive. Afterwards I slept, returned my bike, and and caught a cab to the pier, jumped on a boat and arrived in Koh Samui to catch my flight to Bangkok the next morning.
As soon as I get in the truck, it starts raining. Just as we touched down in Bankgok as I finished the last sentence of my book, I was now feeling the Islands say goodbye just I begin heading out. Sad.
When I was young I used to read stories and see movies about Vietnam vets who would lock themselves in their hotel rooms for days after coming out of the bush. Never stepping out except for a quick bite and a bottle. I always used to wonder why they didn't just go out and party, get drunk, gamble, chase chicks, and live it up. After climbing Matchu Pichu, I understood.
Now I've got that feeling once again. You would not understand. This is not how I am.
- Pink Floyd
I slept in my Samui Bungalow only to step out long enough to write this blog. I'll probably eat and go back to sleep. Just blocks from the Green Mango, the central Samui party spot. Why am I so drained? I don't know. I don't like it. But hey, I've been through a lot.
I guess at the end of the day you got your friends, your family, and your teammates. And if you're really lucky ... they're all the same people. I feel painfully blessed.
Thanks for visiting. Hope to see you all again soon.
Budda's Revenge
The day after my last post I woke up early to fullfill one of my new vows which was to run at least 2 out of 3 days. I wake up to find Mack already awake, he gives me his WWF stare down and points at his gel-formed mohawk. He tells me it's his "running do". Kewl. Let's do it.
We run all the way down to the end of Chaweng beach and do sprint intervals on the way back. I feel great. Lungs, legs, everything is solid. Then, out of boredom perhaps, we do these running drills where I run and change directions based on Macks signals. Forward, Backward, left, right, and 4 corners diagonnally. They're sand drills intended to give you better feet and defensive reflexes for volleyball. I don't know if it was the slanted beach, the 2 days of pounding on the bikes, or my minor back injury before I came here. For whatever reason, something went really wrong and I had the worst lower back tweak I've ever had. Sitting, standing, & walking all become a massive challenge. I'm an old fuck-head.
I fell a bit better after shower and breakfast. The guys talk me into getting a Thai massage. HUGE mistake. I come out worst than before. Now I'm REALLY fucked. They suggest another day on the bikes (brilliant) and I agree (genius). We go to the south end which we haven't been to yet and check out some ancient fishing villages. On the way back, we stop at an intersection in the middle of no where. I see a truck with a Monkey on the back drive by. I watch the monkey, gun it to catch up with truck and keep watching him. Small detail ... when you gun the throttle like you're on concrete but you're really on sand here's what happens. Your back tire shoots out to the left and your right elbow drops. This cranks the throttle down even more, exacerbating the situation. Then your front wheel cranks right and you flip over. You skin your shouder. This last part is optional but I chose it for the full experience.
Luckily, a chicken shack at the corner had 1st aid and some friendly Russian nurses nearby were kind enough to clean me up. This process was a bit embarassing since all I wanted was to get out of there. The eyes staring at me burned more than the alcohol swabs wiping sand out of my skinned back. Towards the end Mack comes by and encourages us to attend the "Snake Show" at the other corner. So now I get parraded to the 2nd corner at the same intersection. The snake show was actually kind of cool. I even let the guy put scorpions on my arm since I figured after my morning back injury and afternoon bike wreck, god couldn't possibly keep fucking with me anymore. We got pics of the scorpions, my back, and other cool stuff.
After the show, I get paraded to corner #3 for some skewered chicken. Once the fellas had ensured that the Thais had had their fill of staring and laughing at the idiot American who wrecks his bike at 3 mph, we headed back home. We had a fun dinner on the beach where I got beat in checkers twice a by a fat 10 year old kid who went around the beach betting foreigners. Granted I was on painkillers and Vodka by this point, but I lost very fast & easy. The fellas had a good laugh about it. I returned my motorcyle and booked boat tickets to Koh Tao leaving the next morning for all 3 of us. Needless to say, I went to bed early and slept in the fetal position crying all night.
House of Pain
We get up early and catch the boat to Koh Tao. Packing is excruciating. Putting the pack on and off is even worse. I try not to complain too much even thought I know I do. Mack laughs at me. Matt helps me. I'm glad I don't have to be tough around him.
The cutest little girl insisted on playing cards with us and listening to our mp3 players on the pier. I got pics of her. Little butterball.
While on the boat someone tells us that the full moon party is actually on the 13th, not the 14th. We also find out that the boat is stopping at Koh Phangan on the way to Koh Tao. After stepping up the line of scrimmage and reading the defense I call an audible and change the game plan at the last second. We're getting off in Koh Phangan. Pooping on the boat was quite an ordeal. I won't go into details.
