Koh Tao: My Bicycle and Dives

My bicycle squeeks in a mesmorizing rhythm as I ride. The chipped paint and worn seat sing a song of years of use and abuse as a rental bike. Its chain skips and dances as I ride over bumps and hills. The gears are just for looks; everything is rusted in place. Luckily the bike never goes fast enough to need solid brakes. I'm sure it hasn't seen a proper tune up in its life, poor soul. It's seen better days for sure. But these days are mine and I'll make them count.

*****

 

The past few days have swept by like a raging tide. Thankfully, I've been underwater mostly, exploring the dive sites around Koh Tao and filming. On land, I've been editing footage and getting accustomed to the routine of things on the island. Topside my anchor points are Oceans Below, Scuba Junction, and Kookkai... and 7-Eleven. I'm usually withing shouting distance of any one of those places- or diving.

 

Thanks to Oceans Below and Scuba Junction, I am filming and edited my diving experience on Koh Tao. Here are my first two days diving:

 

April 5 - Aow Leuk / Hin Ngam

 

 

April 4 - Mango Bay / Twins:

 

Thailand: Day 17

2/7/12, Trang → Hat Yao

Bounding from boulder to boulder, I cross a small fresh water river and splash up the far bank. A virtually untouched tropical forest unfolds before my eyes, spectacular and inviting. I follow a ranger up a twisting and winding trail. As we trek up the mountainside, the sound of the river fades and a sense of wonder and curiosity takes hold of me. Large termite mounds surge up from the ground and fungi grow like steps up trunks of towering trees. Vines twirl upwards and dangle down from the leafy canopy. The journey up the mountainside is simply beautiful and the waterfall at the top is exquisite. In a moment I'm under the falls letting the cool, fresh water melt away the tension from the climb. It's not the ocean, but as one coastal proverb puts it, "the sea starts in the mountains" and I'm ready to begin.

*****

On Tuesday, February 7th, I left Trang for Hat Yao by song-tao. The modified pickup truck was packed tight with 18 of us squeezed into its two rows and all our gear on top. The lot of us made a can of sardines look roomy. It looked comedic, but it worked. I managed to snag a standing spot on the very back and watched as Thailand's countryside appeared in front of me behind us. Rubber plantations and small villages were a blur and we whizzed by a few farms and vendor stalls selling an assortment of goods from fresh bananas and papaya to motorbike stickers and stuffed animals. It was a sensational ride, to say the least.

Around mid-morning we stopped to stretch our legs. At the base of a wildlife sanctuary we visited a rubber plantation and spoke with one of the workers. He shared his insight into the plantation's operations and others like it in the area. After a brief glimpse into the rubber industry, we trekked up to Sai Rong, the Rainbow Waterfall, where we had lunch.

It was another fun-filled, 2 hours at the back of the song-tao before we reached Hat Yao. The Islamic influence in southern Thailand was noticeable as the hours passed. The domed roofs of mosques with gleaming spires dotted the countryside, peacefully, often near spirit houses or a Buddhist shrine. As our song-tao clamored into Hat Yao in the late afternoon, the call to prayer could be heard faintly in the distance.

I spent the afternoon and evening exploring the beach and its karst limestone cliffs. The physical formations from years of chemical erosion were mind-bending and seemed to defy gravity. Gnarly trees clutched the stalactites that hung from the jagged cliff face creating tiny islands in the sky. It was an unforgettable sight to see in person. Within the first few moments of arriving, I knew that I would really enjoy the time spent in Hat Yao.

Thailand: Day 5

1/26/12, Khao Sam Roi Yot

The air is still. The space is vast, larger than life. Jagged karst limestone walls surround me stretching, reaching up towards a distant azure sky. A garden of full grown trees and shrubs populate the sink hole's floor, amazing generations of wanderers and adventurers who scale the mountain trail to find them. The caverns of Phrayanakhon Cave mesmerize me in their profound and simple beauty. This place is a world unto its own.

*****

On January 24th, I left Bangkok by train, headed south for Yala. Car 5 was taken over by the Wildlands Studies group and I was able to find a window seat near a functional ceiling fan. Despite the luxury, I opted for a wide open window.

The train ride was about 7 or 8 hours- a nonexpress route. We passed by towns and small villages, but nothing that could compare in size or scope to Bangkok. At every stop, a parade of food vendors would march up and down the aisle with their baskets of snacks or buckets of ice cold drinks. Sitting next to the window, I was buffered from the invasion of aromas and tantalizing goodies. By the time we arrived at our destination, everyone had embarked on a surprisingly tasteful adventure with train food.

From the train station, it was another 45 minutes to Khao Sam Roi Yot by truck. We loaded our packs onto one pick-up and 18 of us hopped into the backs of two others. I stood towards the front, leaning forward into the wind as we drove out into the wilderness. As we approached the national park, lights from fish farms dotted the landscape. Looking upwards, the silhouettes of mountains distinguished themselves faintly against the night sky. Coupled with traveling by train and standing in the back of a pick-up, it was an incredible travel day.

The following morning, I woke up to run for the sun. I headed due east from the camp bungalows following a dirt road toward the ocean. I heard it before I saw it. The heartbeat of the sea, the calm pulse, the soothing sound of sand and ocean saying their hellos and goodbyes. I jogged up through a small mangrove brush and planted my feet in the sand. I said my good morning to the Gulf of Thailand.

We spent a couple days at Khao Sam Roi Yot. We climbed the mountains and visited a shrimp farm that I had seen from the pick-up on our way into the park. We also visited the largest fresh water marsh in these areas and trekked up to an isolated cave tucked away at the top of a mountain. Every moment was spent learning, exploring, and experiencing life to its fullest. And before I knew it, we were packing, headed for Kari Buri by bus with eyes set on Surin in the Andaman Sea.