March 22-23, Chill Lanta and boarding Pawara

Check dives went ok yesterday, rinsed my equipment and went to bed early.
Thursday March 23 I spent with breakfast, a massage at the resort, really good, made an appointment for tomorrow morning again, going around on Lanta on my scooter, taking a swim at the beach without name I found last year. Looks like nobody could find a name til now, this year there is even a road sign saying "The Way to Beautiful Beach",

so let's call it just that: Beautiful Beach...

Had a swim there and some water in the shade of the big tree,

then continued to ABenz's Light House Bar just 7 minutes of road down south.
Had a nice sundowner there, very chill atmosphere,

and went back to Klong Dao.

Friday March 24 I had another massage at Lanta Bee Garden, checked out, oh this is such a warm hearted family resort, and got picked up for the speed boat Lanta to Phuket.

Doo from Westcoast Divers tried to get me on the crew bus at Rassada Pier at 3pm, but something went wrong, so I just waited there until 5pm as scheduled for the regular minivan.
Used the time for a chicken kebap and a fruit shake, edited some video snippets into a short video about the dives in Koh Haa,
Check Dive Koh Haa from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

and looked forward to go diving in the Similans on the MV Pawara.
The minivan arrived at Tab Lamu Pier in heavy rain, checked in on the boat and did the paperwork for the trip: Liability waiver, Marine Park fee etc etc.
Tourleader Beto has fractured his left foot this morning, so no diving for him. I had hoped to dive with him, he knows the Similans so very well, for years. But, no worries, I will soon have the chance to go down with my favorite guide on the next boat...
The Pawara is filled to the brim, even the spare budget cabin in the captain's wheelhouse is occupied with two passengers, one of them me, I always book the spare budget...

After two hours or so the ceremony startes, at the bow one of the crew prays for a safe trip and lights incense sticks, the fireworks are lit, we leave the port, heading out west to the Andaman Sea.

See you under water

March 20, 2018 Here we go again...

 


After that epic 100 day trip in 2017, it felt so strange to get back into the business rat race, that I started booking again as early as August last year. Coming back into the working world in Berlin was harder than I had expected, my longing for coral, saltwater and fish made me book early again.

Starting early has pros and cons, you can

Day 43 / Tag 43, Mon. April 24 Koh Lanta to Ao Nang

Must get closer to Krabi Airport, my flight to Borneo goes at 8am, allow 2 hours for check in on international flight, that's 6am, travel time from Koh Lanta 3 hours, that would make it 3am. And there is a ferry connection from Koh Lanta Noi to the mainland, which doesn't operate during the night hours. So I'll have to go to the mainland before anyway. I decide to go to Krabi for two days, Ao Nang, to be precise. Have never been there, so why not take a look

Short chat with the swedish lady, warm goodbye from and to the thai family at Bee Garden. Of course we will all see each other again next season...

and I want to recommend it:

contact@lantabeegarden.com (for any questions)

Day 42 /Tag 42, April 23 Diving Koh Haa again

Last diving with Kon Tiki from Koh Lanta, this time on a different boat, of Go Diving Lanta.
This cannot compete in any way with the "Kon Tiki Queen"
Two tanks only, not enough divers wanting a third dive.
My guide is Mateo, Master of buoyancy, dives without any weights at all, equipment reduced to the max. He loves overhangs and overhead situations obviously.

We have a professional photographer on board with a huge monstrous SLR Camera, wide angle, dome and spider like lighting arms.
He sells photos after the dives, one for 500 Baht, all the next for 300 each, it a full set of 50 for 2000 Baht.
I cannot decide to put out 2000 for six Fotos of me in the water...

My Camera freaked out again. Maybe it doesn't like Koh Haa? ;-)
But anyway, here are some shots that I could rescue,  to give you an idea what Koh Haa diving can be about: topography, swimthrus, caves, overhangs, tunnels...
Lots of "overhead situations"
I believe Ella and Andrea from Koh Tao would like that a lot

Day 41 / Tag 41 Sat., April 22 Wish you were here.To the Lighthouse

To the lighthouse
Does that title sound a bell with anyone?
Book by Virginia Woolfe, 1928, about loss, subjectivity, the nature of art and the problem of perception
I don't regret my losses, I am fine with my subjective view on the world, try to add some art to the universe and perceive things happening around me in my own, sometimes detailed, way.

Khlong Kong, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Earth,

Day 40 /Tag 40, April 21 Diving the Koh Bidas

Finished the Amoxycillin therapy with the last of ten tablets this morning.
I declare myself fully recovered now.

Second trip on the Kon Tiki Queen, starting with some choppy sea, but getting better. Service on the boat outstanding like the last time, especially Mama Jap in the kitchenette and also on the dive deck, and Mr. Bird, deck hand and responsible for filling the tanks between dives.

Just some pics from the dives, not as spectacular as the Koh Haa material

cool Kuhl's Stingray

Day 37-39 / Tag 37-39, April 18-20 Koh Lanta Diving and Driving

Day 37, April 18, Lanta Bee Garden, Khlong Dao, Koh Lanta
Lanta Bee Garden is the last small and family resort left on Klong Dao Beach.
This is the second time I am here,

and this place is so beautiful. Clean and well maintained, they really take care of their site.

I start to check around for dive centers.

Day 36 / Tag 36, April 17. Traveling to Koh Lanta

Gave back the scooter at Poi's, wait for the pickup at 12, ferry boat to Lanta.
Change boats at the pier on Koh Phi Phi, as always there is someone who doesn't get it and comes late for the second boat, so we go back to pick them up,