GREETINGS ALL.
WE LEFT BANGKOK LAST FRIDAY AND CAUGHT THE 6AM COACH DOWN TO CHUMPHON.THE COACH WAS QUITE COMFY BUT SITTING ANYWHERE FOR SEVEN HOURS IS NOT IDEAL,NOT UNLESS YOUR NAME IS MIMI-SHE SLEPT NEARLY THE ENTIRE JOURNEY WHILST I PLAYED SWAT THE MOSQUITO (WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE COACH COMPANY COULD HAVE FUMIGATED IT AT BANGKOK!)AT CHUMPHON WE TOOK A HIGH SPEED CATAMARAN TO KOH TAO OTHERWISE KNOWN AS TURTLE ISLAND.IT TOOK 90 MINUTES AND THE SEA WAS A BIT CHOPPY SO WE WERE GLAD WE DIDNT TAKE THE SLOWER BOAT.THE LOMPRAYAH COMPANY WHICH OPERATES THIS TRIP IS WELL ORGANISED AND WE THINK VERY GOOD VALUE FOR COACH AND BOAT FOR 950BAHT.MET OFF THE BOAT BY DRIVER FROM BANS DIVING RESORT WHO TOOK US TO THE RESORT.FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF KOH TAO-PICTURE POSTCARD BEACH,BUT HARBOUR VERY CONGESTED WITH DIVE BOATS.IT STARTED TO RAIN ON THE WAY TO THE RESORT WHICH WAS KIND OF REFRESHING AFTER HOT AND SWEATY BANGKOK.CHECKED IN AT RECEPTION AT AROUND 1530 AND WAS LOOKING FORWARDS TO RESTING IN OUR ROOM (BEEN UP SINCE 430AM)ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT MY OPEN WATER DIVING COURSE WAS STARTING IN JUST OVER AN HOUR AND I HAD 2 HOURS OF CLASSROOM THEORY! ANYWAY OUR HILLTOP SUITE IS TOTALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD-VERY GLAD WE CHOSE IT.THE VIEWS ARE ALSO SPECTACULAR-WE CAN SEE ALL THE WAY TO NANGYUAN ISLAND.
MIMI HAD TROUBLE WITH WITHDRAWING CASH-BLOODY NATWEST! SHE HAD TO PHONE UP AND SORT IT OUT-EVEN THOUGH I TOLD NATWEST BEFORE WE WENT THAT WE WERE GOING TRAVELLING.LOOKSLIKE WE WILL HAVE TO CALL THEM FROM EVERY COUNTRY WE VISIT.I WILL BE HAVING WORDS WITH THEM WHEN WE GET BACK.
WELL,AFTER SEVERAL VERY INTENSE DAYS I PASSED MY PADI OPEN WATER DIVING COURSE AND AM OFFICIALLY NO LONGER A SCUBA VIRGIN! THEY HAD A VIDEOGRAPHER FILM OUR LAST DIVE -ITS VERY FUNNY-I WILL TRY AND UPLOAD IT ON THIS SITE.I WANT TO DO AN ADVANCED COURSE BUT WILL LEAVE IT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AS NOT FAIR ON MIMI.SO FAR I HAVE SPENT MORE TIME UNDERWATER IN KOH TAO THAN ON LAND!
WE PLAN TO RELAX BY THE POOL FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEN I AM GOING TO TRY AND TEACH MIMI HOW TO SNORKEL! HMMM!
MY TAN IS COMING ON WELL BUT MIMI (NOW KNOWN AS SNOWFLAKE)ACTUALLY LOOKS WHITER! THATS FACTOR 50 AND SITTING IN THE SHADE FOR YOU!
WE ARE DUE TO CHECK OUT OF OUR RESORT ON FRIDAY BUT WE LIKE IT SO MUCH WE PLAN TO STAY MUCH LONGER-BUT IN A CHEAPER ROOM.
THATS ALL FOR NOW.....LET THE TANNING BEGIN!
CHOW