Koh Tao Continues!!

Wednesday 15th February

We headed off on the quad bike again today, exploring up North this time. First we stopped off in a nice cafe in town for a home style breakfast!!!

We were aiming to get right up to the top to Mango Bay. After about half an hour driving through dense jungle and thinking we would never see humanity again we arrived at a clearing. We could see steps leading down the mountain so hopped off the bike and went to investigate. 378 STEEP steps later we arrived in Mango Bay. It was very strange, it's in the mid stages of construction so was like walking onto a building site!

We hopped over bamboo ladders and scaffolding until we found a clearing to jump into the sea. It is so nice to be surrounded by water in this heat!!!

Thursday 16th February

So Eddie made it here safe and sound. Luke took the quad bike and went to the pier to pick him up. It was so weird seeing him walk into the bungalow! When I went away I set into the mind frame that I would leave everyone and everything I knew behind, for a little while. So it took a few minutes to come around to the fact that we actually had someone from home in our company again!! Brilliant!!!!!!

We went down and started the initiation video for the Padi course. Three hours of absolute torture. I can't say much more but these pictures will definitely sum it up!....




just after signing up...we love life



one hour into the video...we don't love life



I've never been so happy for something to end!!!! We needed a few drinks after that for sure! Before the lads came out to Tanote Bay they got some brew in town. This is the most remote part of the island we're staying on. There's a little shop in a local ladies shack up at the top of the mountain. We trekked up to it one day for some chocolate (you know me and my addiction!) Got up there to find that she is a lovely Thai lady, obsessed by cats, she has 19! So all she sells in her shop are crisps, noodles and of course, cat food!!! Actually the crisps are unreal over here! I've never seen such crazy flavours! I've grown particularly fond of the seafood ones and of BBQ squid!

Anyway, I'm meandering, the lads came back with two bottle of Thai run called Samson. We started drinking on Eddies balcony. Before we knew it one bottle was gone. WE rocked down to the beach bar then with the other. Ordering cokes and filling it up with our whiskey! Second bottle..gone! Before I knew it, we had bought a third bottle from the bar and had a nice group of foreigners and locals sitting around by the water playing games and talking crap, as you can imagine! Wan (the bar man) spent the night passed out behind the bar and one of the travellers from Germany was doing his job for him, it was hilarious. He woke up when we got the third bottle of run, unfortunate for him, as he started drinking again. We all fell back to our bungalows at about 4am, unable to wake him so left him sleep on the beach!

I didn't manage to take one photo tonight....that alone probably sums up the messiness!!



Friday 17th February

So today we start the PADI course. Supposed to be there at 9am, Luke and myself woke, half comatose to Eddie banging on our window at 11.....CRAAAAAPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!! We ran down to our instructor, he was just laughing at the absolute state of us, told us to get some, coffee then come back! So we sit down in the classroom and he says he'll go through the homework...double crap! We had obviously never gotten around to doing it, I swear it was like being in school again! He wasn't bothered and wanted to hurry things along so went through the questions, giving us the answers and got us to sign a form saying we had done it ourselves?!

Next step was to move onto the pool. Got kitted out with all our gear and went down for a briefing on what we would be doing. I never felt anxious until we got into the water and I started breathing with the oxygen. It was the strangest thing I have done and I just couldn't get my head around it. I am a strong swimmer. Have worked as a lifeguard on Bunmahon beach for years and thought beginners swimming to kids....I never thought I would have a problem with this skill.

We had three hours to go through all the tests, pulling off your mask under water and putting it on, clearing the water, running out of air and switching regulators to use your buddies, lots of skills that I could barely attempt because my mind was wiped with breathing alone! In was actually getting worse the more I tried and eventually gave up and got out of the water.

I've never felt so defeated. I'm the kind of person that would take on something new and work bloody hard until I was the best at it, then move onto something else and do the same again. This was a foreign feeling to me and I did not like it. The lads have continued with the course. It lasts another two days.

Saturday 18th February

Today I got a taxi into town and spent the day walking around and exploring Koh Tao by foot. It was my first day flying solo since leaving and it was pretty bloody lonely, mostly due to the fact that I was wallowing in a (i can't say pool can I?!) wallowing in a 'vat' of self pity! I sat in a cafe for reading and drinking coffee. Spoke to the owner for a good while, about all kinds of everything then spent the rest of my time walking around the beaches and scouring through shops chatting to different people on the way. Was a nice day but nothing extraordinary.

Sunday 19th February

I awoke this morning to my first drunken phone call from home!!!! It cheered me up no end! Becky and Cormac had just arrived home from a messy night in the Foundry and I laughed and laughed hearing about their antics!

 I got a set of Poi in town yesterday. Haven't used them since my first year in college so I'm going to spend the day brushing up on my skills when the lads finish the diving course and then we are going drinking tonight to celebrate...I have a massive feeling it's going to be another messy one!!!!!