We get off and start looking for a beach-front bungalow close (but not too close) to the main party on Haad rin beach. We don't find anything beach front that works for us but we end up staying at a brand new (we were the 1st occupants) bungalow just off the beach at Bayshore Bungalows. Perfect. We spend the rest of the day swimming and chilling on the beach and checking out dive shops. We also find out that the full-moon v-ball tournament is cancelled due to the reconstruction of the bar that hosts it. We're a bit relieved due to my back and Matt's knee problems but I'm also a bit torn at the same time. I'd been thoroughly consumed with training for this tourney for over a year. It was the light at the end of the tunnel that kept me motivated to eat clean, train hard, and play in freezing weather. And now ... just like that ... poof ... the light is gone.
The next day we rent snorkels and explore the rock formations all the way north to the next beach. It is deserted. I stretch. We swim back. My back feels better but not nearly ready enough to play volley ball. I fall asleep on the beach. When I wake up, Matt's gone. I ask Mack where he is, but he just laughs at me. I see Matt playing v-ball. Mack laughs harder. It hurts. Kinda like watching your girlfriend making out with some other guy.
He have dinner and finalize our dives. We decide to go diving with Phangan Dive Shop. The owner and main dive master is a stocky long haired Swiss named Alex who looks just like Sammy Hagar from Van Halen. He was intelligent, articulate, laid back, and funny. We trust him. We book with him.
We head out of for a bite and plan to go to bed early but get temporarily side tracked when we get invited to a beach party somwhere else on the island. We go. It's fun & different but we cut out early due to our morning dives.
The next day goes well, we go to Shark Island near Koh Tao and I pass my 1st of 2 days of open water dives required for my certification. Visibility is poor but I'm just glad that the cert process in under way. The guys decide to skip diving the next day due to poor visibility. I go anyway since I just want to get certified. I meet a guy named Manuel on the boat. He runs an e-commerce site out of Amsterdam that sells Marijuana seeds. He's very intelligent and well-travelled. We get along great. I pass everthing and officially get certified. I go to the beach with Manuel and he meets the fellas. He takes off to dinner with Mack. I sit and watch Matt cheat on me some more with some little Israeli dude named Udi. He actually turns out to be a super cool guy. My back's feeling fine now and I want to play but Matt insists that I wait one more day per the game plan. 2 days of diving and no stress have helped the healing process along quite well.
That night we go out and celebrate. I had not partied since I got to the Island and I was ready to seriously kick it. We celebrate 3 things:
1) Matt's Birthday
2) My certification
3) My healing
We kick it Sea-Town style, Deez-like, call it what you want. We have a blast on the beach, meet lots of people, and party like little boys. It was great. We were definitely the stars of the Island that night (maybe just in our own minds).
I sleep great and attack the beach ready to take out all my pent up aggression on the v-ball court. I win a couple of games with Matt and then he grabs a bite to eat. I team up with a Danish guy named "Moegens" (Pronounced "Muntz") and we rattle off another 5 wins before losing a close one to a Swedish Team of "Johan & Johan". My back is not 100%. I can't jump serve, but manage to play within my limits and have a fun, pain-free day. That night I meet up with Muntz and his girlfriend and some other Danish & Sweedish folks for dinner. He ends up getting real drunk and leaving his girlfriend with some other gals. The two of us walk around the Island and drink buckets of Samsung. It's a good time. He's very funny and intelligent.
The game plan for the next day was to drink some "Special" Koh Phangan shakes and climb some waterfalls north of Haad rin that have to be reached by boat. We stop at a place called Purple Haze where a Macaque (Monkey) stole my shades. I could not get them back. The bastard was so quick. Finally, I took a shiny blue carbiner off Matt's back pack and sorta traded it with the Monkey for my shades. We got the whole thing on video.
Once we drink the shakes, however, Matt and Mack melt into the Sand and I do what I do. Muntz is eating nearby but he's EXTREMELY hung over. I team up with an Amazing Australian named Jim. He's not only a great player, he's also a great person in general. His wife helps me with my back pains and gives me advice on how to take care of it. We don't lose the entire day. I eventually stop playing due to back pain.
Matt: "How can you be playing volleyball right now?"
Ardi: "It's the only thing I know how to do."
We're like Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek except on the beach instead of the dessert.
