Ko Tao & hooray for Coral

So many whiteys! Ko Tao was a slightly larger island than Pulau Perhentian, but significantly more touristy. I think that generally westerners see Thailand as the place to go in southeast asia, so as a result you get many more of them around. Although it wasnt really what I was hoping for, there were some definate upsides to having tourists around, namely not sticking out like a sore thumb for the first time in a while. Not sticking out as if you are martian is a huge psychological weight off of oneself, not to mention when the locals are surrounded by westerners they dont have the energy to attack each and every one, meaning you get hassled much less which is a definate bonus.

Aesthetically Ko Tao was definately inferior to Pulao Perhentian, although still gorgeous. It had a much more romantic feel; there was always a breeze coming from the west and the sun set over the open ocean. I didnt leave the main beach too much because my experience is that generally the nicest beach is the one most inhabited by tourists, and I was perfectly comfortable lounging in the sun, snorkeling, chatting with one of the dudes I met there, or watching the world cup.

So, as promised, I need to go a bit into the snorkeling these two spots in the South China Sea. I would say again Pulao Perhentian was superior in this aspect, but regardless they were both awesome. I was tipped off on Perhentian by Simon to simply pop my ears as one does on an airplane once I got deep enough for my ears to start feeling the pressure. Ive been swimming for fun my whole life and cant believe I never thought of that. Anyways it opened up a whole new world as I could now go 25 feet down no problem, and stay there for as long as my lungs would let me. 25 feet may not seem too far, but I cant think of a quicker transition into a more different world. The coral reefs were mindblowing. I think some time when I return to the northwest I might have to build myself an aquarium because I already miss my tropical colorful friends. I cant really explain how much fun I had swimming under, over, and to the side of these awesome structures was, but if any of you get the chance, I definately recommend it, and as soon as I get the chance and have the money to burn I plan on going back to get my open water certification, which gives you the ability to scuba dive wherever you want.

Anyways after a crazy trip via boat and bus I am now in bankok after arriving at 4am and walking for 2 and a half hours past monks and vendors setting up their stalls, and am settled down, and excited but a bit sad that I will be home so soon.

Hope everyone is well, and see some of you soon,
George

Kuala Lumpur & Pulau Perhentian

Close your eyes and picture in your head the perfect tropical island. The Perhentian Islands were more perfect. I just spent the longest time in one place and wish I could have stayed longer. I went with only the cash in my pocket and once there realized that it had virtually no development, and therefore no banks or ATMs. It worked out fine though, as the little bungalow was only about 4 bucks a night, so my money was able to stretch the full 8 days.

I suppose Ill start at the beginning though. I got to KL and impressively found my way back to the hostel I had stayed at a few months before. It was going well until I tried to find busses leaving for the northeast; they were all full for the next day. I ended up getting a bit of a stomach bug from the stall foods, but nothing too serious, just kept me inside a bit more than I would have been. I still got to go out and see the impressive malls, the cultural chinatown, and the awesome Petronas Towers. I was ready to get out of the city though, so getting on the train (with enough leg room!) was a blessing, even though it was a 13 hour ride. A taxi and boat ride later I was in paradise.

The perhentian islands are small islands, with very few permenant inhabitants, if any. I would guess while I was there there were a couple hundred other tourists on the island, but many would be out diving or out of sight, and it was easy to get away to a secluded spot if I wanted. I met a cool guy from the UK, Simon, and we got along well so started hanging out together. Hes spending 6 weeks there to get his Dive Master training, which is probably one of the coolest certifications to have in the world, as he can now go to any tropical place with diving spots and come out of it with more money than he started with. I thought about trying to get my open water certification, but decided I would wait until I had a real job so I could afford to use it.

Anyways, life was amazing, and consisted mostly of snorkeling, skin diving, eating, playing volleyball, and chatting with other travelers about their experiences in other places, which is a great way to learn. I recognized a girl who was in the same program as me at UBC, so we ended up with a cool group of 6 that was very chill.

I will write more about the amazing snorkelling and skin diving when I finish island life, but in one word it was unbelievable.

Eventually though my money bottomed out so I along with the funny dutch dude, Bram, headed off north via boat-taxi-train-taxi-boat, (though he went to Ko Pha Ngan), and now here I am exactly 24 hours later on another island in Thailand called Ko Tao. Pulau Perhentian will be a touch act to follow, but we will see how it goes.

Hope y'all are as well as I,
George

Singapore revisited

The past week has flown by, probably because I have been so pampered. I came back to Singapore and have been staying at the girlfriends place. Its been awesome. Singapore is like a little haven of niceness in southeast asia, especially if you are used to the finer things in life, like running water. I spent most of my time here stuffing my face, so out of pity for the scale I havent stepped on it. I love singaporean food, and hope to do some justice to it when I get home by trying to make some of it. The rest of the time I spent playing some video games with her little brother, visiting her at work where I would stuff my face some more, and also some time just wandering singapore and absorbing it for the last time, at least until I return someday.

Its pretty tough to leave actually, leaving behind a beautiful girl and a city that feels a bit like home , only to go back to strange lands. But theres still the little man in my head that wants to see new things and see awesome places, so I am off yet again, headed north to Kuala lumpur, where I will figure out where to go next.

I feel a bit skitzo actually, as so many parts of me want to be in so many places. A big part of me wants to be here, the loudest guy is the one who wants me to keep traveling, and the deepest part cant wait to get home and see family and friends. Oh well, I guess thats the nature of this type of trip.

A happy fat george wishes you all the best,
George