As I am blanketed with e-mails regarding the upcoming Waterwheel party in Amakusa, Kumamoto, I think back on all the great jumps I made from the bridge at the hallowed site. Whether it was an early morning plunge or a late night/mid-thunderstorm suicide jump, I always enjoyed it. So when I arrived yesterday on Ko Phi Phi island in Southern Thailand and saw a sign for cliff jumping, well, I was delighted to say the least.
I met my guide Roy at about 10:30 am and was happy to learn no one else would be joining us. No one else to get in the way of Roy's cliff jumping expertise and my willingness to absorb his tutelage. We headed out on a small boat in the intense sunshine to some cliffs overlooking the center strip of the I shaped island. Roy gave me some substantial rubber shoes and rubber gloves and I was quite happy he did as we climbed up razor-sharp limestome formations. Over the next hour and a half, I attempted six jumps.
#1 - 8 meters (Hey Americans, 1 meter ~ 3 ft [Got Metric?])
#2 - 12 meters from a tree branch
#3 - 20 meters and 2 lungs full or water
#4 - 12 meters from the rocks
#5 - 20 meters on video and significantly less water in the lungs
#6 - A dive from 8 meters and a sore scalp
Standing on the ledge looking down at the ocean 20 meters below, I felt pretty nervous as you could imagine. However, I have been trained well and honed my skills over the cornucopia of waterfalls of Southern Japan.
It was an intense experience no doubt, but I had a nice chat with my man Roy between jumps and he told me all about his experience and the terrible tsunami of last year. I don't know the death toll form this small island, but it was significant. All over the island are signs of damage, abandoned hotels, eerily green hotel pools, random bricks everywhere; a sense of devastation nearly overcome. Roy's family all survived, but he lost many friends. I have been very lucky to avoid the plethora of natural disasters that have seem to have become very common recently and hopefully will continue to miss them.
As I took a walk this morning, I saw a group of foreigners who looked as if they should have been fast asleep recovering from a night of buckets, but they weren't. They were working on a massive garden just behind the beach, others picking up trash and junk that has become pretty much an endless job here. I think I may join them tomorrow.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Full Moon to Krabi
First of all, I must apologize. I have yet to post any photos of any of my travels in SE Asia. I have my adapter right here in my bag and I was just ready to upload some photos when I looked down and there is no USB port on my computer. The one next to me in this cafe has two, but is out of order. Such is Thailand.
After finishing diving on Ko Tao, I got on a ferry to Ko Phangan in very rough seas. I made the mistake of pounding a 7-11 hot dog as I got on the ferry, but luckily it didn't make a reappearance. As we docked at the town of Thong Sala, the ropes holding the boat to the dock quickly snapped and a deck hand lost part of his and was seen hurriedly seeking medical attention. Finally, we were able to get off the boat when they tied it to another and we climbed over both onto dry land.
I spent three nights at the family-oriented Nai Pan Noi beach where I did some serious relaxing and reading. One afternoon, I set out to explore a nearby waterfall (barely a trickle) and ended up climbing some hills more inland and ended up at this amazing view point. It was a thin granite rock jutting out almost 1000 feet above the ocean and a sheer 200 ft drop to the forest below.
The next day, I decided to try out the scuba diving on Ko Phangan. We went to the nearby Ang Thong Marine Park and made two dives. The first dive was great, saw a few Sting Rays and some nice coral even though the water was pretty cloudy. The second dive was with a Master in training, and this young lady had some problems. We got separated from two other gentlemen in our group so we surfaced to find them. They were very far away. So we went back under and our guide apparently set a course for us to swim and get nearer to the others. However, she bagan to swim in circles and my buddy and I looked at eachother and shook our heads but had no choice but to follow her. Finally, we surfaced again and found that we had been swimming exactly the opposite direction we needed to go and we were now a good 1000 ft from the boat. It was an exhausting 20 minute swim back and our guide felt pretty bad.
