Hi guys, Well I've been back living on Kho Tao for three weeks now and all I can say is that I just love living here - life is just sweet........ it's all good! I'm working hard and playing even harder. So what have I been up too then - I'll probably miss loads out but here we go! As soon a I arrived back I went SCUBA Diving equipment shopping for the basics. I ended up spending a pretty penny (christ I just love spend money! I get this from mumma simmons). I bought a dive computer (watch), fins, mask, snorkel, sausage, compass etc. How I'm going to lug this around the world, I do not know! But I'll work it out... But having the majority of your equipment is cool. It makes my life underwater much easier and far more enjoyable so it was well worth it. Life back in the water is cool. I typical day sees my up early doors (07:00) to prepare equipment and look after students and make sure they get to the prier and on the right boats. In the morning I complete two diving by either assisting or fun diving with other divemasters. I have a quick bite to eat after arriving back to the shore and then straight back out for the two afternoon dives again either assisting or fun diving and sometimes assisting in the pool. This is good as my dives and experience under water is growing and you become a better diver after even single dive. When you return (approx 06:00) you wash and store your equipment and it is Tiger time! I honestly can't remember a day that I've not had three Tigers before going for food! Saying that, there has been plenty of times in England when I could say that...... Nights consist of beer, good food washed down with good beer, relaxing on beautiful beaches listening to the sound of the sea drinking beer, chilling out at Grahams (legend) watching classic films drinking gin and tonic with a slice on lime of course. Alternatively my new favorite pass time is going out clubbing drinking beer/shots and dancing the night away! Recently I had 7 hours sleep in three nights and had some of the funniest evenings of my entire life. These were shared by my partner in crime Tom and a few of the other boys. Good laughs man good laughs... Other than that there has been some amazing people leave and new people arriving! To name a few Andy, Lee, Dave, Andrea, Simon, Darren, Charlotte all have moved on. This always culminates in a quality night out and general a snorkel test too. Due to the fact that when I am assisting a don't generally see must aquatic life as I am concentrating on the new open water students and making sure they are safe etc underwater. However I was assisting Alex on an Advanced course which means that generally the students are better divers as this isn't there first time underwater. We complete the deep dive and exercises and prior to entering the water the group had agree to swim into the deep blue (away from the pinnacle) to go shark hutting. The danger of this is that you may just see beap blue water for 10 minutes! However, I saw my first big grey reef shark! It was absolutely magically, this thing so amazing and not small! It just glided through the water like no other fish I'd ever seen. I was well happy and so were the students that saw it too. Since returning to the island I've not been able to commit to the Muay Thai Kick Boxing. Is a little disappointing but there just isn't enough hours in the day to diving four dives and have enough energy to train as well. I did go to the Kho Tao Boxing event and I've never witnessed fighting so fierce in my live. It was awesome! There was a westerner fighting too, who I know as we got talking when I trained and he was training too. This added a right spice to the evening as the crowd was massive in anticipation of Michael's fight. He took a bit of a battering but was blocking really well so never got properly hurt. The second round turned into a right tear up which saw Michael land some punishing blows. Just before the round ended Michael landed a tremendous right hander which turned the Thai boys legs into jelly. Seeing his opportunity to finish the guy off by unleashed an elbow, punching combination that ended in a massive right handed again that sparked the bloke out cold. Out of the eight fights, six ended in KO's and not just ones were the guy is dazed on the floor. We are talking good night sweetheart and carried out a someone shoulder! This is the best perfessional fighting I have ever seen. Other events to report on normal consist of someone nearly killing themselves! I received a text at stupid o'clock from Graham just saying - "Come round to my house, I've had an accident please help". Then three following texts saying "please help" Well I papped myself and dashed off to the rescue. Unfortunately I'd been drinking all night and I don't tend to drink slowing. On the way I managed to brake an inche thick clutch bracket meaning the clutch was hanging off!! So abandoned that on the side of the road to hick hike a lift to Grahams (which is in the mountains). I managed to get Tom luckily and we made our drunken way to help. We arrived and he wasn't in the best of states but we are both first aid trained so we sorted him out. He knocked himself unconscious in a motorbike accident and was woke up by a taxi driver. He was pretty roughed up and hit his head quite badly - all is well now though. Well other than he is missing some skin in places and he calls me Alex now! I'll leave out all the other stories as mumma simmons will only worry! The weather at the minute is absolutely gorgeous. It couldn't be any better. The tan is coming on beautifully but I look at bit strange naked now! No change there then.... I'm also completing the remaining swim tests, tow tests, mapping projects, skill circuits etc all the other related parts of becoming a Divemaster. So as I said working hard and loving to life. Well I don't want to bore you all so I will go and have a Tiger! Bye for now ### Well it was but for some reason I never posted the above massage onto my site. It is five days on now and thinks have turned for the worst! I'll start from the beginning.