We go out and have more fun that night. Frankly, I can't recall the details. The next day we keep our promise and do climb the waterfalls, albeit sans-shake. It's a good climb and we do some small cliff dives at the top. The challenge on these dives was getting to the edge using vines as ropes. We swim through a little cave and explore some more. We go to a Thai Boxing match which was pretty cool and go out briefly but take it easy since the following night is the full moon party.
The day of the party is spent playing more v-ball. I can feel the repeated back injuries sapping the snap out of my core and legs. My 1st step is very slow and I'm not jumping very high. I play poorly but go all out and play 'til sundown since I know it's my last day of playing. I have dinner on the beach right next to the courts wrapped in a towel and laughing with friends. As coldplay would say (1st song, 1st album) We live in a beautiful world.
The full moon party is great. So many colors, lights, music, and strange people. I curse myself for forgetting to charge my camera battery despite Mack reminding me. We see so many strange, funny, and beautiful things and I wish I could have took pictures of them. We see people passed out on the beach and their freinds building sand castles on them. We see a 300 lb woman who can't get out of 2 feet of water. We see a guy who spends the entire party just digging a hole in the beach. We see people with strange body paint. We walk, watch, & laugh. I loved it.
We watch the sunrise on the beach with 1000's of others and euphoric Robert Miles cuts. We go to our rooms, pack, and catch the boat to Koh Tao with no sleep.
Koh Tao
After my first trip to Thailand, if you were to ask me about the most beautiful place I've ever been, I'd say it was Koh Tao and possibly Kauai 2nd. If you were to ask me that today, you'd get the same answer. Koh Tao is the smallest and northern-most most Island in the Surithani province. It is very primitive and primarily a diving heaven. There's something surreal and almost cartoonish about the way the trees, rocks, and buglows are all interwined with each other on the hillsides and jagged cliffs. It's almost as if Dr. Seuss was hired as the architect and told that the only rule is you can't move or destroy any rocks or trees when you build the bungalows. Unreal.
All the bungalows and dive shops are intertwined so you usually dive with the place you stay and save $ in the process. We stayed at Sairee Hut. They had a brand new dive shop and super cool dive masters.
We check in, swim, clean up, have dinner and go to bed super early since we got a dive the next morning and no sleep from the night before. I stay up a little later and chat with Jeff, an American from North Carolina who now runs the artificial ski slope in Dubai. What a crazy job.
We get up at 7:00 the next day. We walk 50 yards and we're on the boat by 7:30 and under water by 8:30. That's what's so cool about Koh Tao. Everthing is so close and convenient. The dives are cheap and take no time. You can do 2 dives by noon and still have the whole day to do other stuff. And that's exactly what we do. We dive in the morning and explore the Island on motor bikes the rest of the day. We go to a bay on the Southern end of the Island called Shark Bay (for good reason). It required us to take our little toy mopeds off road. I have video footage of some of the trail. It was comedy (& terror). We skin dive with black tip sharks. I swam next to one that was the same size as me for close to 30 seconds. A small 3 foot one attacked Matt and he had to fight it off with his fins. I'd hate to see what the 7 footer would have done to me.
We eat a snak at the same place we rented snorkels from, right on the beach. The beach is surreal. It has bush-like trees growing right in the middle of it, almost creating separate rooms on the beach for extra privacy and something to hang hammocks on. I really like the owner. He was very hospitable and kind. The kind of person you'd read about in the Celestine Prophecy. He has an older relative (dad/brother) that drinks samsung all day, sings, and teases the owners little daughter. It's a beautiful vibe all around.
We ride our bikes up a treacherous hill to the highest point on the Island, to a place called Happy Days to catch the sunset. We drink Opium tea. We get severly sick. It was hell. Matt and I puke (repeatedly) right over the edge into the jungles below. Each trip to the bathroom is like a long walk on a boat in rough seas. This is not the warm, fuzzy, blissful effects of opium that I'd read about all my life. We keep waiting to stabilize enough to ride our bikes back. Eventually we give up on that plan, stumble down the hill, and catch a pickup truck taxi back. There was something nostalgic and endearing about the whole exprience. I felt like shit but I somehow knew the whole thing sounded cool on paper and for whaterver reason that made it a bit more bareable. 3 buddies poisened on bad opium on a small primitive Island in SE Asia. As the Deeez would say: "How cool am I?" Well ... I was cool enough to puke in an alley as we went to the store to get some gatorade for rehydration.
Couple of symptoms we had to battle that night:
1) Severe Itching: I kept coating myself in bug repelent but I was itching all over like crazy.
2) Inability to Urinate: I also kept drinking fluids to stay hydrated and clean my system out. But none of us could pee so the fluids would build up and we'd eventually puke it all out.