On Saturday, the day before the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach, I boarded a ferry and made my way to party central. I located a nice bungalow that was surprisingly available on a quiter beach away from the action. For two days, the wind off the ocean barely dipped below 30 mph. When I layed on my hammock on the porch of my dwelling, the mosquitos didn't stand a chance in the wind so I was naturally protected.
The next day, the town was noticeably more packed. I knew a few people staying in town from scuba diving and random travels, and I tried to meet up with them as the party got in full swing. I strolled over to the beach around 10 pm. All along the beach, there was massive speaker systems blaring terrible techno crap and all the glitter and neon paint that go along with it. I walked around a bit more, slightly surprised by how many Thai police were on the beat. I briefly talked to my man E.T., an Israeli guy I had hiked with in Chiang Mai. After taking it all in, I was ready to retire to my windy bungalow and was happily asleep by 1 am.
The next day, I crowded onto a ferry with 300 hungover party-goers for the four hour ride to Surat Thani, from where I caught a bus to rainy Krabi. On the ferry was one of the scuba instructors I had dove with and he busted out a portable cd player. I traded him my ipod for a bit and was able to finally listen to the brand new Kanye West that Katie had bought me in Ko Tao. Tight beats, cop that.
So I am now in Krabi, land of amazing rock-climbing, gorgeous beaches and breathtaking kayaking...when the weather is good. It's been mostly raining. I rented a motorbike and put an enjoyable 100km on it today and will try to do the same tomorrow.
I am still having an amazing time, but I seem to be ready to go back home. Perhaps its "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson that has got me itching to get back to the states. There is so much to see here, and yet I have seen relatively little of America. I don't have a plan yet for the rest of my time in Thailand(nor a plane ticket home), but I think I will go to Myanmar before I get out.
After finishing diving on Ko Tao, I got on a ferry to Ko Phangan in very rough seas. I made the mistake of pounding a 7-11 hot dog as I got on the ferry, but luckily it didn't make a reappearance. As we docked at the town of Thong Sala, the ropes holding the boat to the dock quickly snapped and a deck hand lost part of his and was seen hurriedly seeking medical attention. Finally, we were able to get off the boat when they tied it to another and we climbed over both onto dry land.
I spent three nights at the family-oriented Nai Pan Noi beach where I did some serious relaxing and reading. One afternoon, I set out to explore a nearby waterfall (barely a trickle) and ended up climbing some hills more inland and ended up at this amazing view point. It was a thin granite rock jutting out almost 1000 feet above the ocean and a sheer 200 ft drop to the forest below.
The next day, I decided to try out the scuba diving on Ko Phangan. We went to the nearby Ang Thong Marine Park and made two dives. The first dive was great, saw a few Sting Rays and some nice coral even though the water was pretty cloudy. The second dive was with a Master in training, and this young lady had some problems. We got separated from two other gentlemen in our group so we surfaced to find them. They were very far away. So we went back under and our guide apparently set a course for us to swim and get nearer to the others. However, she bagan to swim in circles and my buddy and I looked at eachother and shook our heads but had no choice but to follow her. Finally, we surfaced again and found that we had been swimming exactly the opposite direction we needed to go and we were now a good 1000 ft from the boat. It was an exhausting 20 minute swim back and our guide felt pretty bad.
On Saturday, the day before the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach, I boarded a ferry and made my way to party central. I located a nice bungalow that was surprisingly available on a quiter beach away from the action. For two days, the wind off the ocean barely dipped below 30 mph. When I layed on my hammock on the porch of my dwelling, the mosquitos didn't stand a chance in the wind so I was naturally protected.
The next day, the town was noticeably more packed. I knew a few people staying in town from scuba diving and random travels, and I tried to meet up with them as the party got in full swing. I strolled over to the beach around 10 pm. All along the beach, there was massive speaker systems blaring terrible techno crap and all the glitter and neon paint that go along with it. I walked around a bit more, slightly surprised by how many Thai police were on the beat. I briefly talked to my man E.T., an Israeli guy I had hiked with in Chiang Mai. After taking it all in, I was ready to retire to my windy bungalow and was happily asleep by 1 am.
