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Hello All,
Sorry it's been a while, think last time we were just going off to Ko Lipe and hadn't yet written anything about the diving adventure. Suppose you're all busy buying christmas presents and enjoying a few pre-festivities festivities at the moment? Not much christmas spirit here, not even after watching The Polar Express in the breeeze of a fan.
After Ranong we headed to Khao Lak as that is the closest place on the mainland to the Similian Islands where we wanted to go diving. Had to do a refresher in the pool at the dive centre and the next day we set out early on a small boat together with a dutch couple (very nice) a german girl (very nice) and a swiss couple (she was horrible and he snored really loudly). The dive master was also swiss, very funny and good. The assistant was an english girl that we got on very well with. There was also the captain and his wife who cooked all our meals (which were delicious) and a cool dude as our 'boatboy'.
The trip was for 3 days, 2 nights and 9 dives. In between we stopped off at remote uninhabited islands with amazing beaches where we could have a look around or else just snorkel or lie on the sunroof of the boat.
The diving was fantastic, really pretty coral gardens, drop-off walls, swim throughs between massive boulders - beautiful landscape. And there were of course thousands of fish in all shapes, colours, patterns and sizes. Unfortunately we haven't been able to find a waterproof case for our camera so there are no pictures (apart from some that Paul took from the side of the boat!).
We also got to do 2 night dives which neither of us had done before. It was a little scary at first but then not at all - in fact we both thought it a little pointless considering you see so much more in daylight but some crabs, lobsters and eels come out only at night.
The most exciting things we saw were a leopard shark (!) and a turtle. The shark was just lying resting on the bottom so not too frightening and the turtle came to the boat and we jumped in with our snorkels and swam with him really close. Fantastic!
As I said most of the people were really nice so the whole experience was just great - well worth the cash.
One of the girls from the boat was then going in the same direction as us and we later met up with her at the next destination - Ko Lipe. We read that this was the most beatiful accessible place in Thailand so we decided to make a bit of a longer stop there and relax for a few days before exiting the country. This island is a paradise, for sure! Very small, you can walk around it in 3 hours and it has white sand beaches and clear blue water on all coasts. Not only that but it's also surronded by coral that you swim to (or in low tide, walk) and snorkel. Loads and loads of pretty things to look at.
The island is still not that touristy so fairly quiet but there are a few resorts and bars. We met some interesting people, quite a few expats out there, and the locals are really friendly and chatty too. We also found a book lending cafe and a cheap bar that showed free DVD's every night. We watched Casino Royal but with such bad sound and even worse subtitles that we still don't really know what happened! Still we enjoyed it.
Paul had an accident playing football with the locals only the second day we were there so after that I had to steady him every time we walked across the beach and build him a sand mound that he could rest his foot on whilst resting under a coconut palm. In the evenings we had to buy a bucket of ice to submerge his foot in but despite our efforts it stayed double size for quite a few days.
After Ko Lipe we travelled to Hat Yai and stayed in a guest house that looked like mental asylum, and the other guests looked like they fitted right in! We had a right laugh there tho, went out and met a local girl, went to a night market, ate raw squid and then headed back to a bar where there was a really good request-a -song-cover-band playing. Ended up having quite a few beers and requesting a lot of songs!
Next day we travelled to the border, and being so tight, refused to pay less than 1 pound for a taxi so actually walked into Malaysia. After waiting quite a while to get through passport controls, filling out entry and departure forms, we went to catch a bus to Kota Bharu, only to be told by the helpful taxi drivers that the last bus had gone. Again, not wanting to pay anything extra we stood around for about half an hour longer and a bus came along after all.
Kota Bharu was not very nice, expensive, crappy hostel and nothing there. Also it chucked it down with rain when we had to leave at 5 o'clock the next morning to get on the jungle railway through the rainforest of central Malaysia. The journey was nice but to be honest, after 10 hours you've kind of seen enough jungel.
Arrived in Jerantut which is the main entry point for the Taman Negara, a very large national park where there are tigers! We went there for a daytrip but didn't see a single wild cat. Shame. Apparently there are about 300 hundred left and poachers from Thailand are trying to make even fewer. We did see some monkeys and we went for a walk along a 'canopy walkway' which was quite scary. In the afternoon we went on a rapid shooting trip and our guide took us to a little stream feeding the river where we went for a swim and he showed us these little stones that come out in different colours if you rub them together. This is why we are all painted in our faces on the pictures in case you were wondering ; )
Back in Jerantut last night we watched Borat movie and thought of Olly. And laughed a lot. Arrived in Kuala Lumpur a few hours ago and that's where we're up to. Planning on staying here a few days and then go to Singapore, spend a few days there before flying to Brisbane on the 21st.
Hope you are all well and having a good time too.
Please write!
Love,
Paul & Betty.
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