1/30/2009 –
We arrived at the Black Manta on 1/18 not knowing what to expect from a live aboard dive experience. For non divers out there, a live aboard is a large ship with 5 levels. The First two levels are for cabins, one level is the galley with entertainment center and dining room, the top level is the sundeck and the mid level is the dive area.
On a live aboard, the sole purpose is to dive. All of your needs are taken care of so you can just dive. There are as many crew people as there are divers. Our dive boat included our very own masseuse to be shared among 15 of us.
Our day looked like this: The bell would ring at 7AM. It was Time to wake up and meet at the galley. Here, our dive master Chris, would explain the course of the first dive of the day. We would have a light snack, and off we would tumble, into the ocean by 7:45. We would come up an hour later to a magnificent breakfast spread which changed daily, starting out very Thai and becoming more westernized as the week continued as did all the meals. We would have our breakfast and get ready for dive number two which would occur at 10:30. When we came up from dive number two, we would relax with a scrumptious lunch and a little nap. Dive number three would occur at 3:00. Once again, we would do our dive, come up for a light snack and prepare for our twilight/night dive. After this, dinner would be served. We would share stories and head on to bed as early as 9:30. Diving can be exhausting but so exhilarating!
We dove as far down as 90 feet at certain places. We were in the Similan Islands, a very special island chain in the Andaman Sea of Thailand. We saw countless fish species, some of which are only found in this particular area. We were also brought to amazing white sand beaches that seemed untouched by human hands.
The experience was incredibly relaxing until the final day, when Michelle’s stomach started acting up. We think she might have gotten a bit sloppy with her shower and sipped on some unpottable water by mistake. It was a miserable 24 hours for her….being on a boat and being sick to her stomach but she is a trooper and watched with envy as the others came up from their dives with fantastic stories of Manta Ray spottings, watching a Leopard Shark sleep, being in the center of a school of thousands of barracudas, and frolicking with an octopus who didn’t want to be frolicked with.
The people we dove with were fabulous. We enjoyed spending time with Hector from Singapore, Malcolm from England, On, our other dive master and fantastic photographer, Sariff , a resident from Seattle, and Belinda, an Aussie living in Singapore. They made our trip so interesting and fun. There was another group of people diving with us as well. We called them the coral crushers. They were certainly nice enough people, but it seemed like they never learned dive etiquette. There were 6 of them from Hong Kong. They were experienced divers but if there was anything special to see, they would run over what ever they could to be first to see it and be sure to get a good photo of it. They didn’t seem to care if they smashed into other divers or coral. Things really got out of hand when one of the other divers got one of the coral crushers banging the back of a turtle with a metal rod. We were appalled. So was our dive master, Chris.
The Similan Islands are a marine sanctuary and touching fish or coral is NOT allowed. Chris called the park staff on board to our ship to make sure this behavior did not continue.
All in all, the entire trip was amazing, and we ended it with mixed emotions when it was over, sad to be done but happy to be on land. This time, we end up in the fabulous town of Khaolak.
We spent five days in Khaolak. We revisited nightly sunsets, explored secret beaches and just relaxed by the pool and ocean.
We did spend one day diving a wreck that Michelle missed due to her bug on the dive boat. What we are learning on this trip is that we enjoy just hanging and maybe not doing so much. Khaolak allowed that. Everything was in walking distance.
We were fortunate in finding some fabulous restaurants and I mean FABULOUS! 5 star dinners in a down home atmosphere. YUM! The food in Thailand has been getting a bit limiting for us so finding great restaurants made us very happy.
Khaolak our last stop in Thailand. To think, 3 months ago we knew nothing about this part of the world. Now we are in love with it and wondering when we can come back. We hope our stories have given you a peak into this beautiful culture of people, land and sea.
With fondness, we bid farewell to the land of smiles and head off to Bali Indonesia.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Beaches and Beaches........
Jan. 23, 2009 – Doing a little looking back since our last posting …. We left the wonderful island of Koh Lanta, one of our favorite islands in Thailand, for the mainland of Krabi. Our next destination is the area of Ao Nang which sits on the lower southwest coast of Thailand. Railay Bay is where we set up home for a couple of days. This is a place that has 2 bays, both as beautiful as the other. Tall steep sandstone rocks create the surrounding for each bay. If you have ever have seen a photo of the orient with a long boat heading out to sea and a beautiful sunset in the background, this is it.