Eventually we fell asleep and woke up around 11:00 feeling a bit better but not even close to 100%. We had a 1:00 pm dive booked so we had some breakfast and head back south to get our bikes. Boy oh boy, the walk up the hill in that state in the noon sun and full humidity was biblical. We were walking up the mountain of our past sins with gods vengence beaming down upon us with no mercy. Classic.
I actually felt a lot better once I got on the bike. By the time we got on the boat I was good to go. The dive was great fun and we went out that night and partied the old fashioned way.
The fellas left the next morning. I woke up long enough to say goodbye and move my stuff into a smaller bungalow for 1 person. Passed out again and woke up at 1:00 to a knock on the door. The dive master was waking me up for my dive. Only in Koh Tao.
It's another great dive. On the way back I grab some pineapple and head to the front of the boat. I sit there. I'm tanned black. I've lost weight. Got a 3 day beard. I remember seeing a picture of my dad rowing a boat when he was younger. He was thin, tanned, and looked happy. I think it was in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. I imagine that I must look a lot like him in that picture. I also realize that it's almost 5:00 pm and I'd spent the entire day asleep or under water.
Before the fellas left, I'd been telling myself that I'd enjoy a few days of alone time. What a crock of crap! I missed them. A lot. I went out to dinner and drinks with a few other divers but it just wasn't the same. I walked home alone and got some water on the way.
I always advise folks to travel alone but I guess by this point I was so hooked on the good times and fellowship that I'd been taking for granted that I just wasn't in the mood to get close to anyone else. Not cool. But true.
The next day was a dive free day. I took off and explored the entire Island on my inadeqate bike. I ended up at the same bay where we dove with the black tip sharks. I was in a deep funk but the owners recognition and hospitality was a nice treat. I ate, read, slept, swam and made my way back to Sairee. I booked another early morning dive and went to bed early. The next morning I packed and checked out before the dive. Afterwards I slept, returned my bike, and and caught a cab to the pier, jumped on a boat and arrived in Koh Samui to catch my flight to Bangkok the next morning.
As soon as I get in the truck, it starts raining. Just as we touched down in Bankgok as I finished the last sentence of my book, I was now feeling the Islands say goodbye just I begin heading out. Sad.
When I was young I used to read stories and see movies about Vietnam vets who would lock themselves in their hotel rooms for days after coming out of the bush. Never stepping out except for a quick bite and a bottle. I always used to wonder why they didn't just go out and party, get drunk, gamble, chase chicks, and live it up. After climbing Matchu Pichu, I understood.
Now I've got that feeling once again. You would not understand. This is not how I am.
- Pink Floyd
I slept in my Samui Bungalow only to step out long enough to write this blog. I'll probably eat and go back to sleep. Just blocks from the Green Mango, the central Samui party spot. Why am I so drained? I don't know. I don't like it. But hey, I've been through a lot.
I guess at the end of the day you got your friends, your family, and your teammates. And if you're really lucky ... they're all the same people. I feel painfully blessed.
Thanks for visiting. Hope to see you all again soon.
Sunday, March 5, 2006
Numbah One American G.I
There are few moments in life filled with more potential than ones involving a good back pack, good company, and no particular plans. And it was in such a situation that I found myself at 4:00 a.m on Friday, March 4th, downtown Bangkok as I grabbed a cab and thew our packs in the back. We were on our way to a 6:00 am flight to Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand and I could feel the seeds of adventure sprouting for us. But I suppose the real adventure began a couple of days earlier.
As fate would have it, Mack and I both hurt our backs the week prior to our flight to Bangkok. He hurt himself on the bunny slopes at Chrystal Mountain (even though he'll tell you it was steep and deep) while I hurt mine playing volleyball (even thought we lost). While I had chose stretching and excercise to start the healing, Mack had fell back on his own "Deiselesque" therapy. I arrive at his house on Monday night after my weekly V-Ball game in the U-District to drop off one of two 2-way radios that we'd use to find each other in Bankok. I walk in the living room only to find it covered with random travel paraphenalia and gear. This is the Diesel method. Organized chaos squeezed into a back pack. He informs me that he's been taking some pain killers and wine to ease the pain. This, given his 2:00 am flight out and general state of affairs, scares me a bit. Plus, he seems extremely chatty and happy but not very competent. He couldn't even find a pen and I had to get one of out my car. But, he is a grown man after all so I give him the radio and some other details and head out in order to let him get back to packing.
