The decision to splurge on the Similan Tour yielded great rewards. Not only providing some decompression time, it also gave us our best tropical water experience to date.

We have finally uploaded photos from the last few weeks of travelin' fun:

Similan Islands
Khao Sok
Trang

The Similan Islands are world renowned for the clear underwater beauty they provide to many scuba divers, and are shortlisted to become a World Heritage Site. For some odd marketing reasons, they are never mentioned for snorkeling, leading one to believe that all the good sights are too deep for us tankless swimmers. Wrong. The east side (monsoon protected) of the islands provides abundant acreage of shallow coral gardens before rapidly dropping to deeper depths that are still visible in the 20-25 meter visibility we were lucky to enjoy.

This convenient geography allows the snorkeler to get close looks at the complex ecosystem surrounding the shallower reefs while also being able to peruse the steeper drop offs for the bigger creatures of the sea. And you can do it at your own time for however long you want without worrying about running out of oxygen from your tank. Plus, if you are into free diving you can also experience the depths as "any person can free dive comfortably to depths of 30m." This was easy for Olaf (owner and guide) to say right after he did spend a large portion of his first snorkel session poking through corals 15 meters below us. I guess after a couple day course on technique, free diving is quite simple and appears to be gaining momentum in the underwater community. Not having taken the class or gained the technique ("Look at me, I'm about 3 meters deep!") we settled into the more relaxing position at sea level to observe the hard (brain, staghorn, mushroom) and soft (cup sponges, seafans) corals housing parrotfish, clownfish, triggerfish, lionfish, pufferfish, unicornfish and other numerous neighbors.

Whether observing terrestrial or marine habitats, I am usually the one scanning the perimeter more often with hopes of catching a glimpse of the larger inhabitants while Em is deep into a plant or coral deciphering its function. This trip the more sensational creatures treated Em to some private viewings. She got a long look and short swim with a black tip reef shark, and a face to face (hoping the current doesn't do something bad) experience with a sea snake.

Some other highlights were giant moray eels, crown of thorns starfish (Yeah for Andrew Wood) and swimming with large sea turtles. We observed an octopus get pecked at by a group of black fish (apparently must have been in their territory). Most fascinating with the battle was the octopus's defensive camouflaging mechanism: If attacked while on the sand, the octopus would flash white, in contrast to the dark red and purple of its usual coloration. We finally watched it settle in on a hunk of coral, mimicking both the color and texture. But if we had to pick our favorite underwater encounter, it would be swimming along with a green sea turtle. First we saw it slowly moving above the bottom, grubbing on algae and grasses interspersed among the coral. Even though it noticed us, it definitely didn't feel threatened and continued its grazing. We then followed it into the deeper waters where it slowly rose to the surface for a breath of air before being joined by it's mate coming from our right and then swimming slowly off into the blue abyss.

While this underwater world is truly phenomenal, the beauty of the live aboard boat is you can snorkel as long as you please. And there are temptations to not being in the water as life on board is quite comfy: endless coffee, tea, and fruit, bottomless meals of top notch food, full time shade, beautiful views, and the consistent boat rocking back and forth that rivals any Thai massage for deep relaxation to both body and mind.

The Similan live aboard dive season begins in November but Olaf ran this trip early to satisfy Hans & Natalie's vacation schedule allowing them to get in their third "Similan Tour" and for Olaf to get a look at how the conditions were after the monsoon season. This meant us four guests were outnumbered by crew (all of which were considerate and fun) and enjoyed the solitude of moorings that normally would be shared with many boats, most of them running their loud air compressors and herding up their guests with megaphones. Tough to believe after our silent visit, and all the more reason to patronize the off- or shoulder- seasons!

Just in case we hadn't been spoiled enough, our path back to the mainland intersected with a large pod of dolphins. Whether it was jumping, breaching, fast surfacing races or spinning around longitudinally while playing in the water off the bow of the boat, they were excited to share their zest for life.

We won't be doing such tricks, but we look forward to sharing fun filled moments with our friends and family at home very soon!