We figured that we would search for a room when we got there. We do this about 50% of the time. We find that we can get lucky and negotiate a better price than when planning on line. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. What we do is get dropped off with all of our bags. Given our diving equipment which is a bag in itself for each of us, we have a lot of bags. Michelle shops for living quarters while I hang back with the luggage. Railay Bay is kinda funky on the east side, with hole in the wall bars like Mothers Kitchen and Skunk Bar, fabulous rock climbing, restaurants, and live music nightly. The hotel workers exit out this side of the bay heading back to the mainland. This inlet is surrounded by sandstone rocks and the only way on and off this piece of land is by water.
As we head towards Railay’s Bay West, we have the setting I described earlier, with hotels catering to the more elite. This is where the sun bathing, sunsets, kayak rides and longboats for tours can be found. There are no motorized vehicles here because there are no roads, just walkways and beaches.
We spent one day snorkeling but nothing much was seen. Then we spent another day kayaking around the inlet. In the afternoon we decided to check out the main town of Ao Nang . We were hit head on with the realities of life. Ao Nang, although still a beach town, felt like quite the mainstream. It was filled with cars, tuk- tuks, stores, and people hawking wares on the beach.
As we walked the town in amazement, we saw the familiar site of the golden arches, Mc Donald’s!!!!! We were both so excited for a real taste of America ….Micky D felt like an oasis!!!. As we walked…no wait…. RAN up to order our double cheese burgers and fries our anticipation was overwhelming. We don’t normally eat at McDonald's but when that is all the Americana offered and one has been gone for more than 6 weeks, the need to indulge was overpowering. We both laughed at each other and our reactions to this American standby. I’m sure the other people in the restaurant were wondering….what’s with them? (in Thai). Needless to say, it went down sooooo good but felt like lead later.
Our final day in Railay was a relaxing day on the beach of Railay West where we found some new friends from Canada (Hey now Lori and Lawrence!!!). We hung with them that day and into the evening. It was a pleasure to meet some folks and share some stories. We all had dinner and set off to bed early (11:00) to begin our journey to Pukhet. It is here that we picked up our boat for our 4 day and 4 night live aboard experience. We set sail for the Similan and Surin Islands on the dive boat the Black Manta.
We figured that we would search for a room when we got there. We do this about 50% of the time. We find that we can get lucky and negotiate a better price than when planning on line. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. What we do is get dropped off with all of our bags. Given our diving equipment which is a bag in itself for each of us, we have a lot of bags. Michelle shops for living quarters while I hang back with the luggage. Railay Bay is kinda funky on the east side, with hole in the wall bars like Mothers Kitchen and Skunk Bar, fabulous rock climbing, restaurants, and live music nightly. The hotel workers exit out this side of the bay heading back to the mainland. This inlet is surrounded by sandstone rocks and the only way on and off this piece of land is by water.
As we head towards Railay’s Bay West, we have the setting I described earlier, with hotels catering to the more elite. This is where the sun bathing, sunsets, kayak rides and longboats for tours can be found. There are no motorized vehicles here because there are no roads, just walkways and beaches.
We spent one day snorkeling but nothing much was seen. Then we spent another day kayaking around the inlet. In the afternoon we decided to check out the main town of Ao Nang . We were hit head on with the realities of life. Ao Nang, although still a beach town, felt like quite the mainstream. It was filled with cars, tuk- tuks, stores, and people hawking wares on the beach.
As we walked the town in amazement, we saw the familiar site of the golden arches, Mc Donald’s!!!!! We were both so excited for a real taste of America ….Micky D felt like an oasis!!!. As we walked…no wait…. RAN up to order our double cheese burgers and fries our anticipation was overwhelming. We don’t normally eat at McDonald's but when that is all the Americana offered and one has been gone for more than 6 weeks, the need to indulge was overpowering. We both laughed at each other and our reactions to this American standby. I’m sure the other people in the restaurant were wondering….what’s with them? (in Thai). Needless to say, it went down sooooo good but felt like lead later.