I fly out the next day at 1:30, about 12 hours after the Deez (Mack) and look forward to reading some books that I had put off for a while during my C# studies. I end up sitting next to a Korean business man who claimed to have seen the devil and was now pursuing his degree in Theology. His plan was to join all the other Korean ministers spreading christianity in Communist China. What a swell plan! I did find the guy likeable and we did have some pleasant although strained conversation. At one point I had to escape to the back of the plane to read my book because he wanted to discuss the virtues of Christianity but every time I presented him with contradictions and falsities in the bible, he would change the topic. Eventually, I had to escape to the back of the plane and sit in the stewardess chair to read my book. After a 2 hour pit stop in Seoul (last post) I jump on the flight to Bangkok and finally take a fat chunk out of the book. I finish the last sentence as our wheels touch down. Seriously, it was pretty cool.
After a brief (90 minute) and pleasant stroll through customs where I daydreamed about root canals, I hop in a cab and tell him to take me to Khao San road. All I know was that the Deez would be there and he would have turned the radio I gave him on around midnight. My cab driver is very enthusiastic about making small talk. Minor problem ... he doesn't speak english. This, as it turns out, isn't really considered a problem in Thailand. The art, is in being able to "Pretend" that you understand. Even it if leads to you doing ridiculous things and wasting other peoples time. I don't remember it being this bad last time but maybe I was just younger with less venom in my veins.
Anyway, I begin to reflect in the cab and think about my ride from the airport last time I was here. That time, Seth's driver picked me up in his black mercedes and took me to his high-rise penthouse. This time I was headed to the seediest part of town to sleep in a $12 room with plastic sheets and no TP. And I couldn't be happier. Wouldn't trade it for Donald Trumps toupe' OR his polyurethane wife.
I hit the call button on the radio a few times but no response. Finally, as I'm pulling my bag out of the trunk the radio crakles.
"Ardi?"
"DEEEEEEEZ!"
"Are you here?"
"Yeah, where are you?"
"I'm at the crkh#$#$yert"
"What?"
"*&(FDDTTD*^*^"
"OK ... Any other landmarks?"
It goes on like this for a while. Finally (sadly) we choose Burger King as a landmark and meet up a few minutes later. His look tell's it all. He's got the big smile, the puffed out chest, and movie star grin goin'. I can tell he's already having a good time. I watch him expertly navigate through the transvestite prostitues as he takes me to our room. He's already a pro. Good for him.
We step out for a drink and a bite and go to bed early (kinda) after a brief stroll. I couldn't sleep since it was 10:00 am at home. I got a couple of hours of sleep and we were up to take care of all the loose ends before Matt came to town. First things first, how quick can we get outta Bangkok? We're in luck. The only flights to Koh Samui available for the next day are at 6:00 am. This means, weather we like it or not, we're leaving town EXTRA early. I wondered if I should just take my stuff with me when I go to pick up Matt at the airport and sleep for a few hours in the terminal. We decide to bring Matt back in case he wants to shower and eat. Also, this way he could see Bangkok (sorta).
The rest of the day is spent shopping, taking pictures, visiting parks, etc. A couple of funy things happened.
We were eating lunch at a small cafe and noticed our waitress acting very strange. It really didn't make any sense to us. Finally, towards the end, she asks me: "So, are you the man?" It dawned on me that she thought we were gay. We laughed it off and had a good time teasing her. But we were also curious why she would think that. We certainly didn't look the part. It turns out that we were apparently a little too involved in each others company and our lack of attention to external stuff like women, etc. was construed as gay. Fuck it, I'm glad I got a bro that's so funny he takes my mind and my eyes off women.
The other funny incident was when I accidentally gave Mack 15 baht (30 cents) for our 150 baht (4 dollar) cab ride. I was tying my shoe in the back when I heard the most violent guttural animal scream emanate from the driver. I guess that was his way of telling Mack the amount was wrong. I don't know why but that event and Mack's confused deer in the headlights look had me laughing for ever. I was walking down the street looking extra touristy with tears coming out of my eyes.
We come across an outdoor gym. I love working out in hot humid weather. If feels so good on the joints and muscles. The temperature at Bothell Golds sucks!!!!
I eat fried spiders, grass hoppers, maggots, worms, and pupae. The grass hoppers are too salty. The worms taste like dirt.
I sleep from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am and pick Matt up at the airport at 1:30. Well, closer to 2:00 since I got dropped off at the wrong terminal. I was worried that the news of the 6:00 am flight at the tail end of a 20 hour trip would bum him out but he's in great spirits. He showers, we eat, and then the moment mentioned at the intro above.