Labels: snorkeling, Thailand

Thailand's coastline is famous for those crazy, dramatic limestone cliffs and islands that shoot hundreds of meters straight up out of the sea, and look like they should topple over any moment. Nowhere are these features more photographed - and hyped - than in Krabi. A four day weekend (hooray again for bountiful Thai holidays) gave us just enough time to see what the fuss was all about. (pictures and map)

We arrived on Railay Beach Saturday afternoon, and spent some mellow time just enjoying being out of the city. Our place at the Railay Beach Club (thanks so much for the recommendation, Bodhi!) was pretty amazing, and we had some good chill time on the deck enjoying the natural setting. On Sunday we had a beautiful few hours of paddling, poking around the karsts (the name for those limestone protrusions) and sea caves.

Monday was reef day: ancient reefs in the morning, and new reefs in the afternoon. Those improbable karst formations are actually the remnants of an ancient barrier reef that was 5,000 km long. When the Indian subcontinent collided with Asia 30 million years ago, the same forces that created the Himalayan Mountain range uplifted the reef, the end result of which can be seen throughout Southeast Asia. Water erosion carved the stone into the existing karst formations. (Geology-in-a-nutshell courtesy of Thom Henly's great book Reefs to Rainforests, Mangroves to Mountains.)

Monday morning we explored the two well-known caves in the area. The Princess Cave (Tham Phra Nang) is really more of a huge hollow in the cliff with a shrine at the deepest point, which is right on the beach under a massive overhang. The walk there along the base of the cliffs offers plenty of opportunity to poke around in small cave openings. The Diamond Cave (Tham Phra Nang Nai) is more impressive from a cave formation standpoint, and with lights and a pathway, was really easy to get around. While you're walking around wondering at the fantastic things water can do with limestone over time, it's hard to imagine that even further back this was living reef at the bottom of a shallow sea.

To do the "new reef" part of the day, we unfortunately had to take a boat trip out to some outlying islands. Apparently there used to be reef just offshore, but it's been almost entirely destroyed by dynamite. We snorkeled at three different islands, and were impressed to see a lot of neat things we haven't run into anywhere else. The soft coral was very cool, with lots of long coral whips, barrel sponges, and some lovely little sea fans. We saw a barracuda and a harlequin sweetlips, and we got to snorkel through a cave.

Tuesday morning we decided to brave the hike to "the lagoon" (AKA the princess pool). We were warned that the hike was pretty gnarly... and this proved correct. Muddy trail, muddy rope, rock scrambles with rope assist... It was also an amazingly beautiful hike, ending at a lagoon completely surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. Well worth the effort.

Labels: hiking, kayaking, Krabi, snorkeling, Thailand

And they are off...all of them. Due to the upcoming holiday (Songkran: Thai New Year), Em could only get a train ticket home leaving yesterday afternoon. With the parents flying out early yesterday morning, I am now solo and transitioning myself from the smoggy chaos of Bangkok's transportation system to the unlimited visibility on top of Indian Himalayan peaks. Very excited to see Robo and tour around some big mountains with him.

So, my parents trip. Overall, fantastic! (Phuket, Kuraburi, Ban Talae Nok, Koh Surin, Golden Buddha, Bangkok... pictures are all here.) I feel very fortunate that they made the journey to see us, and Thailand! For all of those who questioned if "Rondo can do Thailand?", time is proof, and he did. But not without chasing down some of his normal comforts, which could be quite entertaining considering he was still doing it with his own joking style that many native English speakers might struggle to understand. For example, let's take his daily coffee request: 2/3 hot water, 1/3 steamed milk (soy if they have it), light on sugar (vanilla if they have it)...then returning half a cup later to refill with hot water. Even veteran baristas in the Coffee Capital of Seattle struggle with such a demand. But Rondo is Rondo, and with his joking mannerisms (and untraditional tips in these parts), he got what he wanted and everyone was happy (if confused) after the exchange.

Continuing from Em's post, we headed out to the Surin Islands where we all camped for a couple nights. We departed the Kuraburi Pier on a 30 foot speedboat boasting triple 200 horsepower outboards. Rondo loved it. In addition to the beautiful terrestrial landscape, the marine life and water clarity around the Surins never disappoints so we had a fantastic couple days. During each snorkel we swam amongst various schools of tropical fish over a diverse spectrum of hard and soft corals and one day I was lucky enough to see a Giant Moray Eel . One afternoon Obb led us to the other campground via beach and nature trail. We waded back around granite rocks to a burning red sun falling into the Andaman Sea. Adding to our experience on the Surins was the fact we got to share it with some of the Kuraburi crew including Gordy's father, Allan, who was visiting from Scotland.

