I have returned to port safe and sound. I feel like a pirate whose been to sea for a yar! My Thailand diving adventure is in the logbook and my vacation is almost over.
The dive trip was fabulous! The fish were great. I saw sea turtles and moray eels and lots of anemones. I even spotted several white tipped reef sharks. The coral was diverse and there were also some rocky sites which provided many caves and swim throughs to explore. There was current on only two of the thirteen dives so it wasn't even strenuous.
The only injuries to report are two rather nasty blisters on my right foot.
One on my heel and one on the fourth toe on top of the knuckle. These were caused by an ill-fitting fin. That was a risk I chose to accept when I decided to travel light and not bring my own equipment. It caused sufficient discomfort and I had totally sworn that I would ALWAYS travel with my own stuff in the future and boy, did I learn this lesson the hard way and I kept beating myself up for it. But by the end of the trip I realized that absolutely nothing else had been a problem. Considering the amount of equipment that includes I should be quite pleased. So maybe a couple of blisters are worth not checking luggage and dragging 50 pounds of equipment around. Of course, when the open, festering wounds become infected and I come down with Dengue fever a week from now I may be singing a different tune. (Relax, they sell band-aids here. (I even splurged and bought "anti-peptic" cream. (I asked. It's for "give clean to cut" (Misspelled product labels are a staple of international travel))))
In the meantime, I am staying in the finest resort this one water-buffalo-town of Khao Lak has to offer for 400 Thai Baht (ten US dollars). Specifically that's a twin bed with suspect sheets (I'll be shaking them for geckos before I climb in), an oscillating fan which doesn't appear to have oscillated in a very long time, a western style sit down toilet, but with no tank, hence the bucket of water conveniently placed nearby, and a cold water shower head fastened to the wall above the sink.
Frankly, after a week of using a marine toilet, I am just grateful to be able to shower while STANDING. Several of the clients are gathering at a local bar tonight to rehash our adventures.
Tomorrow I hitch a ride down to Phuket (careful with the pronunciation. Phu = "Poo", not the "F" sound. (That was another lesson I learned the hard way)) I am meeting my friends from Lebanon at the Phuket Naithon Resort. (phone number 76 205 233) I hear it has hot water in the rooms. I'm very excited. It's only an hour away and I have all day to get there so I'm sure they'll be some exploring going on. Then we have all day Saturday to hang out (probably beach time) before catching a late night flight to Bangkok and finally returning to Beirut. We have a nine hour layover in Kuwait so we plan to do some sightseeing there on Sunday. That should be good for another story.
Happy Easter Everyone.
Love
Stu