^SA WAT DII KHRAP TO SOUTH EAST ASIA^

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese
A hello seems proper but not quite fitting for all that has happened since my last post. Spending 16 days in Nepal I had definitely acquired a new perspective and appreciation for the true principles of life and caught a glimpse of how one can not only survive on merely nothing but find contentment in a life without possessions. In leaving a place such as Kathmandu, I was curious to see the contrast between it and the thriving metropolis of commercial development, fashion and limitless wants that was Bangkok. Upon our arrival at Suvarnabhumi International I instantly felt as though I had leaped ahead in time, 493 years to be exact. That’s right; the Thai calendar is 493 years ahead of our western world and here in the year 2551 the city of Bangkok depicts progress of what could come. Its “here and now” lifestyle, Mercedes taxi’s, and shopping malls built on top of shopping malls serves as an economical terrace atop an ancient foundation that gives life to the mentality of “there are no limits in Bangkok”! An example, one night while walking home from dinner we shared a few jar’s with a couple of guys that informed us that for $300.00 U.S. Dollars you could blow up a cow with a bazooka, Yeah, BLOW UP A COW WITH A FREAKING BAZOOKA, where the hell was I? In just leaving Nepal and her respect for “Holy Cows”, I found the “future” to be a bit harsh on the livestock industry; but this was Bangkok, no limits, only wants; not quite my cup of tea but the suit fits great and I knew I needed to leave soon! The city life was great for a few days; hot showers, A.C. and the Thai food is amazing but we were anxious of our next destination and the “craziness” that was Cambodia.
We caught a 6 hour bus ride from Bangkok to a town on the border named Poipet. This was my 7th country border crossing in 3 months and the contrast between the two still wised my eyes. The Thai border echoed with western travelers, paved roads, souvenir shops, and restaurants but once over the line, the Cambodian border broke to dirt roads, beggars and some of the best smells know to hell. After 30 min’s of negotiation we shared a cab with a Chinese couple and finally reach our destination of the “Green Town guest house” in the city of Siem Reap/ Ancient Angkor. To quote the “Lonely Planet”, which has been pretty much our bible on this trip, it states: “The temples of Angkor are the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion; prepare for Divine inspiration”. To give you a brief background, the city of Angkor was the capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire which prospered from the 9th to the 13th centuries and stretched from what is now Burma all the way to Vietnam. At Angkor’s pinnacle it held a population of one million when London was merely a harbor town of 50,000. To experience an archeological site of this magnitude built solely for the purpose of worship was “mind bottle ling” to say the least. I could not help but think of the “Great Wall” and the generations of blood and craftsmanship that created each of these mystifying historical sites; each with its own purpose in molding our modern world. The pictures are but a drip in the ocean that is “Angkor” and with every ocean there are pirates. In approaching each temple, you are approached by children between the ages of 5 – 10 asking you to purchase anything from bracelets to books to musical instruments. At first your western mindset gives in and you purchase a few items thinking your “helping the cause”; 20 bracelets, 10 bottles of water, 4 T shirts, 3 handbags and 1 book later I came to realize that their sweet little faces were but masks for the selling sharks within! I would happily hire anyone of these miniature “Zig Zigler/Tom Hopkins” for any sales position I will ever employ! Not to lose sight of the magic that was Angkor and the thoughts that race in your mind while staring at the giant carved faces of Angkor Thom all over 1000 years of age but a week in Cambodia and we were ready to set our next mission of achieving our “open water diving certification”, destination: Koh Tao, Thailand!
We departed Siem Reap at 7:00 am and after a taxi, 2 bus rides and a ferry we arrived in nothing less than paradise at 9:00 am the following day. I had never heard of Koh Tao until traveling in this part of the world. It is a very small island located in the gulf of Thailand; to put things in perspective, the city limits of Canton Georgia cover an area of just over 14 square miles while the entire island of Koh Tao is only 13 square miles and known to be one of the best Scuba spots in the Gulf of Thailand. We stopped ship at a dive shop named “Sunshine” located on the southern tip of the island in Chalok Baan Kao Bay. A mid level bungalow for 2 on the beach was priced at 500 Thai baht a night, 15 U.S. dollars. At first our plan was to stay 5 days on the island and move on, an “Open Water Diving Certification”, an “Advanced Diving Certification” and two weeks later we left with tears in eyes! I have to share one of my favorite diving experiences while in Koh Tao which was the “Night Dive” part of the advanced course. As if being off the coast of an undeveloped island in Thailand and about to start a 50 minute dive at sunset was not enough what was to come I will remember for the rest of my life. The aquatic life at night was stellar but being down 30 – 40 ft on the ocean floor, gathering your team together and turning off all lights to see the fluorescent particles glowing with every movement you make was nothing short of surreal. I could write about all the different experiences of Koh Tao for hours but to keep your attention I will continue on. The night we left with tears in our eyes we caught an 8 hr. night boat down the gulf to the town of Surat Thani which in itself was an adventure. We awoke to a 6 hr. bus ride and finally arrived at our next destination of Phuket.
Phuket being the largest island in Thailand we felt as though we were back in civilization; that being both good and bad but the fact that I have such a great travel partner that just happen to have a friend who’s parents own a “holiday home” on a golf course with a Jacuzzi, swimming pool and massage cabaña on the island made life way too good. We have been here 12 days soaking in leisure I have never known and trying to charge up for our last month in Malaysia. While here, we rented mopeds and have been all over the island exploring, I’m not quite sure how it is that I got here in my life but I can only pray that I am blessed enough to revisit a portion of all that I’ve seen with the loved ones in my life. From here we leave to a small island south east of Phuket named Koh Phi Phi for some more Scuba and then to Malaysia. I’m not sure in a timeline when I will be able to “blog” again but please know that I carry each of you reading this with me and until I see you again I’ll leave you with this,,,, “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight”

Mikey B***