Shblog again…

Hey All,

This is going to be a short post in 30 minutes I am heading out to start my night dive. So yea ye all know I was going to do my Open Water Padi Course but this is the thing I really like it so now tonight I am going to be completing my Advanced open water course. This means I have done 9 dives in the last 5 days. I am certified to go down to 30m. I am able to dive at night. I have done a course on navigation so I can navigate a new dive site from a map. I now have decent control of myself underwater and its the best craic ever. I did it with a place called Seashell Diving. They are a little more expensive than some others but small groups so if anyone is thinking of doing a dive course on Ko Tho I would recommend these guys. Oh yea I swam with sharks the other day, around 25 grey reef sharks. Now this might sound scary but it was one of the best experiances of my life. I have not seen a lot of strange things, but I have experianced them, learning what stomach and intestine equalisation really means. There is a lot of cool things and I think I have found a pastime that could be the one for me. Jonny has been going strong on the diving from as well and is doing the night dive with me tonight.

the Dive Group, (Zoe (instructor), Jonny, Ryan, Tim and Me)

Doing what is called the James Bond Roll entry.

Me and Jonny relaxing inbetween dives

Andres, Zoe, Jonny and Me. (This was the last day of advanced Dives)

Its not all fun and games some study has to be done as well

After all that hard diving you need a drink (Tim, Me, Jonny, Ryan)
I have had some close calls like running very low on air but with the training you are so relaxed and everything is drilled into and you always have backups. Its really good and I’m rambling as I don’t have a lot of time but its great fun, and its party night tonight because I don’t have to get up at 6 tomorrow morning, most dive morning are very early so I am looking forward to the sleep in.

Talk to you soon

Joe

Have not made a post in a while, me and the internet have not been getting on. Left Bangkok and went to Koh Pha-Ngan for the full moon party. We arrived 5 days early because all the accomidation fills up in preperation for the full moon. Stayed in the Sea Side Resort on Sunset Beach. It was a great place, a relaxed bar/resturaunt (Ask for Yao), spending all the days playing pool while nursing our hangovers and getting ready for the following night, it was pretty much 5 days of partying. So we met loads of people, English, American, Dutch, German, Icelandic and loads of Irish. We really have just infested the Island. All they guys working in the places have british accents and its very funny when a Thai guy turns around to you and goes “Alright Mate”. The phrases developed for the trip were legendary, like beer o’clock, bucket o’clock, let it rain. (times of the different happy hours). It was a great night for the actual full moon and did a lot of dancing, got destroyed by body paint by an artisticly challenged Bangor Girl(as you can see above).

Starting the Scuba diving tomorrow and should be good fun, got a nice bungalow and the resturant beside us is showing Hot Fuzz later tonight so looking forward, going to be staying away from the beer for a little while. After that we pretty much have a week to get down to Singapore so will decide what to do then. Hopefully back to a bit of proper travelling.

 Talk to you soon

 Joe

So met the lads in Bangkok, a lovely city, reminds me of barcelona for some reason.. Clean, quiet, pretty much the opposite to what I expected… Unfortunatly the price of things isnt either, phonecalls are mad expensive, dinner, internet, dvd burning for pics, even though our budget is nearly twice that of india..

kites and a merc in the park

Stayed a few days, took a walk around, more big temples, and got cought in a huge thunderstorm..

The best place ive ever seen to buy stuff though, I know work for AP as a photojournalist and can drive an artic lorry Also good if your into ping-pong.

Everybody wears these yellow t-shirts in support of the king in Bkok (Betya theyre free), the day we arrived there was a huge protest against him. He’s plastered himself up on every billboard and public building, surreal for a city that looks so much like a eurporean one.

 From there we headed further south, took the boat from some city (Cant remember the name), and headed to Ko Phanang.. Full moon party place, looks surreal at night, thousands of people partying on the beach..

(The view from my hammock, pretty much the only photo ive taken since the boat on the way here)

Decided on a whim last night to skip the full moon though, so myself and brian will head to indonesia (thanks pad) for a week or two before oz.. Parties are great here, but think ill be a fully fledged alchoholic if I stay. The aim is to climb the active volcano near jakarta Anyway, would reccomend these isalnds for a piss-up holiday, maybe a sample of the full moon, but not much else besides.. Everythings expensive, too crowded, and the premiership blasts out of every bar at night.. Each to his own though! Had a great laugh with the lads, and some extremelly strange nights out, and will miss the pool.. Heres a few pics anyways from the last while, havent managed to take very many in thailand, and a memory card failed too.. Some are in black and white because im messing with my new camera still..

(Main train station in Bangkok)

more temples (in fairness, these ones were pretty cool, even if I didnt pay the entrance fee and go inside)

(sleeping dogs - like wellies and bikes)

(Boat on the river)

I can finally grow a unique beard now

So, have an overnight boat+bus to kuala-lumpur, and after a day there we fly to jakarta in java.. (nerdy jokes galore). Hopefully alot more pics once we get off the beaten trail and sober again

-Ian

So leaving the subcontinent, no more masala dosai or idly, roti or sambar dal, dont know about cows on the streets but definatly no fancy sari’s, cricket matches, bison or chai stalls… In the airport now, it costs $1 for 15mins, hopefully not a sign of things to come… Left Arugam bay by shared taxibus yesterday, 15 hours later arrived near colombo.. Got to hold a turtle on the way tho..

Anyway meeting the lads on tuesday, very strange, joe reckons we’re institutionalized Looking forward to bkok, but a busy few days nonetheless.. After this I dont know, islands, full moons, scuba and a long trip down south…

Overall sri lanka is like galway, good craic/ nightlife/ landscapes /people are friendly but a little cracked (in a good way), you can surf nearby and the music is cool.. the weathers a bit better tho. Then India is like a group of leprechauns and pixies, 60s hippies, shane mcgowan, gerry ryans head on a stick and the entire population of lietrim, under the influence of a multitude of psychedelic drugs, all partying on top of croke patrick in a hurricane (in a good way too, and with plenty of milk tea)..

Anyway have a flight now, air lanka, you get your own tv and it cost less than a tv liscence at home

Updated: In bangkok, jaysus its different than expected.. Definatly no cows on the road… But they did have cameras on the outside of the plane and you could watch them on your little tv…

-Ian