We went directly from the Surins to our desired long-stay (4 nights!) location of the trip...Golden Buddha Beach Resort (GBB) on Koh Phratong. We had some extra fun while leaving the Surins as we made a detour to the north to pick-up some divers on a larger boat. Not only was the extra scenery nice, but this next episode of fun made the journey...moments after pushing off the other boat, our driver gunned the engines almost flipping (intentionally we think) a crew member off the back of the boat. Rondo couldn't believe it and I had to restate with sincerity that the boat we were on has the reputation as the most professional out of all the operators providing transportation to/from the Surins.

We were dropped off at GBB on low tide, which meant a decent wade in with all our gear. Upon arrival we dropped baggage off in our house and then walked some of the beach before checking out the restaurant. Mom wisely went for a mango shake which was as good (and without added sugar) as any I've had. The sweet mangoes are in season (along with a few other of the 20-some mango species in Thailand) and we relished in them whether on the fruit plate with breakfast or part of dessert for lunch or dinner. The food at GBB exceeded expectations. Since Em and I are usually eating at local eateries for 30 Baht a meal (and darn good grub), we were critical going into GBB with its more western prices. But we must admit, all of it was delicious and they were not short on food. With buffets for lunch and dinner, I think I was successful in putting on a couple pounds before heading off to India.

Besides great dining, there were other treats at GBB. Each night we enjoyed the sunset from a beautiful location: our home's deck, the beach, the restaurant, or hornbill hill. The beach landscape is beautiful and isolated. Directly west of the resort is a golden sand beach that stretches 10 kilometers to the south without anything on it but crabs and the periodic squid trap that floated in from the sea. North of the resort is a bay that boasts a couple rocky islands and an inlet to mangroves and palms. One morning we rented kayaks and drifted into this canal with the rising tide until the overhanging palms and branch debris prevented any further progress. We paddled underneath some frolicking chestnut-headed bee-eaters and continuously saw our mystery cormorant. According to the bird guidebooks, there are no cormorants in this part of Thailand but we saw this Little Cormorant multiple times around GBB and Em also sighted one up the coast while we visited Ban Talae Nok.

The area has tons of birds, and we all enjoyed seeing the resident oriental hornbills each day. We also saw a gliding lizard (which Emily observed fly from tree to tree a few different times). The environment of Koh Phra Tong is quite unique to Thailand as its interior is mostly savanna: flat and sandy with a few trees here and there. Em and I did a morning walk in this Africa-like environment and saw more waterfowl near a couple ponds.

On our third day at GBB, Gordy, Allan ,and Obb arrived with some of the villagers from Tung Dap. Tung Dap is a village I spent a few days in while researching "voluntourism" opportunities and absolutely loved their core communal way of living. It was great to introduce Pin and Nu to Emily and my family and spend the afternoon swimming in the bay with them.

Our last night we played Bach Deng and got to see Pee Tah in her element. Pee Tah is a friend from Kuraburi who does accounting work for GBB. She loves money and loves Bach Deng! Yes, there is gambling, yes, she won most of the money.

We snuck in some more beach time before departing GBB by longtail back to the mainland. We spent our last little bit in Kuraburi hanging out around Jeab's shop and eating dinner with friends one more time at "The Strip." Our bus arrived early and unfortunately we didn't get to try the crab Jeab got for us. Thank you Jeab for your continuous help and friendship!

The overnight bus trip to Bangkok was smooth and soon enough we were on the multi-modal tour of the big city! We started by taking a taxi to the weekend market where one could get just about anything. Thinking my parents would be the big shoppers, Em and I were surprised to find tons of good stuff and got gifts for friends and ourselves! We left the market via Skytrain (elevated rapid transit) for Siam Center in the new Bangkok (no stalls here, this is western shopping with touchscreen directories, real designer names and prices, Starbucks, etc.) From there, we took a canal boat taxi west towards Old Bangkok where we walked around Democracy Monument, through Khao San road, and then finally to our hotel. A big day out.