The next day, I crowded onto a ferry with 300 hungover party-goers for the four hour ride to Surat Thani, from where I caught a bus to rainy Krabi. On the ferry was one of the scuba instructors I had dove with and he busted out a portable cd player. I traded him my ipod for a bit and was able to finally listen to the brand new Kanye West that Katie had bought me in Ko Tao. Tight beats, cop that.
So I am now in Krabi, land of amazing rock-climbing, gorgeous beaches and breathtaking kayaking...when the weather is good. It's been mostly raining. I rented a motorbike and put an enjoyable 100km on it today and will try to do the same tomorrow.
I am still having an amazing time, but I seem to be ready to go back home. Perhaps its "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson that has got me itching to get back to the states. There is so much to see here, and yet I have seen relatively little of America. I don't have a plan yet for the rest of my time in Thailand(nor a plane ticket home), but I think I will go to Myanmar before I get out.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Anatomy of a Perfect Day
Once in a while, a day is extraordinary. Not just one amazing experience, but three or four, or even a whole series of events work out perfectly. On days like these, acquaintances become friends. You have little time to stop and think about these fun things as you are experiencing them, but the slow pace of Ko Tao Island has allowed me to spend a little time thinking about it, so I share this day with you.
7:00 am - Wake up and get ready to go out diving. Today I am doing two of my five Advanced Level dives. In the morning, I do my Multi-level dive. In this dive, I go with my Danish instructor, Henrik. We spend the first part of the dive at 18 meters then move to 12 meters for the rest of the dive. The point of the dive in to use charts to track the amount of residual nitrogen in the blood and maximize dive time while minimizing time spent on the surface between dives. The dive goes very well, the water was a bit cloudy, but I am able to enjoy some stellar views of some coral-covered boulders and exotic fish.
10:00 am - Upon sufacing from my first dive and getting back on the boat, Henrik tells me it would be alright if I go ahead and join him and three beginner students on the next dive at no extra charge. On this dive, I am able to basically go on my own and practice some buoyancy tricks like floating upside down at a constant depth. While Henrik is occupied with another diver, one of the beginners begin to approach a pretty large fish. I don't know what it was, but see some pretty large teeth in its mouth. The next thing I know, Henrik is swimming towards this young Dane and grabbing him and pulling him away. It is a Triggerfish, known to attack and severely bite some humans if disturbed.
12:00 pm - Our boat returns to our dive shop and resort. I enjoy some delicious Pad Thai for lunch. I relax for a bit, enjoying the amazing setting of our resort. I am staying at the Big Fish Resort. It is a haven for German and Danish scuba divers, all the instructors are multi-lingual and very skilled. The operation in run by an older American guy named Bryan who has been on the Island for 20 years. He was one of the first foreigners here to exploit the scuba opportunities and immense growth potential of the Island. His small resort now sits nestled among countless others on a secluded and calm bay on the South of Ko Tao. This time of year, the weather can change from day to day. These two days, it has been sunny and perfectly clear until late afternoon when the clouds move in.
3:00 pm - Enough with relaxing, time to do something. I have a night dive leaving at six o'clock, so I have about three hours to do some exploring. I grab a snorkel and a mask and make up my mind that I will get to Buddha Point. It is a large crop of rocks that marks the left tip on the cove we are in. The entire side of the cove consists of massive granite boulders. Buddha Point is the tallest formation, with a smaller boulder perched precariously on top on a very large round one, roughly resembling a sitting Buddha. A Billiken, perhaps. If you are familiar with the unique and exotic places of Southern Missouri, it's like Elephant Rocks with the ocean surf splashing against them. As I looked out at the rocks, I notice something that makes my heart jump. A newly constructed basketball court belonging to a neighboring resort calls me. There was a flat soccer ball nearby, so I take the opportunity to polish my skills that I sadly haven't used in months. The rims are a bit lower than usual, nine feet perhaps. As I rise to dunk the soccer ball, I fall woefully short, barely skimming the net. An old Thai man watching nearby cracks a knowing smile. I try it a couple more times, getting higher each time. At last, I rise, tuck the ball against my wrist, then release, slamming it home with authority. As the ball rolls to a stop, I walked off the court, satisfied I could still do something so important as dunk a basetball on a lowered rim. Really, it's been a lifelong love of mine.
