namaste' my journey...

After much debate I decided to head to phi phi with Craig.  All I heard about phi phi was that it was expensive…but hey I am in Thailand so I might as well check it out.  I could go for just a couple of days if it was too bad.  Craig and I got our tickets for the ferry and were getting picked up at 1pm.  One the ferry I met Sheri…very cool girl from Canada.  We hit it off.  We chatted the entire way.  Decided to try to stay in the same place as she was meeting someone here that already had a room for them.  The 1pm ferry is the last one into phi phi and what a mistake it was taking this one cause when we got here everything was pretty much booked.  Now when I say booked I mean all the backpacker rate places.  Craig and I walked around looking for a place for at least a half hour when we ran into Sam (another guy who had been on our ferry from Phuket)  He was having no luck either.  The 3 of us continued to walk around looking for somewhere when it started to pour out.  This one Thai guy said his place was full but he knew of another….so we followed him and ended up at a place called K House.  They only had one room left at 1200bht now you have to realize we have only been paying up to 400bht a night so that to us is really expensive even thought it is really only like 20US bucks.  Now there are 3 of us and they only have one room left with one king size bed.  They told us for another 600bht they would add a bed.  So knowing that there is really nothing left on the island we take it just for the night.  So here I am sharing a room with 2 guys…actually they are really great guys.  We get to our room and it is really nice.  For the 1^st time I am in a room with a fridge, tv, hot water, a safe nice sheets and blankets flowers etc.   I really do not need any of these things but it is what I got.  We all go out walking (yes it has stopped raining) and while doing so I run into Doris the girl from the plane.  Go figure.  She is sitting in a dive shop (Miskito Dive Shop).  I go in to say hello and she is there with another girl.  Doris introduces us and it is a girl named Joanne.  Well Joanne goes, “Dre…couchsurfing dre?”  Wouldn’t you know that this girl I have been talking to online about traveling for over a month and we meet up here without any plan?  We are so excited.  There was a girl who had just finished her Master Diver course that day so Miskito was having her do this ending fun thing of drinking a beer underwater and one from a snorkel.  We decided we would all stay and watch.  At that point I leave the boys to hang with these guys.  I find out that they are all couchsurfer so now I am just part of the family being one myself.  I have met Daniel and Kyla, Amanda, Sam, Champ, Daniel Bruce, Lydia, and Vanessa.  What a great group they are.  So we all go out to this place called the Reggae bar where they have Maui Thai fighting every night.  At Reggae bar they have people in the audience fight each other..friends fighting friends.  If you do so you get a free bucket…you would not believe what people will do for a free bucket.  We also went to tiger bar another big bar here on the island.  Then off to apache beach bar for a few last drinks.  For the next few days I hang with these guys and really enjoy myself.  One day while hanging at miskito they ask me if I would like to get into the mini pool they have and try to see if I like scuba diving.  I told them I did not think I would since I am afraid of sharks.  Well I agree to get into the pool and do a few drills with Sam.  I love it!  So I decide to do the discover scuba dive with these guys.  So the next day here I am on a boat getting ready to scuba dive…what the F@#%K?!?!? 

After a few briefings we get into the water.  Sam is my partner.  I am amazed at how much I actually love it.  How peaceful it is underwater.  How not afraid I am.  So yes I have now started my open water diver course.  I am day two into it and I am in love with it.  I have now found a way to travel and work…once I become a Master diver which I plan to do.

My days now consist of diving and my nights of hanging with the gang. I have gone to the viewpoint which overlooks the entire island..it is so beautiful. Gone to the hippie bar to watch fire shows. The other night we went to a real mahi thai fight on the island.  There were seven matches that night form young kids to adults.  It is not as exciting as I thought it would be….nothing like UFC….but it will do.  I hang a lot with Sam and Champ (he is a thai guy and dive instructor at miskito who I have hit it off with).  He took me on my discover dive with Sam.  He is extremely fun and I have so much fun with him.  The three of us sit a lot of nights on the beach chillin before we meet up with everyone.