Life on Ko Tao

This place couldn't be more perfect. Seriously. From the moment that I arrived on this island, I knew I was going to stay here for a while. Finally, a place to RELAX!

I'm not going to go into too much detail on each day, but I'll give you a rundown of a typical day here on the island.

I did my PADI Open Water Diver Course as soon as I arrived here, beginning that same afternoon. The first two days was primarily videos and lecture, with the last two days involving some diving. Now, I'm getitng my Advanced Open Water certification, which means I can dive as deep as 30m (100 ft), along with some other cool stuff.

Anyway, I usually get up around 9, and get ready for the day. By 9:30 I'm down at one of the 7-11's (the asians LOVE their 7-11's) where I pick up some yogurt, a pack of frosted flakes, a big bottle of water, and a small loaf of sweet bread for 82 baht (around $2.75.) After picking that up, I head down to Big Blue Diving School, where I'm getting all of my training.

Depending on the day, we either head out for an afternoon dive which leaves at 12:45, 0r we have class...it all just depends. If I don't have a class, I usually just sit around and hang out with the people that I've met since being here. I usually get in from my afternoon dives (2 a day) between 5-6. After cleaning all my gear and having a quick meeting with my instructor, I head up to my hotel room and get ready for dinner. A big group of new friends and I all pick a place to eat and meet up around 7:30. After dinner, we'll either hang out back at Big Blue or go to a bar...it all depends on the night.

This island is extremely westernized, to the point that I almost forget that I'm in Thailand. Everything is written in english, all the locals speak english, etc. You can get any type of cuisine that you'd like, from Thai to Scandanavian!

I haven't met many Americans the entire time that I've been traveling, and to be honest with you...I'm thankful for that. I know that if there were many Americans around, I wouldn't be as inclined to talk to people from other countries due to accents and cultural differences. Being the only american has been tough though, as most of the world looks at us with a very negative stereotype. It's been a challenge for me to prove to them that not all Americans are arrogant jerks who only care about themselves and their country. Furthermore, I have now made friends from all over the world and know that whenever I'd like to backpack Europe, I have at least 15 different people that I can stay with while I'm there :)

Alright, it's late and I have to be on the boat by 7 AM!

Hope all is well down there...tell Ike to take a hike (hah, I'm so clever)