Our final day in Railay was a relaxing day on the beach of Railay West where we found some new friends from Canada (Hey now Lori and Lawrence!!!). We hung with them that day and into the evening. It was a pleasure to meet some folks and share some stories. We all had dinner and set off to bed early (11:00) to begin our journey to Pukhet. It is here that we picked up our boat for our 4 day and 4 night live aboard experience. We set sail for the Similan and Surin Islands on the dive boat the Black Manta.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Back to the beaches of Southern Thailand
Jan. 14, 2009 - Another week has passed and after 6 weeks of traveling the miracle occurred...we lost track of time! Each day rolls into the next with worries consisting of where we should go and what shall we eat. We are currently on a ferry heading out of Koh Lanta. a larger island in the Andaman Sea in So. Thailand.
We have been here for 7 days, where we stayed in a small bungalow resort on the ocean called Lanta Villa. Lanta Villa is on the a horseshoe beach , about 2 miles long right in the middle of the horseshoe. We would sit on our beach chairs at about 5:30 pm and watch the sun drop into the ocean right in front of each night with an hour long show going on. While nature entertained us, we would watch the locals set up their nightly dinner platforms. BBQ was the main way of cooking and usually with the fresh catch of the day. Delicious fish dinners would sell for $6 US...it was heaven.
We went diving 2 times and also went on a snorkeling trip to different nearby islands. One of the dives we went to is listed on the top 100 dives spots in the world, Min Huang. Visibility here was spectacular at 120 ft. +. With more clear blue waters and tons of cool looking fish. Another site afforded us some rare viewings of octopus, lion fish, scorpion fish and even a sea snake.
We spent another day exploring the islands of koh Phi Phi. Phi Phi is surrounded by gorgeous turquoise waters with pristine cliffs jetting out to the sea in brilliant formations, some of which reminded us of the 1000 year old temples viewed in Cambodia. the vibe here was hippie chic , with lots of young people milling around the packed streets. Several movies were filmed here ..."The Beach" and a James Bond movie. It was truly a beautiful setting and a perfect day trip for us.
Michelle and I took another motorcycle ride to the southern tip of the island ... it's kinda giving me the bug for a scooter when we get home. The only tough part is driving on the opposite side of the road that I'm accustom to in the states. The best memories of this part of our trip were the 2 days we stayed by the hotel, frolicking in the ocean and pool, sipping beers, eating Thai food and gobbling up fresh fish at the nightly BBQ...while we just enjoyed each others company, we wanted for nothing!
We are off again to Railey Bay. Our friends Stevo and Deb, the ones who helps us out on this trip, feel Railay Bay is a piece of paradise...we'll let you know.
We have been here for 7 days, where we stayed in a small bungalow resort on the ocean called Lanta Villa. Lanta Villa is on the a horseshoe beach , about 2 miles long right in the middle of the horseshoe. We would sit on our beach chairs at about 5:30 pm and watch the sun drop into the ocean right in front of each night with an hour long show going on. While nature entertained us, we would watch the locals set up their nightly dinner platforms. BBQ was the main way of cooking and usually with the fresh catch of the day. Delicious fish dinners would sell for $6 US...it was heaven.
We went diving 2 times and also went on a snorkeling trip to different nearby islands. One of the dives we went to is listed on the top 100 dives spots in the world, Min Huang. Visibility here was spectacular at 120 ft. +. With more clear blue waters and tons of cool looking fish. Another site afforded us some rare viewings of octopus, lion fish, scorpion fish and even a sea snake.
We spent another day exploring the islands of koh Phi Phi. Phi Phi is surrounded by gorgeous turquoise waters with pristine cliffs jetting out to the sea in brilliant formations, some of which reminded us of the 1000 year old temples viewed in Cambodia. the vibe here was hippie chic , with lots of young people milling around the packed streets. Several movies were filmed here ..."The Beach" and a James Bond movie. It was truly a beautiful setting and a perfect day trip for us.
Michelle and I took another motorcycle ride to the southern tip of the island ... it's kinda giving me the bug for a scooter when we get home. The only tough part is driving on the opposite side of the road that I'm accustom to in the states. The best memories of this part of our trip were the 2 days we stayed by the hotel, frolicking in the ocean and pool, sipping beers, eating Thai food and gobbling up fresh fish at the nightly BBQ...while we just enjoyed each others company, we wanted for nothing!
We are off again to Railey Bay. Our friends Stevo and Deb, the ones who helps us out on this trip, feel Railay Bay is a piece of paradise...we'll let you know.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Maldives....2008-2009
January 5th 2009 – Happy New year to all! Oh my god! What a week we just had in the Maldives bringing in the New Year with our friends Stevo and Debbie. This is as close to paradise as we have ever dreamed. All other trips, all other places, will be compared to this incredibly special spot.