The next morning, we met a tour guide at the Grand Palace and saw a few of the historic sites including the Royal Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of the Reclining Buddha, and the Temple of the Dawn. We saw and learned much! I am consistently impressed with how much detail older Eastern rulers put into their homes and even homes or burials for family members. As our guide showed us the elaborate gold-plated structure Rama I made for his parents, I was surprised my dad never asked me how his structure was coming. While most of Rama I's work was traditional architecture boasting gold and ceramic materials, much of the Grand Palace was constructed during Rama V with a combination of Western and Eastern architecture. The main hall has a traditional European look with an elaborate Thai roof. Interesting, but it works! We ended my parents' stay with a candlelit dinner on the Chao Phraya River.

I will miss the Thai food in India and am not stoked for the rice/beans/chapati combo I will consume twice daily hoping that it was cooked in boiling water. But the pull of the Himalaya outshines such gastro concerns.

In just a few hours, I expect to see Robo wide-eyed in the Delhi airport clinging onto our ski gear!

Labels: Bangkok, birds, Kuraburi, Mu Koh Surin, snorkeling, Thailand

The longer we are in The East, the more we appreciate (and miss) the easy access to wilderness found at home. The island of Koh Tarutao just gave us a strong dose of this love to roam around privately amongst wild flora and fauna (pictures).

Tarutao is the largest of the 51 islands constituting the Tarutao National Marine Park in the Andaman Sea abutting the sea border with Malaysia. Em and I spent a few days on Koh Lipe last month which is the only island not run by the national park system as the government donated it to the sea gypsies who have lived there for centuries.

These sea gypsies have allowed private bungalows to continue to pop up along the beachfront. While Koh Lipe still possesses a very nice vibe and does have excellent coral right off its beaches, there is hardly any native environment above sea level around and little room to wander. Koh Tarutao, on the other hand, is massive and only a fraction of it has been touched by man. The park system has three areas offering bungalow accommodations, dining, and camping. There are many other spots to throw a tent but the access to fresh water, good cooking, and most importantly, being camped at one of the prettiest beaches I've ever visited, kept us in Ao Molae from day 3 until we returned to the mainland on day 12.

We spent our first two nights at Ao Phante Malaka, the park headquarters and pier. If we didn't know Ao Molae existed, we would have had a wonderful time staying in Phante Malaka for our entire visit. Our first morning, we chose to hike to the lookout just behind the camp for sunrise. We noticed a few macaques (commons monkey species in these parts) on the way up, thinking it was cool. Minutes later as we watched the red sun rise from the east, we had one macaque pretty much force us to move. His anger began by snorting at us and scratching the ground like he was a bull about to charge. Then he grimaced at us and violently shook the tree he was holding. OK, time to move on. In the gazebo at the top, we had more problems. We took out a snack, soon realizing that this was a mistake. Once they saw we had food, they became a little more aggressive. As I mock charged one of them, he mock charged back towards Em. OK, time to leave.

I went for a run right after this and had some more hissing from the macaques. We figured we would report their unpredictable and somewhat frightening behavior to the park staff as we expected they would send some rangers up to the gazebo to knock the monkeys around a bit and remind them who's boss. Oh no. Instead, they reinforced our concerns, "Yes, they are dangerous....and if they bite you it is worse than a dog biting you." Lovely. We were also told that it was best just to give them any food we had so they would stop threatening.

Our last day at this spot, we noticed macaques getting into the restaurant's trash and very little effort from staff trying to stop them (a sign on the front deck of the same restaurant threatened a 500 baht fine for feeding the wildlife). Given the food-human connection around park HQ, the monkey behavior made sense. Whenever we saw macaques away from this spot, they were logically more fearful of our larger size, less convinced of gaining a meal from us, and never really a problem.

Before leaving Ao Phante Malaka, we took a long tailed boat up the mangrove-lined estuary to the entrance of Crocodile Cave. Yes, there used to be crocodiles in these waters and our guide was not totally convinced they were all gone. On the way to the cave, we saw a couple large water monitor lizards before the boat grounded. This tour must be done at low tide to safely get in and out of the cave and it must have been really low this day. So, the driver, us and the other couple Tony and Katrina got out in the water to help push the boat. Fortunately, Tony was a large Dane whose strength probably saved us from waiting for the tide to rise. We went up the cave initially on a small wooden raft until we got to dry land and then were led around on a longer-than-expected walk amongst huge stalactites, stalagmites, and other impressive formations.

