Ko Chang

SCXUBA

Tha Nam (Lonely) Beach

Studying for our scuba exam - and you thought our lives were easy

The newfound swagger of a certified diver

My once-a-day health regimen

Making it happen on the overnight party train to Chaing Mai

Ko Chang is the large, elephant-shaped island in the Gulf of Thailand, near the Cambodian border.  Happy to escape from busy Bangkok, what should have been a short stopover turned to over a week and half on the island.  It was not all play, though: I was sick the entire time, and Christina dealt with her own ear infections before catching my virus.  Of course there are worse places to rest and recover.  

But beyond the attractive beaches, curious macaques, and shoe-stealing puppies, the real reason we stuck around was to learn to scuba dive.  It is dangerous to go under while congested or ear-infected, so we had to wait it out before beginning our PADI course.  The equipment and procedure took some getting used to, but with the help of our Scottish instructor Mark, we quickly got comfortable at depth.  It is a thrill to breathe underwater, and it was quite dramatic to descend freely for the first time, unable to see the ocean floor, the sunlight at the surface dimming as I fell.  Our certification means we can dive on our own at depths up to 18 meters, which I promise is much deeper than it sounds.  It is another world down there, and we're eager to explore it.  "Don't ride the manta rays!"