Island Withdrawal

aaahhh...good-bye Koh Lanta...we had fun there! We partied down with the rastas one night and Ivan did a little jam here and there and we just bombed around and got wet and got sun and got real laid back. Our last day the sun finally shone on us and we took a 4 island snorkel trip which was very, very cool. We went first on a big smelly boat with a bunch of other folks which seemed to take forever and there was a guy in the back with the hatch open pushing the steering mechanism with his feet which, by the way, does not seem all that odd considering the state of most of the equipment here. We finally reached a fantastic stalactite-like island and hopped off for our first (Ivan's very first) snorkel. We saw many beautiful and psychedelic fish species and amazing anemones and colourful corals. Then, taking a good deal longer than it should have with buddy grunting below the deck and the engine spewing grit all over the place (not to mention the criminal traces of rainbow fuel on the water) we left for another island. This one not so great as the waters were murky and a longboat filled with Scandinavians hooting and hollering made for a quick departure. Our third stop was absolutely fantasmagorical. We all got off the boat and the guide took us into a black and eerie cave with a flashlight, as the opening faded behind us and the black engulfed us, it became very spooky and somewhat scary as we swam through the cave. Soon there was the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and I swear to God or Buddha, as is the case in Thailand, we reached heaven(nirvana)! We emerged on to a powder white sand beach in what seemed to be the middle of a volcano with monolithic towering stone walls covered in trailing vines and jungle vegetation. Amazing. Back in the tunnel and out again, we were greeted with another happy sight. A big, fast speedboat had come to whisk us away to our next island as it seems our former flotation device had lost all hope of steering us anywhere. The last island was called Paradise Lost - and yes, it did live up to it's name. A fitting end to the trip and back to our bungalow where my new dog, Scruffy, awaited us for a belly scratch.

BANGKOK - what can I say. Briefly, we spent 3 days just getting busy work stuff done. We got a package mailed home, bought tickets for the next leg of our flight and Ivan's hearing aids (well, one) is in the hospital and will join us later. We did do the seedy side of town called Patpong (should really be called ping-pong, for the shows, if you know what I mean) gyrating bar girls, touts selling shows - which we did suck into - but only once - and were rather sorry for watching a demeaning and altogether pathetic sideshow, hawkers, vendors, thieves and scallywags. We got our fill of pollution in large doses of smog, noise and filth. After hanging out til all hours of the night in Patpong and realizing the subway was closed, we hired a taxi to take us back to Watana Mansion hotel about 1/2 way to the airport where we were staying." Oh yeah, I know where it is!" he said after which ensued a ride at breakneck speed over the freeway about 10 minutes past our destination and almost at the airport, at which point we both yelled "Whoa, Stop" and had to give buddy directions which we were not totally sure of ourselves. We did get home though. Ya, everybody knows where everything is for a buck. Third world stuff. We also went to the backpacker nirvana where the bright lights and fast food never stop along with cheap clothes and bad music blaring the streets. Ivan played a few tunes at the Chivas bar for the folks and we headed home. One of the cool things about Bangkok is the river taxis which take you through canals and areas you wouldnt' normally see. They are fast, cheap and the cool air sweeps the day's grime away. There are many amazing temples to see as well, but we are saving them for our back trip to BKK after we finish Laos/VietNam/Cambodia circle.

Today we landed after 55 minute plane trip in Chaing Mai and are just about to go exploring. Ciao for now.