So I head out into our cove. It is impossible to climb across the rocks at first, so I swim and snorkell out into the bay. Finally, I am able to scramble up onto the rocks and follow a seaside path along the coast. Again, I am forced into the water. The boulders begin to get larger as I get further out. I climb back onto the rocks painfully close to the sitting Buddha. The rocks are balanced in such a way that at some points, I have to split my legs and climb using pressure, as one might do in a thin hallway. A couple places, I have to use a well-placed rope to get up. As I climb higher, I crawl through a small crevice with a stiff wind coming from it. When I get through, I look up and see nothing but open ocean. I am about 30 meters above the lapping waters and can clearly see the entire bay and tiny bungalows on the beach. But I am not at Buddha yet. I climb higher, grabbing the odd tree branch for support. All of a sudden, a severe pain directly on my buttocks, then another on my hand. Bees! Before I had time to see how many I had stumbled into, or how big the nest was, I was sliding back down the hill, falling over the same tree branches and glancing for bees in pursuit. I am only stung twice and I am safe. Now for the Buddha. I wisely choose another route up the hill and am soon staring at the boulder that is Buddha's head. I made it. I jumped across the last few boulders and sit on Buddha's shoulder. I took in the view of the ocean, back at the Island and at the ever-clouding but still clear sky. It's a feeling like dunking that dusty soccer ball, but a perhaps a little sweeter.
5:00 pm - I get back and join my sister Katie and her freshly stitched up friend Gwen at the restaurant. They were ordering fruit shakes and inconspicuously adding the secret ingredient named after the fine city of Malibu. I was too hyped about my approaching night dive to eat anything more than my own non-alcoholic Tomato shake.
6:00 pm - We head out on the very rough seas to our night dive site. Among the divers was a 20 year old German named Moritz who proudly professes a fondness for women with ancestral origin in the continent under Europe. Another diver Patti, from California, had been working in Australia and took a vacation to Bali, from where she took a vacation to Thailand. Christian is another Dane doing his Advanced Certification as I am. When we get to the dive site, there are several other boats and lights coming from swimming divers under the surface. We get the dive plan from Henrik, then plunge into blackness. We take our powerful torches to the depths and quickly encounter a dryer-sized jellyfish floating effortlessly above us. I glance over and see something rather unnatural. There is an abandoned pair of goggles resting on the sand of the bottom. I snatch them up and with Moritz's help, stow them in my pocket. For nearly 50 minutes, we swim through the dark, encountering three Sting Rays, two Squid, two Crustaceans tucked away in massive conches and countless other startled fish. When we surface and get on the boat, I whip out my new prize and am told by Henrik they're a nice set of 50-dollar goggles and are mine to keep. Bonus.
9:00 pm - When we get back to Big Fish, I join Patti and Christian for a well needed dinner of fried Squid (my mouth was watering when I encounted them in the deep). Following dinner we go to the nearby bar and order two "Buckets". A massive container filled with a delicious blend of Saengsom Rum/Whiskey, Coke and Red Bull. After some good conversation and entertainment from several fire-swingers, it is getting a bit late.
1:00 am - We leave the bar and head to the only late night destination at our disposal on this tiny Island adrift in the Gulf of Thailand, 7-11. One of us three indulges in a foot-long hot dog and a liter bottle of coke. Unbelievably, it is not an American. As we stroll back down the street, I see it. One of the diving resorts trains its divers in a pool before unleashing them into the ocean. We quickly disrobe and jump into the darkened pool. We were a bit worried about getting caught and ejected from the premesis, but all we got were the odd group of drunken tourists asking us how to find So and So Bar.