The Maldives, an island chain in the Indian Ocean are at sea level. There are over 1,000 islands in the chain, 80 of which are inhabited. The island we stayed on was about 1/4 mile in diameter, easy to walk and snorkel around.
Picture this: Waking up in a nice size bungalow to the sounds of nature, open the door and walk out onto the deck. The skies are a perfect blue. Walk 20 feet to the pristine white sandy beach. Look out onto the turquoise waters. As the sun glistens, put on your snorkel mask, and fins and dip yourself into the 84 degree water. Begin swimming the 25 feet out to the house reef which surrounds the ½ mile island. Watch as the ocean life thrives. Hundreds, no thousands of different marine species can be seen as one swims around the island. We saw trumpet fish, grouper, tuna, moray eels, sting rays, manta rays, octopus, shrimps, lobster, star fish, squid, black tip, silver tip, and white tip sharps, porpoises, angel fish, clown fish, on and on and on.
Our days were spent like this: Wake up, go for breakfast buffet, get on the dive boat by 8:15 and head out to sea. Waters were treacherous at times but the dives were fantastic. Come back to the resort by 12:30. Have a bite to eat at the Sundowner Pub. Soak up the rays and head back into the ocean for an afternoon snorkel.
Once that has been completed, head out to the pool for happy hour and a quick swim in non salt water. Then, head to the bungalow for a quick shower and happy hour at the Sundowner where we would gaze upon the end of the day as the sun fell into the ocean turning the sky a magnificent pink. One day we woke up early enough to watch the sun rise from the ocean as well. All we had to do was walk to the other side of the island. Spectacular orange skies lit up the day as the sun made its debut. Nights had a sliver of a crescent moon and stars galore. We made out the constellations and hoped we were right.
We had a gas with our friends Steve and Debbie and feel fortunate to have shared this special time with them. What a way to bring in the new year!!!!. This place has touched our hearts in a way we will never forget. Like I said earlier, the beauty is astounding and all other trips shall be compared with this spectacular week. We hope to be lucky enough to come back here some day. Michelle is talking about our 10th anniversary. Who knows………..going back to So. Thailand ............(trying to get pix uploaded, having a hard time.....)
The Maldives, an island chain in the Indian Ocean are at sea level. There are over 1,000 islands in the chain, 80 of which are inhabited. The island we stayed on was about 1/4 mile in diameter, easy to walk and snorkel around.
Picture this: Waking up in a nice size bungalow to the sounds of nature, open the door and walk out onto the deck. The skies are a perfect blue. Walk 20 feet to the pristine white sandy beach. Look out onto the turquoise waters. As the sun glistens, put on your snorkel mask, and fins and dip yourself into the 84 degree water. Begin swimming the 25 feet out to the house reef which surrounds the ½ mile island. Watch as the ocean life thrives. Hundreds, no thousands of different marine species can be seen as one swims around the island. We saw trumpet fish, grouper, tuna, moray eels, sting rays, manta rays, octopus, shrimps, lobster, star fish, squid, black tip, silver tip, and white tip sharps, porpoises, angel fish, clown fish, on and on and on.
Our days were spent like this: Wake up, go for breakfast buffet, get on the dive boat by 8:15 and head out to sea. Waters were treacherous at times but the dives were fantastic. Come back to the resort by 12:30. Have a bite to eat at the Sundowner Pub. Soak up the rays and head back into the ocean for an afternoon snorkel.
Once that has been completed, head out to the pool for happy hour and a quick swim in non salt water. Then, head to the bungalow for a quick shower and happy hour at the Sundowner where we would gaze upon the end of the day as the sun fell into the ocean turning the sky a magnificent pink. One day we woke up early enough to watch the sun rise from the ocean as well. All we had to do was walk to the other side of the island. Spectacular orange skies lit up the day as the sun made its debut. Nights had a sliver of a crescent moon and stars galore. We made out the constellations and hoped we were right.
We had a gas with our friends Steve and Debbie and feel fortunate to have shared this special time with them. What a way to bring in the new year!!!!. This place has touched our hearts in a way we will never forget. Like I said earlier, the beauty is astounding and all other trips shall be compared with this spectacular week. We hope to be lucky enough to come back here some day. Michelle is talking about our 10th anniversary. Who knows………..going back to So. Thailand ............(trying to get pix uploaded, having a hard time.....)
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