23rd November, I forget what day of the week it is! like being on the ship days of the week are irrelevant….it's tuesday if you're wondering but I'm going to tell you about yesterday and what I did.
I'd decided that I wanted to go diving at least one day while I was over here. For those of you that dive, you'll know it's not really a cheap hobby. Like skiing, unless you've got all the equipment it can be expensive hiring everything. I invested in a good mask and snorkel a few months ago from a dive shop in Turkey but everything else I have to borrow. Most places do a package fun dive. I've got my PADI so myself and the guy who runs the activity centre here came with me and we went out on a boat with other divers from another centre on the island. As I'm sure most of you are also aware that when you dive it's compulsory to have a 'buddy'.
The first dive site was a place called Hin Salak Uan, visibility was only 4/5 metres which isn't great especially for Thailand but it was a nice hour long dive and we saw plenty of fish.
Yellow tailed barracuda, black tailed barracuda, bearded scorpion fish, pink skunk banded anemone and lots of sea whips! We had lunch on the boat which was a rice dish and fruit then for the second dive a little further down the island at black rock. Visibility was much better here, 10 metres at best and we saw again similar fish. I picked up a sea cucumber which was very strange to touch. Soft and it had a tiger print. A lot of sea cucumbers I've seen in the past have been black and the defence they've had have was to squirt a thick sticky glue substance at you if they think you're a threat. This one doesn't have that defence apparently and was like a big giant cuddly caterpillar!
We also saw a Spanish dancer down there (type of fish not some gorgeous brunette with castanets!)
I have trouble equalising on my descent usually and get grief from my ears and the pain just under the ears on my neck is not nice. I went really slow this time traveling down the anchor line which I try to do every time but it worked well yesterday and when I came up after the first dive I had no pain and no deafness which is a first! I'm now sat here the morning after with a small blockage in my right ear but nothing like usual so this is good :)
When I returned from the trip I went on the search for my friends who are on the island now Jo Jo & Joe. They'd arrived after a 9 hour journey to get here like I'd had a few days previous. We had dinner together last night and were planning on a beach trip altogether today but it's raining :( the heavens opened last night with lightening which was fun to watch while we sat and ate. We also saw a couple of mice while we were sat eating which to be honest would freak me out anywhere else but you have to remember I'm in the jungle! I was sat eating my lunch 2 days ago and there was a monkey 10 yards from me in a tree!!!! I'm petrified of mice though, always have been thanks to my Nan & Mum when I was little this is the reason behind me having this fear!
I go round my tent with the torch every night before lights out on 'mouse watch' funny thing is, if I found a gecko, snake or anything else I'd be fine, a mouse and I'd move out immediately!!
So only one more night on the island for me, then it's marathon of a journey home. I'm sad to be leaving this gorgeous island and even though it's a bugger to get to I will return one day.