2:00 am - Another moment of inspiration seeps into my brain. I scale the wall next to the pool then hop on the overhanging roof of the nearby resort. For the next 20 minutes, we proceeded to make several noisy jumps from the roof into the deep end, drawing the attention of exactly no one.
3:00 am - We wind down with another covert swim in the resort next to ours, with Patti commandeering several table cloths for use as towels. A beautiful ending to a beautiful day.
In two hours, I will leave the Island of Ko Tao and take a ferry to another Island called Ko Phanang. More adventures await, including one known as the "Full Moon Party".
7:00 am - Wake up and get ready to go out diving. Today I am doing two of my five Advanced Level dives. In the morning, I do my Multi-level dive. In this dive, I go with my Danish instructor, Henrik. We spend the first part of the dive at 18 meters then move to 12 meters for the rest of the dive. The point of the dive in to use charts to track the amount of residual nitrogen in the blood and maximize dive time while minimizing time spent on the surface between dives. The dive goes very well, the water was a bit cloudy, but I am able to enjoy some stellar views of some coral-covered boulders and exotic fish.
10:00 am - Upon sufacing from my first dive and getting back on the boat, Henrik tells me it would be alright if I go ahead and join him and three beginner students on the next dive at no extra charge. On this dive, I am able to basically go on my own and practice some buoyancy tricks like floating upside down at a constant depth. While Henrik is occupied with another diver, one of the beginners begin to approach a pretty large fish. I don't know what it was, but see some pretty large teeth in its mouth. The next thing I know, Henrik is swimming towards this young Dane and grabbing him and pulling him away. It is a Triggerfish, known to attack and severely bite some humans if disturbed.
12:00 pm - Our boat returns to our dive shop and resort. I enjoy some delicious Pad Thai for lunch. I relax for a bit, enjoying the amazing setting of our resort. I am staying at the Big Fish Resort. It is a haven for German and Danish scuba divers, all the instructors are multi-lingual and very skilled. The operation in run by an older American guy named Bryan who has been on the Island for 20 years. He was one of the first foreigners here to exploit the scuba opportunities and immense growth potential of the Island. His small resort now sits nestled among countless others on a secluded and calm bay on the South of Ko Tao. This time of year, the weather can change from day to day. These two days, it has been sunny and perfectly clear until late afternoon when the clouds move in.
3:00 pm - Enough with relaxing, time to do something. I have a night dive leaving at six o'clock, so I have about three hours to do some exploring. I grab a snorkel and a mask and make up my mind that I will get to Buddha Point. It is a large crop of rocks that marks the left tip on the cove we are in. The entire side of the cove consists of massive granite boulders. Buddha Point is the tallest formation, with a smaller boulder perched precariously on top on a very large round one, roughly resembling a sitting Buddha. A Billiken, perhaps. If you are familiar with the unique and exotic places of Southern Missouri, it's like Elephant Rocks with the ocean surf splashing against them. As I looked out at the rocks, I notice something that makes my heart jump. A newly constructed basketball court belonging to a neighboring resort calls me. There was a flat soccer ball nearby, so I take the opportunity to polish my skills that I sadly haven't used in months. The rims are a bit lower than usual, nine feet perhaps. As I rise to dunk the soccer ball, I fall woefully short, barely skimming the net. An old Thai man watching nearby cracks a knowing smile. I try it a couple more times, getting higher each time. At last, I rise, tuck the ball against my wrist, then release, slamming it home with authority. As the ball rolls to a stop, I walked off the court, satisfied I could still do something so important as dunk a basetball on a lowered rim. Really, it's been a lifelong love of mine.