We play cards and laugh before we get on the plane. The flight is quick. I read the lonely planet book. Matt reads the diving book. We plan some dives and activities.
Chaweng Beach is on the Eastern side of Koh samui and reminds me of a 3rd world Las Vegas. Busy with lots of stores, lights, bling bling, boom boom. But at 7:00 am it's a ghost town. I find myself getting nostalgic as we pass areas of fun times last time I was here. We find a simple but big bungalow for the 3 of us and spend the rest of the day exploring the beach and streets. They get me drunk off 3 long islands. I take an afternoon nap. We go out. I start calling Mack #1 American GI due to his penchant for innocent flirtation with the prostitutes that are contantly harassing men from bars and street corners. I emphasize "Innocent". I don't want to defame him. He smiles and waves whereas I run away like a retareded school boy who just shit his pants and doesn't want anyone to know. Frankly, I like like his way better.
I get up early (8:00) the next day and visit various dive shops to plan some dives for me and the boys. I gradually realize that diving trips in Koh Samui are a waste of time and $. The reason is that they have to take you away (to Islands like Koh Tao) for dives. This increases their costs as well the travel time to and from the dive spots. 1 or 2 dives could consume your whole day. We decide that since we're going north anyway, we'll dive from there. We focus on hammering out the non-dive activities in Koh Samui and getting out of dodge asap.
While the boys were sleeping and I was learning more about the dive situation I also found some mopeds for rent. Our first destination, the infamous waterfalls. Infamous, due to the fact that Khasha a B-Sack climbed straight up the waterfall and took some pics. We were determined to out do them. I LOVE riding the bikes with no helmet and no shirt, flying though the country side roads and farms surrounded by sun, skye, palm trees, and blue waters. THIS IS South East ASIA! It is the best time I've had on this place.
The first thing we see when we get to the bottom of the waterfalls are the elephants. Rides are cheap so we jump on. They are sooooooo cool and sooooo powerful. I switch seats with the driver and he shows me how to steer and communicate with the elephant. They are very intelligent and can perform a wide variety of tasks on command.
After that we begin the climb. I stash everything behind some bushes except for a camera which I put in a ziplock back and put in the cargo pocket of my board shorts. I tighten my amphibious Solomon shoes. No socks, no weight. Both hands are free. We're off. Sweating, climbing, jumping, taking pictures, sweating, climing, sweating, climbing, slipping, scraping, pulling, sweating, climbing.
The pool at the top is great. We swim & cool off. We're just chatting away on the way down when we suddenly realize we're on a road? What? Shitsticks !!! (Matt's words). We cut back tough some farms and find the trail head. We spend more time playing with the elephants (the baby is allowed to roam free) the Macaques and Gibbons (monkeys). More great pics. We get barbequed chicken legs and pineapples from a street side vendor. We all agreed it was the best meal ever.
I was feeling so great about the activities of the day that I went right along with the plan of sharing a bucket of samsung whiskey with the fellas. Thai whiskey has amphetamines in it. I don't think I fell asleep 'til 6:00. Woke up feeling like shit and came up with my new vows. For the rest of this trip I will:
1) Not drink alcohol
2) Be in bed by 2:00 (3:00 is ok too)
3) Go running at least 2 out of 3 days.
I think leaving Koh Samui will help me out with this plan.
The last one was added when Matt and I tried peppering on the beach today and I was like a bowl of winded jello. Gotta get (stay) in shape for the full moon volleyball tournament in Koh Phangan.
Anyway, today was spent exploring the North and West side of the island. Loved it. But .... I think my spine has had enough pounding for 2 days. Tomorrow we'll hang out on the beach and arrange for our boat ride to Koh Tao. We're gonna try to catch a few days of diving before heading to Koh Phangan around the 10th.
Details will follow.
As fate would have it, Mack and I both hurt our backs the week prior to our flight to Bangkok. He hurt himself on the bunny slopes at Chrystal Mountain (even though he'll tell you it was steep and deep) while I hurt mine playing volleyball (even thought we lost). While I had chose stretching and excercise to start the healing, Mack had fell back on his own "Deiselesque" therapy. I arrive at his house on Monday night after my weekly V-Ball game in the U-District to drop off one of two 2-way radios that we'd use to find each other in Bankok. I walk in the living room only to find it covered with random travel paraphenalia and gear. This is the Diesel method. Organized chaos squeezed into a back pack. He informs me that he's been taking some pain killers and wine to ease the pain. This, given his 2:00 am flight out and general state of affairs, scares me a bit. Plus, he seems extremely chatty and happy but not very competent. He couldn't even find a pen and I had to get one of out my car. But, he is a grown man after all so I give him the radio and some other details and head out in order to let him get back to packing.
