Thailand - Part 1

A month flew so fast and I found myself with my Indonesian visa expiring. I had to decide where to go but, as usual, I had nothing planned, I didn't know where to go next and I was hesitating between Malaysia or Thailand. The place I wanted to go in Malaysia it would have been a bit of a mission to get there in a cheap way and also it would have been a bit hectic to arrive with nothing planned and just a month to be there. Instead, I decided that I would fly to Thailand because tickets were quite cheap and I wanted to go diving.

I booked tickets, and in order to save one night in a hostel, I chose a night ticket, slept in Kuala Lumpur International Airport and then in the morning I flew to Phuket. So far, I've slept in so many airports so I'm getting better at finding the good position to sleep either on the floor or in between a couple of seats, without leaving my bags and surfboards unattended. Kuala Lumpur couldn't be different so I positioned myself on the floor with my backpacks pretending to be pillows and my surfboards resting on the wall behind me; later I realised that I couldn't use my phone anymore because it suddenly broke so I couldn't communicate much.

After 3 hours, I had to do the check-in and not surprisingly, I wasn't feeling rested at all; I guess my technique still can improve... Anyway, I flew to Phuket some hours later and when I got there I caught a minibus to Kata Beach. It took a while to find the place I wanted but I finally got there and went for a swim to cool down. Kata is a really nice beach and I was lucky to get there in low season because I was snorkelling pretty much on my own and the beach was quite quiet.

Phuket area

I decided that I would do my Advance diving course in Phuket and I started the very same day in the afternoon. I was a bit tired from the whole trip from Indonesia but it was a good choice. I spent three days doing all the required dives for the certificate. I tried night dive which was really cool, spent some time identifying fishes and navigating underwater, I went to 30 metres to see a nice wreck, I crossed with some sting rays and cuttlefishes enjoying a threesome and I finally got my certification. Perfect, because after this I was given the opportunity to go to Similan Islands in a live aboard trip for 4 days, including 15 dives and of course lots of good food.

Racha Yai Wreck

Kata beach cuttlefishes

One afternoon and one morning to rest from the previous diving, some excursions to take advantage of this freedom to explore the area a little bit deeper and I was already on the boat ready to go to Similan Islands. Of course I didn't magically appear on the boat that would be my home for the next 4 days, but drivers in Thailand are a bit crazy so every time you get somewhere safe and sound it's like a miracle. You don't want to picture yourself anymore overtaking cars and motorcycles while the beeping of the buzz becomes the most frequent tune that you are going to hear. Not to mention the accurate ability to dodge people while you become more and more concerned about the odds of finally hitting someone on an attempt to sneak through a car a bicycle and a motorbike in the middle of a town packed with markets and food stands...

Similan Islands and Surin Islands

The trip started with some fireworks. It's a Thai tradition to start boat trips with some fireworks so as soon as the sound of the first one covered the sky, we silenced our voices and minds and focused on hoping for a safe and wonderful trip. Fireworks were over and dinner was ready for us to build up some energy for the next days. Although I already knew that I could live underwater and be the happiest person in the world, this trip also taught me that I wouldn't mind becoming a fish so I could be surrounded all day by the most amazing environment you can find: the ocean.

Diving is amazing and the places we went made it even better. Similan Islands are awesome but the north part in Surin Islands is just breathtaking. I've never seen anything as colourful as Richillieu. Lots of corals of all types to get lost in between them and fishes everywhere to play with and to observe with amusement. Believe me, you are in an underwater paradise. In some of the dives, manta rays appeared to say hi and hang out with us for a little while. The gift of the mantas is unbelievable and you just hope to be there for the rest of the day, enjoying the views of these amazing creatures while they fly majestically in the water. You don't really know if they are trying to look gorgeous and they know they are, or if they are just so peaceful and beautiful that unintentionally and without an effort they still seem they are posing for you leaving your mouth open for a long time... You just have to remember to breathe and be in control with your body and your movements; you should aim to minimise any type of interaction that could disturb the original shape and daily living of the animals and other creatures. You aim to just keep your mind, your thoughts, your breath and mainly your whole behaviour in tune with the ocean, in tune with their home and in tune with a place that you could probably feel like home and you want to preserve its beauty.

I ended up doing 16 dives in 4 days and I got to see amazing things and wonderful places. Actually, I dived 21 times in less than one week if I count the Advance training dives and I think that's why after the trip I got a massive ear infection that took me a week to recover from. It was quite painful but antibiotics did a good job and after three days I could touch my ear again. I avoided water in my ears with earplugs for some days and I kept travelling around.

Every journey is different and everyone choses what they want to see while they travel. I chose to see the world underneath our feet, the magic world of the ocean and for me it was just perfect.