We had a great visit with Tony and Katrina, and they added to our desire to check out Ao Molae as they bragged about the beach where they were staying. In no hurry to leave as we were enjoying the shade the pine trees provided while still basking on the sand, we still decided to pack it up and head south to Ao Molae.

There we slowly but surely sunk into some serious beach time without ever really getting bored. We had snorkeling on either end of the bay, great bird watching with hills rising steeply behind camp, were centrally located for great walks or morning jogs to a waterfall hike, other beaches, a cross island journey, or back to park HQ via beach or road. These road walks turned out to be quite enjoyable. Because the path was cleared wide enough for a vehicle, it allowed space to view birds unlike the limited visibility while hiking in the dense jungle. It also served as a great wildlife corridor as we learned that humans are the minority of species utilizing this path of least resistance. There is a park maintenance pickup and shuttle bus that probably combined for ten daily trips on the main road, less on the smaller fork our camp was on. So, when walking on these "roads," we would see one vehicle every couple hours.

One day we made the 12 km journey to the east side of the island where the prison was located. Tarutao has a crazy history (including the filming of Survivor for all you reality TV buffs) going from sea gypsies to prisoners of war to pirates and to its current state of conserved recreation. For more facts on this lovely isle and marine park, visit here. And a map of the island - helpfully annotated with all the key Survivor locations - can be found here.

During this 12 km journey, in addition to tons of birds, we saw scorpion, snake, macaque, dusky langur, monitor lizard, geckos, and the most unique fauna of the trip, the palm civet. This four legged, skunk-marten like creature came bobbling towards us like he was drunk and blind. I kept looking at him waiting for him to notice us and wondering how he had lived so long in this wild world. Upon Internet research when returning home, we first identified it, and then learned that it is a nocturnal animal and explains his confused behavior when we saw him.

I can not leave out the bird life. It has taken some time, but I really started to appreciate the hobby of bird watching on this trip. I think it was because we sat in some neat spots where we were surrounded by noises of the jungle. Plus I have been outdoors with Em long enough where there is some residual knowledge/pleasure coming my way. Our first day on the island, we saw the oriental hornbill and continued to see many of these tropical beauties, one morning counting nine in one tree. White-bellied sea eagles and Brahminy kites are also found in abundance, and we often watched from the beach as they circled and dove over the water. Multitudes of tiny, jewel-like sunbirds were showing off their iridescent colors along the roadsides, while Asian fairy bluebirds and racket-tailed drongos swooped about more furtively in the understory.

So, where is the beach time you may ask. Oh, it is there, sometimes all day, but always some every day. The water was usually calmest and hence most clear in the mornings so this was the prime snorkeling time. Though not nearly as good as around the further-out islands, we really enjoyed the occasional snorkel, conditions permitting. We also got in some nice morning and evening strolls, just seeing what the ocean tossed up on shore that day, and what the crabs were doing about it. But most of our beach time was spent laying on the sand in the shade of a large casuarina tree. We would venture into the sun for quick swims or a few tosses of the Frisbee or longer sessions if it was cloudy or within a couple hours of sun rise or sun set. Mainly we read books or played cards while our eyes were able to stay open. Tough work. There is a stereotype of islanders that they are lazy and don't think or care about too much. After 11 days, we easily see how this stereotype can be true and at some level, admirable.

Even though we packed our home stove, we usually ate one or two meals in the restaurant and got to know the staff. The "laying around in the hammock, have to get up to cook every once in a while, yes I am lazy and no I do not care about much" staff. Good folks.

We are now preparing for a little quicker pace of travel as my parents arrive this weekend for a couple weeks of beach and culture fun. Look out, Thailand!