So I head out into our cove. It is impossible to climb across the rocks at first, so I swim and snorkell out into the bay. Finally, I am able to scramble up onto the rocks and follow a seaside path along the coast. Again, I am forced into the water. The boulders begin to get larger as I get further out. I climb back onto the rocks painfully close to the sitting Buddha. The rocks are balanced in such a way that at some points, I have to split my legs and climb using pressure, as one might do in a thin hallway. A couple places, I have to use a well-placed rope to get up. As I climb higher, I crawl through a small crevice with a stiff wind coming from it. When I get through, I look up and see nothing but open ocean. I am about 30 meters above the lapping waters and can clearly see the entire bay and tiny bungalows on the beach. But I am not at Buddha yet. I climb higher, grabbing the odd tree branch for support. All of a sudden, a severe pain directly on my buttocks, then another on my hand. Bees! Before I had time to see how many I had stumbled into, or how big the nest was, I was sliding back down the hill, falling over the same tree branches and glancing for bees in pursuit. I am only stung twice and I am safe. Now for the Buddha. I wisely choose another route up the hill and am soon staring at the boulder that is Buddha's head. I made it. I jumped across the last few boulders and sit on Buddha's shoulder. I took in the view of the ocean, back at the Island and at the ever-clouding but still clear sky. It's a feeling like dunking that dusty soccer ball, but a perhaps a little sweeter.
5:00 pm - I get back and join my sister Katie and her freshly stitched up friend Gwen at the restaurant. They were ordering fruit shakes and inconspicuously adding the secret ingredient named after the fine city of Malibu. I was too hyped about my approaching night dive to eat anything more than my own non-alcoholic Tomato shake.
6:00 pm - We head out on the very rough seas to our night dive site. Among the divers was a 20 year old German named Moritz who proudly professes a fondness for women with ancestral origin in the continent under Europe. Another diver Patti, from California, had been working in Australia and took a vacation to Bali, from where she took a vacation to Thailand. Christian is another Dane doing his Advanced Certification as I am. When we get to the dive site, there are several other boats and lights coming from swimming divers under the surface. We get the dive plan from Henrik, then plunge into blackness. We take our powerful torches to the depths and quickly encounter a dryer-sized jellyfish floating effortlessly above us. I glance over and see something rather unnatural. There is an abandoned pair of goggles resting on the sand of the bottom. I snatch them up and with Moritz's help, stow them in my pocket. For nearly 50 minutes, we swim through the dark, encountering three Sting Rays, two Squid, two Crustaceans tucked away in massive conches and countless other startled fish. When we surface and get on the boat, I whip out my new prize and am told by Henrik they're a nice set of 50-dollar goggles and are mine to keep. Bonus.
9:00 pm - When we get back to Big Fish, I join Patti and Christian for a well needed dinner of fried Squid (my mouth was watering when I encounted them in the deep). Following dinner we go to the nearby bar and order two "Buckets". A massive container filled with a delicious blend of Saengsom Rum/Whiskey, Coke and Red Bull. After some good conversation and entertainment from several fire-swingers, it is getting a bit late.
1:00 am - We leave the bar and head to the only late night destination at our disposal on this tiny Island adrift in the Gulf of Thailand, 7-11. One of us three indulges in a foot-long hot dog and a liter bottle of coke. Unbelievably, it is not an American. As we stroll back down the street, I see it. One of the diving resorts trains its divers in a pool before unleashing them into the ocean. We quickly disrobe and jump into the darkened pool. We were a bit worried about getting caught and ejected from the premesis, but all we got were the odd group of drunken tourists asking us how to find So and So Bar.
2:00 am - Another moment of inspiration seeps into my brain. I scale the wall next to the pool then hop on the overhanging roof of the nearby resort. For the next 20 minutes, we proceeded to make several noisy jumps from the roof into the deep end, drawing the attention of exactly no one.
3:00 am - We wind down with another covert swim in the resort next to ours, with Patti commandeering several table cloths for use as towels. A beautiful ending to a beautiful day.
In two hours, I will leave the Island of Ko Tao and take a ferry to another Island called Ko Phanang. More adventures await, including one known as the "Full Moon Party".
