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    Sunday, February 28

    I woke the following day, back to the usual 'rock hang-over' after going out for farewell drinks. I had a boat to catch at 2 so sat around drinking water. I'd decided i was going all the way to Chiang Mai as i think i'd done the Island scene by now and still wanted to experience a little more cultural side of Thailand.
    The problem with this is it's quite a way and meant a two hour boat to Krabi (again), a couple of hours there waiting for the night bus to Bangkok (that's a good 10 hours) then a case of hanging around there for a day before taking another night bus to Chiang Mai (another 14 hours)

    phew...
    the highlight of this most horrible of journeys came in the form of an imax screen, a pair of 3-D glasses and James Camerons 'Avatar' which i had the brilliant idea to go and see on my stopover. This was my first time in a cinema since leaving and i don't care how culturally relevant it was but i enjoyed it a whole lot. Even the standing for the national anthem before the film started brought a smile to my face. The film was exactly what i needed to stay awake, it looked stunning, was as loud as hell and zipped along at some crazy speed. Not sure that all the oscar talk is justified though. It's still basically 'Tarzan' in reverse when all said and done just with mechs and guns.
    But anyway i'll shut up now.

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    Going deeper underground

    Tuesday, February 23

    Day 1: Started with me waking from my first decent night sleep at the rock, and on arrival to the diving shop i was introduced to my instructor 'Angus'... i also found out that for next 3 days our group would solely consist of just me, so that was pretty cool to be having one on one tuition.


    Next up were the videos, these things weren't as bad as everyone implied and by the time you know it we where off getting kited up.
    The actual assembly of the kit and gadgety things had the little geek inside me pretty excited. I liked learning something new and it was a relief to find out i hadn't killed everyone of the brain cells.
    With the theory done and the kit sorted we went down to the enclosed shallow water and started with all the basic skills. Respirator recovery, having your air shut off, emergency ascents and weight belt release. Everything was easy and no problem until we started with the mask removal and clearing. This went opposite to perfect, this went horrible. The second the water went up my nose i suddenly lost all train of thought and starting flapping like a dog. Seems the fear of drowning suddenly moved to the top of my list of "least pleasant ways to die"
    So yeah, not the best way of ending the day, after a few go's i was bored of swallowing water and feeling like i was going to drown so we called it a day and went back to the shop. Angus was cool with it, he just said we'd go through it the next day until i was completely comfortable with it.

    Cheers, can't wait :(

    Day 2: I was pretty apprehensive about the start of the second day, the mask removal thing had freaked me out a bit and i wasn't exactly thrilled to be getting back in.
    After checking through all the kit again and jumping on the boat. We arrived at the first dive spot 'Bina Nok'.
    It wasn't until you properly go under water and see what there is to see that the awesomeness of diving becomes totally apparent... i know it's an obvious statement to make but the previous day had almost made me forget why i wanted to do it in the first place. The second a bunch of fish swim past you is utterly unforgettable, every time i saw a clown fish or pipefish, a grubber or crab came in eyesight i'd just forget i was meant to be following Angus and i'd become fixated on them before having to quickly catch up.
    We came across 2 leopard sharks (who are usually quite sleepy, or so i'm told) and they swam directly round us, so close it'd sound like i'm lying.... it might of just been the magnified lenses but it was stunning all the same.


    After my swimming test around the boat 6 times, which gotta say was harder than it looked having not swam for quite a while, we jumped back on the boat and headed to the second spot 'Pilaya' and got back in the water.
    This time apart from seeing another big leopard shark having a snooze, we also came across a family of turtles, 6 of them chilling out together. Again we where able to get so close and again just stunning.
    Every second underwater was just amazing, i absolutely fell in love.


    Day 3: Was very similar to the second day, we did another 2 dives to take me to the 4 required to pass the open water license and again got to see more turtles more sharks, we also got to see a little sea horse which was quite special and had an amazing day feeling really comfortable under the water by this point.

    After the multiple choice question test and the signing off on my license i said my thanks and left... absolutely gutted about not going diving the following day.

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    E.R

    Saturday, February 13

    This was the plan as it was meant to be. I'd arrive in Phi Phi, I'd spend a couple of days on the beach and then go to Koh Lanta to do some diving...!
    A nice relax before doing something more serious. Simple.

    Now this was the plan as it was:

    The boat over was the usual affair, Corrs concert being shown on the TV, Air con on to high inside the boat, the sun so hot that you can't sit out.
    I'd heard of only one dorm hostel in Phi Phi called the rock, and this place is just legendary, literally. It's a hut at the center of the island, it holds close to 20 people and is the cheapest way of spending a night on the island. The problem is it's also one of the dirtiest places you'll ever visit in you life, honestly it's a new high on my list of grimy hostels :) and after one night my ever unreliable body foot got an infection and had swelled to double its usual size.
    The pharmacy gave me tablets which didn't work, although i did continue to drink while on them so that might of had something to do with it. But the next day when it had increased in size again i had to take myself to the hospital (something i'd somehow avoided in doing to this point). Holly came with me as she found it incredibly funny as i walked around with my inflated foot and then grimaced as she watched the nurse take 3 attempts to place a drip for my antibiotics. I was also informed i'd have to return the following 2 days to finish off the treatment.... the short relaxing stay was obviously going to get extended.

    I started to think maybe i'd just do my diving here and then go straight up north to Chiang mai rather than messing around looping all over the show, especially now as i had to sit around and wait for the foot to sort itself out.
    I signed up with a place and got back to doing what is done best at the rock, and that's drinking. The days after this where just hilarious, i'm not proud of the amount we drank but the people who stay at the rock are just some of the nicest, funniest people i'd ever met and we just got to drinking as a group on a nightly basis. Every day at a certain hour we'd all meet up, buy a family bucket (basically and industrial sized dustbin), fill it with everything from vodka to samson and then add coke and finished it off with a varying amount of red bull bottles and a heap of straws to share from. Only after one or two of these would we then go and hit the rest of the island.

    It was only till the foot had healed 5 days later that i actually had a night where I could use the excuse of having diving in the morning and get to sleep before sunrise.

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    Can you smell what the rock is cooking

    Monday, February 1

    Phuket for me is the sort of place you come to for your 2 week break from work. The beaches are nice, but are littered with sun loungers and umbrellas. The food and drink are cheap, relative to home anyway, and it has a decent enough night life.

    The thing is it`s just not the place you really go to backpack through. It lacked character i guess is what i`m trying to say. It was like going to Kavos or Zante. When you go travelling you want to feel like your actually experiencing the country and not just being given an experience that is catered towards what the general Westerner holiday maker thinks you want.

    On the other hand though the hostel i was staying at in phuket was pretty awesome! For the first time in months i could sit on a couch watching films till the early hours of the morning, and there was a food market to grab take aways from just 2 mins around the corner. So seeing as the beaches were`nt doing it for me i indulged in this life style instead. If anything it was like staying at a mates place for a few days, a good chance to catch up on sleep and get my washing done before getting a boat over to Phi Phi.


    I did`nt know it at the time but those were much needed days of rest before my stint at "The Rock Hostel"

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