Labels: birds, hiking, Koh Tarutao, snorkeling, Thailand

After a weekend on Koh Lipe (pictures), I've decided that my favorite marine critter of the moment is the giant clam. Some interesting giant clam factoids and nice pictures can be found here, and the Wikipedia article had this fascinating historical overview:

As is often the case with uncharacteristically large species, the giant clam has been historically misunderstood. Known in times past as the killer clam or man-eating clam, reputable scientific and technical manuals once claimed that the great mollusc had caused deaths; versions of the U.S. Navy Diving Manual even gave detailed instructions for releasing oneself from its grasp by severing the adductor muscles used to close its shell.

Today, it is generally acknowledged that the giant clam is neither aggressive nor particularly dangerous; while it is certainly capable of holding one fast in its grip, the shell's closing action is actually a defensive response, and far too slow to pose any reasonable threat. No account of a human becoming trapped in this manner has ever been substantiated. (full Wikipedia entry here)

I never felt threatened, but Trevor did tease me that they would take a finger if I got too close. Everywhere we snorkeled off Koh Lipe, we saw lots of giant clams. Some were so embedded in the reef their mantles looked like crazy colored sea slugs on the coral - bursts of vivid purple, blue, orange, red and turquoise. Others were more exposed, showing their enormous shells. There was something medieval about the giant hinge creaking shut with a dull thunk when a snorkeler ventured too close. After some internet searching, I now know that they actually sense light, and were responding to our shadows rather than any motion or sound in the water. And those brilliant colors are the result of symbiotic algae that provide most of the clam's food via photosynthesis. We didn't see any of the 1.5-meter monsters that are the maximum size for the largest species, but we did see one very impressive ~3-foot specimen.

Leaving for the islands on mid-day Thursday, we had actually planned to go to Koh Tarutao, the biggest island in Tarutao National Marine Park. We accidentally bought tickets to Lipe - the most developed of the park's islands - and decided not to bother changing them. Our boat pulled up to the island in the late afternoon, and not really having a preference on where to stay, we took the advice of the boat driver and headed for the Porn Resort (get your minds out of the gutter, you nasty folks - Porn is a very common nickname in Thailand, and has nothing to do with anyone's entertainment preference). They were out of bungalows, but offered us a tent on the beach for 150 baht a night, which we happily accepted. We even had time for a snorkel, which was actually quite nice right off our beach. Aside from the giant clams, and a lot of wicked-looking long-spined sea urchins, there were an incredible number of nondescript, 6-12" long sea cucumbers littering the sandy bottom around the coral. We spent the next three days watching the local people harvest them off the beach by the barrel-full, but repeated snorkel trips showed no sign of decreased numbers.

We managed to tear ourselves away from the lazy read-snorkel-nap-repeat cycle on our beach long enough to explore the island a bit. There are no roads, but a trail system connects the different beaches and resorts. Most of the lodging is still pretty basic, and fairly inexpensive, though some up-scale operations are starting to pop up. We had some sticker shock paying resort-island food prices for terrible Thai food again, but we were happy to find Jack's Jungle Bar dishing up some tasty local fare, along with some interesting live Mexican music. The singer was, we're guessing, temporary, as he kept forgetting which island he was on and yelling out "Happy Birthday!" between songs. We liked him a lot.

On Saturday we hopped on a snorkeling tour that proved way more fantastic than not. The first stop was unfortunate. Out in the middle of nowhere, there was an (admittedly) gorgeous coral mount, with (unfortunately) wicked currents. It was carnage. There were permanent but easy-to-miss buoy lines intended to keep the tourists from being swept away, while happily oblivious Thais in life jackets were towed around by their already-tired tour guides and baffled foreigners were left to figure things out for themselves. Amidst all of the face-kicking and confusion I dropped my snorkel, and we resigned ourselves to trading off and on for the day. The next site boasted some really fantastic coral, and redeemed the trip completely all by itself, at least in part due to the kind boat driver who tossed us an extra snorkel. The next two sites were both beach snorkels, so we were able to lounge on the sand and eat lunch between bouts of similarly amazing underwater viewing. On the last beach we found ourselves surrounded by massive schools of 2-inch long fish, all zigging and zagging in unison. Gorgeous coral, amazing numbers and variety of fish, exotic starfish, tons of giant clams, and even some pipefish (think sea horses only laid out straight) made it a memorable day out.

