Cousteau ain't got shit on me...

Ko Tao is quite a beautiful place. Although I don't like it as much as The Sanctuary, there is a lot more to do here besides just sit in a hammock. Not that there is anything wrong with being lazy, but 5 days is enough to let me relax and get into a swing of things. I have been a little more active here.

Diving is the real industry here on Ko Tao. Every other storefront is a dive shop, making it one of the cheapest places in the world to get your diving certification done. Not to mention that the dives around here are great. I have spent the last week weaving in and out of beautiful coral reefs.

I just finished my basic diving certification two days ago, and today started my advanced course. Tomorrow morning I have a big dive that I have been looking froward too. Until now, the deepest I have gone is 12 Meters. The dive tomorrow is down to 30 meters, at a place called Southwest Pinnacle far out from Ko Tao. After that, I have another dive in the afternoon, and then one more on Sunday to finish my Advanced Certification.

Diving is quite a peaceful thing to do, floating weightless above the coral. At first your body thinks its drowning, and you want to suck in air as much as possible. After you fight your instinct to panic and reach the bottom, everything is effortless.

Ko Tao is a nice place, a little crazy at night though. Apparently in the last year there has been a great influx of Thai Lady-boys who have set up a cabaret in town. You cant go anywhere without a transvestite handing you a pamphlet. There are also the standard bars you find in any big backpacker town: reggae, posh, surfer (diver here) and old hippy. I have been hanging out in the bar run by the dive school I am attending. It is right on the beach, and serves great Thai food.

I have developed a great liking to Thai beer. Beer Chang, which has a really cool double elephant logo, seems to be the preferred beer around here. Singa and Tiger are tied as good backups. The only other beer they serve seems to be Heineken, and nobody drinks that. For less than 3 bucks you get a big bottle of Chang, equal to about 3 standard beers. However, Beer Lao, which I have not been able to to get a hold of yet, by general consensus is one of the best beers in Asia. Unfortunately, its hard to find outside of Laos. I have to find a bottle in Bangkok before I head on.


Having a great time here. I should be back in Bangkok on Monday. My flight leaves for Bali on Thursday.