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Fingerhuts Underwater in Ko Tao
My older sister Lynn and I have been scuba diving every day for the past 5 days. We got to Ko Tao Island and found a nice little row of bungalows called Big Fish. The guy who runs the place in an old American dude who has been here for 20 years. For some odd reason, most of this resort's customers are Danish or German. The scuba instructors speak English so that's all that mattered. We signed up for the PADI Certification course. We watched the videos and read the textbook, flashback to half-ass homework assignments in high school.
After practicing some basic skills, we were ready for the open water. Our first few days we spent in water up to 18 meters (about 54 feet) just getting comfortable adjusting our ears and monitoring our breathing air. Yesterday, we finished the beginner's course. Lynn got a ticket for the ferry to the neighboring island of Ko Samui, and I chatted with our instructor Henrik about the advanced diving course. When Lynny heard that I would be going to 30m (100ft) today, she had to do it too. With one swipe of the pen from Mr. Boat Ticket Man, she got it changed. This morning, we descended to the deep and tested ourselves for nitrogen narcosis. It is a condition some people get when diving at deeper depths. Some people can get almost delirious from excess nitrogen in the blood. (It is said that some narcosified individuals offer their breathing apparatus to fish swimming nearby. Luckily, we kept it in our mouths.) We had to perform a simple number test. On the surface, I did it in 15 seconds. Down below, I took a sluggish 18.
I spent the day today keeping a 150cc motorbike from slipping, sliding and crashing down the unsealed roads of the island with 3 Danes and a German. Lynn finally got on the ferry this afternoon, off to explore more of Southern Thailand before flying back next week. I got an e-mail from younger sister Katie who said she is coming here Sunday or Monday with her friend. As I undergo the Great Southern Thailand Sister-Swap, I will continue with my advanced course, tomorrow diving during the night. We will take torches (flashlights) to see what kind of shenanigans go on under the water after dark. (I heard at one point, we all turn them off at once. Can't wait!) I am thinking of continuing here until I get a Diver Rescue Certificate, still a few steps away.
On a different note, I want to call attention to the Kyushu Hash House Harriers. They are once again going strong. After a very solid Hash in Miyazaki to open the year, there will be a huge City-Hash this Saturday. I cannot wait to hear all about it. If you are checking the Champon Adventures from Japan, I suggest you get out and Hash! Good job to everyone involved and keep up the good work. Brother Disco Ass is watching from afar(even when I am underwater).
After practicing some basic skills, we were ready for the open water. Our first few days we spent in water up to 18 meters (about 54 feet) just getting comfortable adjusting our ears and monitoring our breathing air. Yesterday, we finished the beginner's course. Lynn got a ticket for the ferry to the neighboring island of Ko Samui, and I chatted with our instructor Henrik about the advanced diving course. When Lynny heard that I would be going to 30m (100ft) today, she had to do it too. With one swipe of the pen from Mr. Boat Ticket Man, she got it changed. This morning, we descended to the deep and tested ourselves for nitrogen narcosis. It is a condition some people get when diving at deeper depths. Some people can get almost delirious from excess nitrogen in the blood. (It is said that some narcosified individuals offer their breathing apparatus to fish swimming nearby. Luckily, we kept it in our mouths.) We had to perform a simple number test. On the surface, I did it in 15 seconds. Down below, I took a sluggish 18.
I spent the day today keeping a 150cc motorbike from slipping, sliding and crashing down the unsealed roads of the island with 3 Danes and a German. Lynn finally got on the ferry this afternoon, off to explore more of Southern Thailand before flying back next week. I got an e-mail from younger sister Katie who said she is coming here Sunday or Monday with her friend. As I undergo the Great Southern Thailand Sister-Swap, I will continue with my advanced course, tomorrow diving during the night. We will take torches (flashlights) to see what kind of shenanigans go on under the water after dark. (I heard at one point, we all turn them off at once. Can't wait!) I am thinking of continuing here until I get a Diver Rescue Certificate, still a few steps away.
