And with another week down, i am already nearing the end of my visit in Thailand! It has passed all too quickly...
Koh Tao has been amazing. I feel so, so relaxed i don't want to leave. I think i will definitely revisit after october, to get a chance to see Claude, and to chill here a bit longer. And I must look comfortable too - a couple of the local bartenders thought i lived here! It would certainly be a nice life for a year or two - we can always dream...
I also really want to do my refresher course and some diving - one of my main reasons for coming here! But a nasty cold made sure that wasn't possible this time around. While i haven't really felt too ill (until 2 days ago - see below), I am still a bit clogged up, which makes diving impossible.
One experience i was hoping to avoid, and yet got to experience fully over the last couple of days, is the one we all dread when travelling....... gastro. Due to my obession with local food however, i guess this was inevetable eventually. I'll spare you the details, but after 36 hrs in bed and an inability to leave the vicinity of a toilet, all i could think was thank god for Gastrolyte, charcoal tablets and metoclopramide hydrochloride... The only consolation was that the dinner which i figure must have caused all of this was, firstly, fantastic and secondly, cooked by me! It was a Korean style buffet bbq, frequented by many a local. They bring 2 piles of burning charcoal out, on one they put a grill, and on the other an Asian style fondue dish, with water around the outside. Then you grab a plate, and select all the raw meats and vege's and sauces you want, and cook up a storm on your table! I made a fantastic soup with all manor of ingredients, a large proportion of which i couldn't name... I had a huge grin on my face the whole way through - i just love travelling for the food. With us at dinner was Manuel, a young Italian Didi met in Phuket before i arrived. Both he and Didi were suss on the food, and after assuring them it would be fine, in true irony, i was the only one at the toilet bowl in the end.
Yet even after food poisoning and a nasty cold, i have had an amazing time here! I believe the place i am staying is the nicest on the island, and also the cheapest after a bit of haggling and some up front money. We have a very simple yet comfortable bungalow overlooking our private beach, which itself has it's own reef and great snorkelling; straight from the sand, 30 metres from us. There's a reggae bar on the water, which has been playing great tunes, with a great view of the sunset (and wow, what sunsets), and a whole host of local dogs which have adopted us..
And that is one of the many things i have loved about Thailand; all the dogs. It seems that everywhere i have been, not one, but many have adopted me. Show them a bit of love and attention, and they're with you all day! Dogs here have their own life - they have owners, a lot wear collars, and the majority look healthy and well fed (i stress the majority) - yet leads are non existent, and the owner is never in sight. Pack mentality really leads them, and the humans don't interfere with it. You can always spot the alpha dog in the pack. Yet i have never felt even slightly intimidated or worried by them - they seem to hold humans in regard and don't show aggression toward them. I have thought so much of Sabre this trip, and am really looking forward to the day it is practical for me to have dog..
I feel so at ease, it's hard to even think about leaving here. But leave i must - back to Koh Phangan and the full moon party! I think i know what to expect, but i will certainly let you know the reality once i've seen it...