Sunday morning - and our ferry off the island - came way too soon. We definitely kept our eyes peeled on the boat-ride home, checking out the many islands we passed, and plotting our next Marine Park adventure!

Labels: Koh Lipe, snorkeling, Thailand

In the last couple of weeks, the Thai holiday calendar provided a Tuesday off and a 3-day weekend, allowing me to get out of Hat Yai and into the great outdoors. I've also been getting a steady stream of Christmas packages from home (thank you!) and pigging out on Christmas cookies and jerky.

The King's birthday (also Thai Father's Day) fell on a Tuesday this year, and unfortunately my school didn't take the Monday off as well (darnit). Fortunately, Pitt's family was heading out to a waterfall an hour outside the city, and I got the invite to go with (pictures). Eight adults and seven kids (everyone but me wearing their yellow king shirts) piled into P Noot's truck for the drive out into the country. Waterfalls are really popular domestic tourism spots here, and this one was beautiful but heavily impacted by all the visitors. The kids had a great time splashing around in the water hole created by a dam just downstream, and the rest of us enjoyed a nice picnic in the jungle.

Thai Constitution Day fell on a Sunday, but luckily was observed Monday, resulting in a three-day weekend so I could go see Trevor! Some of the NATR crew had put together a boat-ride out to the Surin Islands (more on the park here, our pictures here, and a map here), and Trevor and I managed to hop aboard. The islands are a little over an hour away via speedboad.... or 5-6 hours via longtail boat. The price differential is proportional to the time, but we happily opted for the more expensive zippy boat. Mu Ko Surin National Park is considerably better preserved than other islands in the park system (like Koh Samet and other developed "Park" areas). There is only camping, and they are well-organized for tent and bedding rentals, as well as having a reasonably priced cafeteria. Trevor had borrowed a tent, so we pitched that right away upon arrival, and then headed for the kayak rentals.

We had a hot tip on a small "nearby" island with great snorkeling, which Bodhi and Paul paddled out to and thoroughly enjoyed. After noting it wasn't quite near enough to suit my overnight-bus-weary self, Trevor and I opted for a closer option in a lovely secluded beach. With only one other couple sharing our find, we got way more solitude than we'd anticipated. After fighting the surf a bit to get out, the snorkeling from the beach proved absolutely amazing, and we both concluded it was the most fantastic coral we'd ever seen. When they toss out the term "coral garden", it's tough to imagine what they mean until you see it - gorgeous, varied coral formations with an equally varied assortement of fish flitting around them like butterflies. A large school of parrotfish made its way over the coral, descending here and there in unison to scrape away on the algae and polyps, making an audible crunching sound and sending grains of chewed coral drifting toward bottom. Cleaner wrasses tended to the bigger fish, and buttefly fish added bright bits of color darting amongst the coral.

After a nap on the beach to dry off, we went to haul our kayak back in the water only to find that the tide had gone out much further than we had any reason to expect, and that lovely reef was now hemming us in. With some fancy footwork, we managed to get back out without causing any damage (we really really hope). The situation back at home-beach was even worse, but luckily (for us getting back in before dark without feeling horrible, anyway) the reef approaching that beach is almost totally dead. Mostly it was just really mortifying for us to break a cardinal reef-etiquette rule by tromping on coral, even if it was dead, in front of people, even if all the Thai tourists could know or care less. The Thai Park system's ideas of preservation haven't extended as far as educating people about reef health, even as far as having employees warn kayak-renters about the tides.

The next morning Trevor, Paul, and I hopped on one of the park's organized snorkeling tours. We were taken to two different sites - along with a long-tail full of Thai tourists wearing long-sleeve t-shirts and life jackets. We didn't really know what to expect, as an entire fleet of boats was all departing at the same time, heading for the same sites. Pulling up to the first site, the "tour guide" conducted a 5-minute orientation speach (in Thai), complete with much gesturing toward the shore and some rock formations, then concluded by smiling sheepishly at us. Ok.... we opted to just hop in and hope for the best. The water was amazingly perfectly clear, and we didn't realize until Trevor tried to dive down for a closer look at something that the water was actually about 30-40 ft. deep. That something was a cuttlefish (!) and a very good omen for the rest of the morning. We noticed that the current there was briskly pulling us away from the boat (quickly enough that we probably couldn't make it back) and had a moment of worry until we saw all those life-vested Thais bobbing just as quickly away and decided there was no way they could swim against the current, so the driver must be planning to intercept us (who needed that orientation, anyway?). We were blown away by the sheer variety of fish we saw at the two sites, and the driver had to track us down and scoop us out of the water both places. At the second site we saw a black and white striped sea snake (or eel - there's one that copies the snake) and lots of clown fish. The clown fish were really fun to watch - burrowing around amongst the anemonies, just like Nemo!

