B&E Photography: Thailand - Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, & Phuket

     Koh Samui's airport was probably something similar to landing in Hawaii in the 1940's. The runway was incredibly short, had only one stretch of asphalt used for landings, takeoffs, and taxing, and had one baggage terminal with a thatched roof. It was really quite liberating to be somewhere that was so unadulterated from commercialism (or so we thought, we later came back only to find that most of the island was completely commercialized.) However, time was of the essence (no, not that essence) and we had to high tail it to our ferry which took us to another island, Koh Tao.
     Koh Tao is where Erica and I agreed to try something we both had never done but always had wanted to: scuba dive. We signed up for our Open Water course and, loving it and our instructors so much, we continued on to the Advanced Open Water certification. We had such an amazing time! We dove to depths of over 95 feet, completed a night dive in utter darkness (we saw photo plankton light the night waters up like fireflies), and viewed fish so big they looked like they could swallow you whole.
     Our dive instructors were Kiwi (he's from... yep....you guessed it....New Zealand) , Allie from England, and Julia from Russia. I was in stitches the entire time with these guys and have never had so much fun and learned so much. The instructors had this unique, but highly effective system of helping you to remember important techniques and knowledge; if you named a piece of equipment incorrectly or were possibly about to do something wrong, then they would give you a beer fine. Put your mask on your head (international sign for diver in distress): beer fine. Call your mask goggles: beer fine. Forget to clean your equipment: beer fine. Call Kiwi an Aussie: beer fine. Needless to say it began to add up but it definitely kept you motivated to stay on track and brought the day to a nice relaxing close with a few rounds of drinks at the bar, even if it was on my tab.
     From Koh Tao we island hopped yet again to Koh Phangnan. It felt a little strange at first to lay by the pool as we had been diving every day straight for a week. However, we got adjusted quickly and were soon sipping ice cold Long Islands that soothed the mind and soul. We in fact liked it so much we continued to do that the two days we were there. We also had met two really nice couples from England that were a blast to talk with. They even had really interesting tattoo's! (inside joke).
     From Koh Phangnan we went back to where we had landed, Koh Samui. We had a great time here riding our motorbike around the island searching for unique restaurants and secluded beaches. We had a great meal not far from our hotel where Erica and I ate to our heart's content, with alcoholic beverages mind you, for a grand total of $6.40. It is amazing how cheap you can eat in this country. If $3.20 a person is splurging and you find that too expensive, take comfort in the fact that one can eat for as little as $0.60 (including water to wash down the fiery cauldron of never ending chilies). I know what you must be thinking: the food probably is bearable at best, right? WRONG! This was some of the best food we've had yet and it was served hot, fresh, and always with a smile. It's no wonder why so many people from different areas of the world choose this country to retire.
      Our last stop was to Phuket to see our old stomping grounds. We had lived here 4 years ago and we were interested in getting back to some familiarity. The travel from Koh Samui to Phuket was an absolute nightmare. Our boat was late getting to the dock, then the bus was late picking us up from the arriving dock, then a connecting bus we were suppose to catch left because we were late forcing us to wait for yet another bus. Once on the next bus it was low on gas forcing us into the nearest gas station. Turns out that the gas station we chose had no gas and was awaiting a refill truck. To make matters worse, the bus company's policy wouldn't allow us to stay on the bus while at the gas station obligating we sit outside. Once we ended the bus ride we had to hail a cab from the bus station wherein the taxi cab driver got lost trying to find our hotel. All in all, what was suppose to only be a 5 hour trip took more than 14!!!! If you are ever wanting to improve your skill of patience, I would suggest having a go at any third world's transportation network where most things always go awry and the more connections you have the worse it can get.
     It was great getting to see Phuket again. We rented a motorbike and cruised all around the island to our favorite restaurants, beaches, and bars and I even had three custom suits made for less than the price of one in the States. Riding the motorbike, we're used to seeing otherwise shocking things like the use of no helmets or 5 people on one bike (the family sedan?). However, this incident took the cake. About to overtake a motorbike, I mentioned to Erica how crazy it was that the woman up ahead was holding a saw for wood cutting in her right hand while her husband was driving. As we passed Erica mentioned to me how much stranger it was that the woman also had a 4 month old baby in her left hand! She was only holding on with her legs to a motorbike going approx 50 mph clutching a newborn in one arm and a knobby toothed saw in the other! Where is Gloria Allred when you need her?
      We had a great and relaxing time in Phuket and saw many things throughout Thailand. Having finished at our last destination of this beautiful country, it was time to pack it up once again and move North to our next country: China: land of the Great Wall, panda bears, and very slippery noodles.