### It all started when I decided to stop diving and drinking for a couple of days. This was my first error! You tend to obtain small cut on your feet and ankles which are common in this environment. The problem is that these never heal due to being in the water all day long. This isn't a massive problem as the sea water cleans the wound every time. However, I decided to have a break to give my ears a rest to prevent an ear infection. These are fairly common out hear as the sea is 29 and perfect for breeding ear injections infection ect. I'd had this tiny cut for three weeks on my ankle and in the day I was out of the water I contracted a infection in it and didn't know! I woke up the next day and my foot was swollen and really sore. I went straight to the chemist and just anti-inflammatory and anti-biotics to sort the issue out. The problem was that in four hours, my foot was about three times the size and I was properly struggling to walk and in real pain. You know when something is up when everyone sees it and they say - "Oh my god" and their eye widen! Off to see the doctor! At the doctors I discovered that I had a temp of 39, apparently this is a high fever. I just though it was just a nice day. Then we discovered there was a big lump in my groin which was the injection traveling up my leg - this worried my slightly! He then explained that I would have to be admitted for a night - nice. He then told me that he needed to clean the wound which I though would be a dabbing of alcohol solution or iodine. When I looked at the table the tools to clean the small cut consisted of a scalpel, a large needle and syringe and some kind of solution. This is the moment I put my hat over my eyes. Yeah - he cut a divot out of my foot and then clean it. Thanks doc. He then mentioned the word septicemia (still not sure if this is what I had to be fair) but three nights and four days later on a normal drip, anti-bioctic drip, anti-inflammatory injections, some random injection. Which I never worked out what it was but the nurse injected me with it every now and then and three pills after every meal I was let out. Still on a concoction of drugs though but hey ho! Hospital highlights - bed baths clearly has to be up there, watching five premiership football games a day, watching the live cricket England vs Pakistan and Ski Lanka vs South Africa. Oh, day three didn't start to well as my right hand just wasn't playing ball and letting any fluid through it anymore. So I was woken and stabbed a million time in my left hand trying to fine a vein. I loved that! Finally they found a vein and I turned on the TV. To my horrer my sports channel wasn't working... When I was really really bored I would sometimes watch the Fashion TV and this was my only option. I turned it over and it was a lingerie special for an hour! When that finished it was swinwear special..... and as some as that finished I flicked iot over the the sports channel and the best programme in the world was on - SkySports News. That Karma for you - bad thinks happen, good thinks happen! Hospital lowlights - pain, boredom, fading sun tan and having to deal with the insurance company - I'm not even going to go there! A big thank you to all of my visits which I had many every day - and especially the take away pizza's and kebab's you use to bring me. Other event over this four day period were: Tom was ridden into by another motorbike driver who was riding on the wrong side of the road on a corner at 40 kilometers a hour. Tom was Ok but the girl on the back of his bike wasn't. To cut a long story short four hours later she had to be shipped to the main to be treated. She returned two days later and the damage was a broken cheek bone, fractured jaw which has been wired and she is going to be flight home tomorrow to have the dental work sorted. Georgie - wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery. Further to that, when she returned, Tom and Georgie had to go and see the police for her insurance. Tom dropped his bottle of water and a manky old bog bite him. The next thing I know is he is seating on my sofia just been treated for Rabies! Only four more injections Tom over the next 28 days - you'll be reeet. So, I've now got the nickname of 'Big Foot' and 'Tom is Rabies Boy' - quality. There is some sharp thinker out here! There is plenty more but I've probably bored you all by know. So, I'm off to start drinking again, its the only way. Stopping drinking isn't good for me! I'm sure there a lession to be learnt there somewhere.... Bye for now Miffy x x x