On Sunday we went back to the mainland for Eric's going away party. After collecting fried rice, fried chicken, some beer, and some badminton rackets, we headed to the beach for some sunset recreation and a campfire. I doled out some of my carefully hoarded Christmas cookies from home, and making some long-term American volunteers really happy. Eric came through with a very impressive fire, carefully tending it to ensure optimum burning efficiancy (at great personal risk) and we all had a very nice visit under some incredible stars. Orion peeked up above the horizon, and I thought it was funny that seeing that winter constellation will always instantly make me think of snow crunching underfoot, even when I'm on a beach in tropical Thailand. On the other horizon, the squid and fish boats several miles out (Bau thought they were as much as 7 miles off shore) put off enough light to create an odd glow over the water.

Back in Hat Yai, the packages continue to come at a steady rate, and none of them have been marked "do not open until..." (there might have been something perishable in there, couldn't take a chance by waiting). Yummy treats from home like Christmas cookies, jerky, cornflake wreaths, Nibs, and Dakota Kid sunflower nuts have been satisfying my food cravings. And my students have been enjoying all of the new stickers, stampers, and markers. Hearing about all the Christmas plans and festivities at home makes me feel very, very far away. Happily, Trevor got a week off for Christmas, and will be heading this way next weekend! I'm going to ask my school if he can come to class on Monday, and he can help celebrate Christmas with the kids. This week I'm starting them on Christmas songs and vocabulary, so that should be fun.

My Thai lessons are still going well. I have the 44 consonants mostly down, and am working on the vowels. They say there are only 12 vowels, but there are really 24+. Where English has a short i / long i, etc., Thai has different ways of writing the short and long versions, which they count as one vowel. Then there are a few extras. Vowels are placed before, after, under and over consonants, and can be really tricky to sort out quickly. I have been able to sound out a few simple words, though! I'm just starting to look at the handful of tone markers, and they add an extra level of confusion. Trevor continues to gain more and more functional/conversational Thai, and sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my time with the reading end of things, but I'm hoping it will pay off in the long run. And I do enjoy it. It's like a puzzle - a really complicated cryptogram, maybe - and I'm enjoying the challenge of untangling it, even if I do get frustrated.

The November monsoons may have shown up over a month late, but they're making up for it now - it's been pouring all weekend. Our Christmas here might not be a white one, but it will probably be wet. Wherever you are and whatever the weather, have a Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Labels: Mu Koh Surin, snorkeling, Thailand

41 Garfield High students + 7 chaperones + one 8-yr-old makes for a pretty hectic 2 weeks in Maui! Each of the chaperones drove a minivan, and we left no corner of the island unexplored, logging 752 miles on the vans. We had fantastic snorkeling, saw the sun rise over Haleakala and hiked down into the crater, took night tidepool walks, drove to Hana and around the east side of the island, swam in waterfalls, caught a luau, learned to surf, had a boat ride to Lanai, and bagged plenty of beach time.

Life at Camp Pecusa (where we stayed) held geckos, cockroaches, a resident mad scientist, orchids, one dance-interrupting centipede, spiders, plumeria, whales, and a cranky cuddly calico cat. The kids took turns cooking all the meals (with quite a bit of direction) and came up with crazy contests to establish which groups would get to eat first. We saw cross-dressing, strength contests, no-hands whipped cream eating races (with surprises), sun-burn whipping endurance (ouch), and more. Overall, and amazing 2 weeks of learning and living.

We just had our reunion/slideshow last week. It was great to see some of the kids again, and Darrin (one of the chaperones) gathered up pictures from everyone and put together a great slideshow. His website has a pretty thorough documentation of the trip - he takes some great pictures.

Labels: snorkeling