Getting back on the horse.
After my slightly discouraging introduction to the sea and three days of beach relaxation, it's time to get back on the water. Koh Nangyuan was great, but was really straining my budget at $35 a night for a beach bungalow. It's funny how quickly one's concept of what's expensive acclimates to a new environment. The pricing of items in Thailand is somewhat odd, I can get a great room for $12.50 a night in Bangkok, eat for less than $5.00 a day from street vendors (and they serve great food...mostly), but if I want a Coke, it's $1.50. Beer, even Thai beer, is also relatively expensive at about $2.00 a bottle.
Anyway, with fresh motivation to get back on the water, I'm currently at Ban's Dive Resort (http://www.amazingkohtao.com) on Koh Tao and will begin my PADI Open Water SCUBA course tomorrow. I'll probably be here for five days, after which I'll return to Bangkok (with a possible side trip to Burma to renew my visa) and again be at Suk 11; being away from that place feels like being away from home already.
At this point, it looks like I may cut this trip to about four months, for various reasons. Seven months was ambitious from the start, and it's not something I think I was prepared for. It's not so much being away from the states, but the constant moving around; it's a pain. Of course, I could find a place that I really like and stay for a month or more, and in that event, I may be gone until May. However, if I'm just moving from place to place every few days, I don't think it's what I want to be doing for the next six months. I'd much rather return home with some of my finances intact, allowing me to travel again to another destination (probably Eastern Europe) in the spring.
I have a much more defined itinerary now, and it will at most take me three months to complete. After that, I have a few specific day trips I want to take around Bangkok and then, who knows. As I've already seen, plans can change rather quickly, although I don't know that I'll put myself in what I'm calling the Perfect Storm of really rough seas, smelly travel companions, and an abysmal French movie. Two out of
three are tolerable, but all together, who wouldn't have vomited?
Anyway, with fresh motivation to get back on the water, I'm currently at Ban's Dive Resort (http://www.amazingkohtao.com) on Koh Tao and will begin my PADI Open Water SCUBA course tomorrow. I'll probably be here for five days, after which I'll return to Bangkok (with a possible side trip to Burma to renew my visa) and again be at Suk 11; being away from that place feels like being away from home already.
At this point, it looks like I may cut this trip to about four months, for various reasons. Seven months was ambitious from the start, and it's not something I think I was prepared for. It's not so much being away from the states, but the constant moving around; it's a pain. Of course, I could find a place that I really like and stay for a month or more, and in that event, I may be gone until May. However, if I'm just moving from place to place every few days, I don't think it's what I want to be doing for the next six months. I'd much rather return home with some of my finances intact, allowing me to travel again to another destination (probably Eastern Europe) in the spring.
I have a much more defined itinerary now, and it will at most take me three months to complete. After that, I have a few specific day trips I want to take around Bangkok and then, who knows. As I've already seen, plans can change rather quickly, although I don't know that I'll put myself in what I'm calling the Perfect Storm of really rough seas, smelly travel companions, and an abysmal French movie. Two out of
three are tolerable, but all together, who wouldn't have vomited?
posted by MPW at 11:34 AM
2 Comments:
Have fun diving! Love, mom and dad
Have fun diving! Love, mom and dad
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