Swadaee Bee Mai

Happy New Year! 2009 - Wow! I was so lucky to have celebrated this new year at Phuket Island (the largest island in Thailand). Shannon, Lauren M. and I took a 16 plus hour overnight bus ride down to Phuket. Our original plan was to camp at the Similan Islands but once we arrived and started talking with Nong (the dive shop rep) we quickly realized that dream was vanishing. So since we couldn't camp we planned a few day trips. But first today is New Years Eve. What to do? We hopped around to this bar and that one and they were all kind of lame. So we decided 20 minutes to midnight to grab a couple "roadies" and head out to the beach. I am so happy we did. The sky was illuminated with Katongs and fireworks galore at midnight. A beautiful sight!
So the next day (Jan 1st) we took a speedboat tour to the Similan Islands to go snorkeling (what a way to start of the new year). Gorgeous. The water was a this shade of aqua that I can not even explain. Simply stunning. We had lunch on island number 4 and once again I tried fish- okay seriously when am I going to start liking this stuff? Then Shannon and I went for a swim. The waves were huge (they reminded me of some memories from clearwater beach where my brother, sister and I would try to jump over the waves or swim through them). I quickly reverted to my childhood and started to try to jump over the waves, I tried to keep my back to the waves and try to stand still (there were a few times I was knocked down and swept to shore). So fun. I had a huge grin on my face the whole time, well minus the times I had a mouthful of saltwater and sand.
On the 2nd of January we chilled at Karon Beach in Phuket. It was a relaxing day of book reading, wave jumping, snoozing, and laughing.
The next day we were off to Phi Phi Islands (there are six islands in total). One of the islands was the backdrop set for the movie "The Beach". Many of the islands are not more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea. The Phi Phi islands were also one of the worst hit in the 2004 Tsunami. Here we went Scuba Diving! My first time! I went on two dives. (Scuba underwater pictures coming soon...)
It took 3 hours via ferry to get to the islands so I had a lot of time to freak out about what I was doing. Once I read all the directions, talked with the dive instructor, and had Shannon telling me it will be fine...we suited up and jumped in. Um....okay...descent...um what am I doing? AAAAHHH I am completely breathing out of a tank on my back underwater. Ok relax Heidi you will be fine! And I was. The first dive was fun. I got this breathing thing down, I can actually enjoy the marine life around me. Alright I am looking forward to the second dive. We had lunch and relaxed a few moments and then time for dive number two. This one didn't go so well. There was a point I wanted to come up but I stuck it out. 20 minutes later I was back at the surface and thankful I stayed down (we saw a turtle and we went as far as 14 meters). I don't know if this is something I will do again but I am glad I did it.
And finally, the next day it was time to head home. Another 16 hour plus uncomfortable bus ride and we safely arrived in Bangkok.