Surviving the "Thaios"

Ever since leaving the Indonesian diving liveaboard I was slightly depressed about 1) not diving for a few weeks, and 2) coming to the end of all of my diving for the trip. Phuket and Koh Phangan put me back in a happy place though as I dove three (3) of the four (4) full days I had in the areas. Now, not much will compare to Raja Ampat, but the first day's dives in Phuket came close. I had the chance to see almost all of the macro life of Raja, except for manta rays. The black tip sharks were much more interactive around Phuket. Instead of only seeing an octopus curled up in its home we encountered one walking across coral on the ocean floor! No more pygmy seahorses that I was barely able to see even when pointed out as we found about a four (4) inch yellow seahorse in a coral fan. We were even lucky enough to spot a leopard shark which the dive master said was quite rare these days as they've basically left the one dive area because of all the attention they get from divers. Unfortunately, the other dive days were pretty lackluster from not seeing much marine life and quite terrible visibility.

1st Night's Sunset in Phuket

Spot the Octopus

Leopard Shark

Phuket Diving

In Phuket, I really didn't have any time to spend exploring the area as the dive trips took up much of the days. However, I did manage to catch a sunset the first night as I stepped foot on the beach for the last about five (5) minutes of the sunset. On one of the other nights a buddy from my hostel room and I found a spot to grab some dinner and then took a stroll down Bangla Road which is the most well-known part of Phuket - but not for the best reasons. It's the main drag where merchants wave anything and everything in your face, bars and clubs are the majority, and locals are trying to drag you into their "ping pong shows." Feel free to Google that NSFW item if you'd like, but I'll refrain from explaining on here.

Welcome to Bangla Road

Kon Phangan diving was by far the worst I've done. There were a few individuals getting their Open Water certification and they were so pumped about seeing one (1) turtle and basically nothing else on their dive the day before. I guess Jenna and I were just spoiled with doing our Open Water in Costa Rica. The rest of the time on the island I had wanted to rent a scooter and drive around the island to waterfalls and viewpoints, but my hostel manager strongly suggested I avoid that, especially since I've really never driven a scooter before. He said too many first-timers end up crashing and ruining their trip essentially so I took his advice, lounged around the beach, and watched Aladdin and Toy Story on a big outdoor screen at my hostel. Ahhhh, the good ol' days...

Beach Hostel Life

After reading Jenna's blog about her time in Bangkok I was a little worried what was in store for me. My experience seemed to be a lot better though as I met a bunch of fun people, saw what I wanted in a day (temples, temples, temples, and another street market), and did some more planning for the upcoming weeks. My hostel location was easy to get to with Bangkok's train systems. Actually, everything I wanted to get to was either within walking distance or right by a train stop which always cost less than $1 USD. My iPhone needed a battery replacement? $30 for parts and labor in fifteen (15) minutes. The area my hostel was located in was quite clean as far as sidewalks, streets, and litter goes. Of course the vehicle pollution was a little over the top, but that was expected with the city's density. By the end of my time in Bangkok I had met friends from Vegas, Australia, Seattle, Norway, Germany, San, Jose, Britain, and probably others I can't even remember. Leaving the hostel was a little sad, but I wouldn't doubt I'll see some of them again down the road or even in SE Asia soon.

Famous (and Gigantic) Reclining Buddha

Temples and Buddhas of Bangkok

Time to get away from the hustle and bustle of cities and back into nature! A short flight took me up to Chiang Mai in the Northern part of Thailand where I signed up for a Thai cooking class for my first full day there. The class was held about forty-five (45) minutes outside the city, had a young golden retriever, and I could eat everything I chose to cook. Not sure what's better than that! Thai cookbooks were even given out at the end of the session so we can try our hand at dishes back home. That night I joined a group from the hostel to head out to the local night market and threw down some $0.16 sushi (and didn't get sick) and a few big Chang's (local beer).

Thai Cooking Class

Chiang Mai Night Market

The next day after my ride arrived almost an hour late, I headed out about ninety (90) minutes to Chai Lai Orchid to hang out with elephants and hike around Doi Inthanon National Park and surrounding waterfalls. Props to Jenna for suggesting this as it was a much-needed getaway and, although the tours cost more than other options, where the money goes is well worth it. My first day consisted of meeting my new best friend, Manoi, an adult female elephant, walking her around the Chai Lai grounds for over an hour, feeding her bananas every two (2) minutes, and then attempting to bathe her in the nearby river as she flopped and splashed around obviously enjoying herself. Even though the baby elephant I got to bathe next wasn't as cooperative and just about shattered my kneecap, the experience was awe-inspiring. I'm still debating if being kissed by an elephant or a dog is more gratifying - just kidding, Marnie, obviously a dog! To finish the day off I took a thirty (30) minute bamboo raft ride down the local river where I was hit on by a Thai ladyboy, hit on more by a group of young Chinese girls, told I look like John Cena, and experienced a Thai traffic jam when a local raft group in front of us couldn't navigate a few bumpy spots and backed us up. All of these shenanigans led to me sleeping for thirteen (13) hours that night, which I haven't done in probably ten (10) years.

Meeting Manoi








Chai Lai Orchid Elephant Experience

On the second day I thought I would be hiking around Doi Inthanon National Park for a good four-to-five hours. Well that turned into only ninety (90) minutes of actually hiking coupled with walking around some pagodas, a few viewpoints, the highest point in Thailand down to the ten-thousandth decimal (which didn't have a viewpoint ironically), and then a decent size waterfall before heading back to Chiang Mai. Before I left I of course had to get a Thai massage so I tried out a blind massage parlor right by my hostel on my last day. The ninety (90) minute treatment was well worth the little bit extra compared to some cheaper looking establishments, but still incredibly cheaper than what we pay in the US for an equivalent treatment. Dff to the hornet's nest known as Vietnam!

Pagodas of Doi Inthanon

Doi Inthanon Trekking and Waterfalls