On a different note, I want to call attention to the Kyushu Hash House Harriers. They are once again going strong. After a very solid Hash in Miyazaki to open the year, there will be a huge City-Hash this Saturday. I cannot wait to hear all about it. If you are checking the Champon Adventures from Japan, I suggest you get out and Hash! Good job to everyone involved and keep up the good work. Brother Disco Ass is watching from afar(even when I am underwater).
Friday, September 02, 2005
An Irishman's Close Call
I recently went on a three day/two night trek up into the mountains outside Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. The first day we hiked up a mountain and stayed the night in a small hut among a hill tribe. We had a group of about twelve people and I think we just about put the village children through college with the purchase of some choice beverages. It was a beautiful place to watch the sunset and the approaching rain.
The next day we set out in the downpour slipping and sliding down the other side of the mountain before spending some time at a massive gushing waterfall in the jungle. This being the rainy season here, the rivers are all swollen although fortunately, the leeches stayed away.
We made our way to our lodging for the second night, anohter hut on the banks of a massive raging river. Wanting to cool off and remove layers upon layers of mud, we ventured a few feet into the river just enough to get wet and clean up a bit. As I was standing there, I glanced over and saw Dez, one of five Irish university students, out further than he should be. He was quickly swept into the massive rapids and he was down river and out of sight before the rest of us could believe what was happening. The other 7 people I was with had their shoes off in the midst of bathing, but I luckily had my shoes on. I sprinted as fast as I could along the banks, falling over rocks and onto the sandbars. I really didn't grasp the gravity of the situation until I paused running, looked down the river and didn't see his head above the water. I continued to run and scramble over the rocks on the side until I finally saw that he had managed to grab onto a bunch of bamboo poles in the middle of the river. I told him to hold on as he screamed for help. I grabbed another bamboo pole and stuck it out to reach him. By this time, our Thai guide Sing was there and he also had a pole. Using both, we managed to pull him to the side. He collapsed on the bank but he was conscious and alive.
There are certain situations in life that happen in fast motion. Something as simple as washing off in a river can escalate into something so far out of our control in a matter of seconds. I can't imagine how things may have turned out and I am certainly not going to spend time thinking about it. Just seeing his body cascade down the muddy water among the jagged rocks of the river and his head barely bobbing above the water was surreal. True, Dez was a lucky Irishman this day and the beer tasted a little better that evening.
The next day we set out in the downpour slipping and sliding down the other side of the mountain before spending some time at a massive gushing waterfall in the jungle. This being the rainy season here, the rivers are all swollen although fortunately, the leeches stayed away.
We made our way to our lodging for the second night, anohter hut on the banks of a massive raging river. Wanting to cool off and remove layers upon layers of mud, we ventured a few feet into the river just enough to get wet and clean up a bit. As I was standing there, I glanced over and saw Dez, one of five Irish university students, out further than he should be. He was quickly swept into the massive rapids and he was down river and out of sight before the rest of us could believe what was happening. The other 7 people I was with had their shoes off in the midst of bathing, but I luckily had my shoes on. I sprinted as fast as I could along the banks, falling over rocks and onto the sandbars. I really didn't grasp the gravity of the situation until I paused running, looked down the river and didn't see his head above the water. I continued to run and scramble over the rocks on the side until I finally saw that he had managed to grab onto a bunch of bamboo poles in the middle of the river. I told him to hold on as he screamed for help. I grabbed another bamboo pole and stuck it out to reach him. By this time, our Thai guide Sing was there and he also had a pole. Using both, we managed to pull him to the side. He collapsed on the bank but he was conscious and alive.
There are certain situations in life that happen in fast motion. Something as simple as washing off in a river can escalate into something so far out of our control in a matter of seconds. I can't imagine how things may have turned out and I am certainly not going to spend time thinking about it. Just seeing his body cascade down the muddy water among the jagged rocks of the river and his head barely bobbing above the water was surreal. True, Dez was a lucky Irishman this day and the beer tasted a little better that evening.
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