I fly out the next day at 1:30, about 12 hours after the Deez (Mack) and look forward to reading some books that I had put off for a while during my C# studies. I end up sitting next to a Korean business man who claimed to have seen the devil and was now pursuing his degree in Theology. His plan was to join all the other Korean ministers spreading christianity in Communist China. What a swell plan! I did find the guy likeable and we did have some pleasant although strained conversation. At one point I had to escape to the back of the plane to read my book because he wanted to discuss the virtues of Christianity but every time I presented him with contradictions and falsities in the bible, he would change the topic. Eventually, I had to escape to the back of the plane and sit in the stewardess chair to read my book. After a 2 hour pit stop in Seoul (last post) I jump on the flight to Bangkok and finally take a fat chunk out of the book. I finish the last sentence as our wheels touch down. Seriously, it was pretty cool.
After a brief (90 minute) and pleasant stroll through customs where I daydreamed about root canals, I hop in a cab and tell him to take me to Khao San road. All I know was that the Deez would be there and he would have turned the radio I gave him on around midnight. My cab driver is very enthusiastic about making small talk. Minor problem ... he doesn't speak english. This, as it turns out, isn't really considered a problem in Thailand. The art, is in being able to "Pretend" that you understand. Even it if leads to you doing ridiculous things and wasting other peoples time. I don't remember it being this bad last time but maybe I was just younger with less venom in my veins.
Anyway, I begin to reflect in the cab and think about my ride from the airport last time I was here. That time, Seth's driver picked me up in his black mercedes and took me to his high-rise penthouse. This time I was headed to the seediest part of town to sleep in a $12 room with plastic sheets and no TP. And I couldn't be happier. Wouldn't trade it for Donald Trumps toupe' OR his polyurethane wife.
I hit the call button on the radio a few times but no response. Finally, as I'm pulling my bag out of the trunk the radio crakles.
"Ardi?"
"DEEEEEEEZ!"
"Are you here?"
"Yeah, where are you?"
"I'm at the crkh#$#$yert"
"What?"
"*&(FDDTTD*^*^"
"OK ... Any other landmarks?"
It goes on like this for a while. Finally (sadly) we choose Burger King as a landmark and meet up a few minutes later. His look tell's it all. He's got the big smile, the puffed out chest, and movie star grin goin'. I can tell he's already having a good time. I watch him expertly navigate through the transvestite prostitues as he takes me to our room. He's already a pro. Good for him.
We step out for a drink and a bite and go to bed early (kinda) after a brief stroll. I couldn't sleep since it was 10:00 am at home. I got a couple of hours of sleep and we were up to take care of all the loose ends before Matt came to town. First things first, how quick can we get outta Bangkok? We're in luck. The only flights to Koh Samui available for the next day are at 6:00 am. This means, weather we like it or not, we're leaving town EXTRA early. I wondered if I should just take my stuff with me when I go to pick up Matt at the airport and sleep for a few hours in the terminal. We decide to bring Matt back in case he wants to shower and eat. Also, this way he could see Bangkok (sorta).
The rest of the day is spent shopping, taking pictures, visiting parks, etc. A couple of funy things happened.
We were eating lunch at a small cafe and noticed our waitress acting very strange. It really didn't make any sense to us. Finally, towards the end, she asks me: "So, are you the man?" It dawned on me that she thought we were gay. We laughed it off and had a good time teasing her. But we were also curious why she would think that. We certainly didn't look the part. It turns out that we were apparently a little too involved in each others company and our lack of attention to external stuff like women, etc. was construed as gay. Fuck it, I'm glad I got a bro that's so funny he takes my mind and my eyes off women.
The other funny incident was when I accidentally gave Mack 15 baht (30 cents) for our 150 baht (4 dollar) cab ride. I was tying my shoe in the back when I heard the most violent guttural animal scream emanate from the driver. I guess that was his way of telling Mack the amount was wrong. I don't know why but that event and Mack's confused deer in the headlights look had me laughing for ever. I was walking down the street looking extra touristy with tears coming out of my eyes.
We come across an outdoor gym. I love working out in hot humid weather. If feels so good on the joints and muscles. The temperature at Bothell Golds sucks!!!!
I eat fried spiders, grass hoppers, maggots, worms, and pupae. The grass hoppers are too salty. The worms taste like dirt.
I sleep from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am and pick Matt up at the airport at 1:30. Well, closer to 2:00 since I got dropped off at the wrong terminal. I was worried that the news of the 6:00 am flight at the tail end of a 20 hour trip would bum him out but he's in great spirits. He showers, we eat, and then the moment mentioned at the intro above.
We play cards and laugh before we get on the plane. The flight is quick. I read the lonely planet book. Matt reads the diving book. We plan some dives and activities.
Chaweng Beach is on the Eastern side of Koh samui and reminds me of a 3rd world Las Vegas. Busy with lots of stores, lights, bling bling, boom boom. But at 7:00 am it's a ghost town. I find myself getting nostalgic as we pass areas of fun times last time I was here. We find a simple but big bungalow for the 3 of us and spend the rest of the day exploring the beach and streets. They get me drunk off 3 long islands. I take an afternoon nap. We go out. I start calling Mack #1 American GI due to his penchant for innocent flirtation with the prostitutes that are contantly harassing men from bars and street corners. I emphasize "Innocent". I don't want to defame him. He smiles and waves whereas I run away like a retareded school boy who just shit his pants and doesn't want anyone to know. Frankly, I like like his way better.
I get up early (8:00) the next day and visit various dive shops to plan some dives for me and the boys. I gradually realize that diving trips in Koh Samui are a waste of time and $. The reason is that they have to take you away (to Islands like Koh Tao) for dives. This increases their costs as well the travel time to and from the dive spots. 1 or 2 dives could consume your whole day. We decide that since we're going north anyway, we'll dive from there. We focus on hammering out the non-dive activities in Koh Samui and getting out of dodge asap.
While the boys were sleeping and I was learning more about the dive situation I also found some mopeds for rent. Our first destination, the infamous waterfalls. Infamous, due to the fact that Khasha a B-Sack climbed straight up the waterfall and took some pics. We were determined to out do them. I LOVE riding the bikes with no helmet and no shirt, flying though the country side roads and farms surrounded by sun, skye, palm trees, and blue waters. THIS IS South East ASIA! It is the best time I've had on this place.
The first thing we see when we get to the bottom of the waterfalls are the elephants. Rides are cheap so we jump on. They are sooooooo cool and sooooo powerful. I switch seats with the driver and he shows me how to steer and communicate with the elephant. They are very intelligent and can perform a wide variety of tasks on command.
After that we begin the climb. I stash everything behind some bushes except for a camera which I put in a ziplock back and put in the cargo pocket of my board shorts. I tighten my amphibious Solomon shoes. No socks, no weight. Both hands are free. We're off. Sweating, climbing, jumping, taking pictures, sweating, climing, sweating, climbing, slipping, scraping, pulling, sweating, climbing.
The pool at the top is great. We swim & cool off. We're just chatting away on the way down when we suddenly realize we're on a road? What? Shitsticks !!! (Matt's words). We cut back tough some farms and find the trail head. We spend more time playing with the elephants (the baby is allowed to roam free) the Macaques and Gibbons (monkeys). More great pics. We get barbequed chicken legs and pineapples from a street side vendor. We all agreed it was the best meal ever.
I was feeling so great about the activities of the day that I went right along with the plan of sharing a bucket of samsung whiskey with the fellas. Thai whiskey has amphetamines in it. I don't think I fell asleep 'til 6:00. Woke up feeling like shit and came up with my new vows. For the rest of this trip I will:
1) Not drink alcohol
2) Be in bed by 2:00 (3:00 is ok too)
3) Go running at least 2 out of 3 days.
I think leaving Koh Samui will help me out with this plan.
The last one was added when Matt and I tried peppering on the beach today and I was like a bowl of winded jello. Gotta get (stay) in shape for the full moon volleyball tournament in Koh Phangan.
Anyway, today was spent exploring the North and West side of the island. Loved it. But .... I think my spine has had enough pounding for 2 days. Tomorrow we'll hang out on the beach and arrange for our boat ride to Koh Tao. We're gonna try to catch a few days of diving before heading to Koh Phangan around the 10th.
Details will follow.
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Quick Shout from Seol
I'm pit-stopping in Seol for an hour before catching my flight to Bangkok. Considering it's 1:00 am in Seattle I feel pretty good. I'm supposed to meet up with Mack Diesel when I get in at 12:30 am Bangkok time which will be about 10:00 am Seattle time. I can't sleep on planes. I guess that's a night sleep I'll have to forego. On the upside, I got a hold of an old buddy in Bangkok and hopefully we'll have a guide for our 1 or 2 nights there. I've been taking notes on some the interesting developments so far but I'll have to send you those out in a more organized and coherent posting. That's about it for now. I feel good.
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