In Thailand, April 13th is Songkran Day, or Thai New Year. The Songkran festival lasts for three days and is a time for family get-togethers, visiting the temple, and offering food to monks, but it's also well known for the water fights that take place on the streets.
Thais take to the streets in huge numbers, tossing a white, powdery substance at passers by and throwing water in their faces. It can be quite dangerous for people riding on motorbikes, as they're attacked with avengeance while attempting to stay upright.
For teachers at TCIS, it's a much needed week of vacation that I spent with a co-worker on a 4 day/4 night liveaboard scuba diving trip to the Similan Islands.
Before our trip, we received the email below with the details of the TCIS Songkran Festival Schedule:
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 -- "Fair and
Splashing Water"
Reminder!
*Teachers and students who wish to play water
must bring extra clothes to change after an activity.
*Do not splash water
inside the building or classroom area.
*Do not use water in the bathroom for
playing water as the floor will get wet and cause slippery.
*Do not use
water balloons and ice bag.
*Do not use big toy gun but may use a plastic
tub or water bottle as desire.
On Sunday, Leah, a second grade teacher at TCIS, and I flew from Bangkok International Airport to Phuket where we relaxed on the beach for two days before getting picked up in a minivan and taken to Khao Lak, a quiet oceanside town trying to get back on its feet after being brutally hit by the 2004 tsunami.
We were dropped off at the Similan Diving Safari shop http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com/ and checked in, paying the remaining amount owed for our 4 day/4 night liveaboard scuba diving adventure. We had a snack to tie us over until dinner, which would be served at 9:00 p.m. after boarding the boat and having an introductory meeting.
We met a few fellow divers and took a van to the port. As we loaded ourselves on the boat, one of the bags went overboard - oops! But, thankfully, nothing was ruined (and it wasn't my bag!! :). Leah and I shared a 4 bunk room with two other woman, Rebecca from Australia and Sue from England. We departed at 8:00 p.m. and arrived at the Similan Islands around midnight, or so I was told.
Throughout the 4 day trip, we went on 11 day dives and 3 night dives in a group of four with a dive guide. Each day was spent in a similar fashion:
Wake up call was at 6.30 a.m. We could eat a light breakfast of fresh coffee & some toast before the dive, if we wanted to.
1st Dive was at 7.30 a.m. After the dive we were served boiled eggs, fried eggs, omelets, pancakes, French toast, sausages, ham, German brown bread, muslie, corn flakes, oats, and lots of fresh fruits: watermelon, bananas, pineapples.
After breakfast we had 3hrs to relax (we were always given three hours between between dives). One day we went to a beach on the 40hp dinghy and collected garbage (for a free t-shirt!), but most days I read a book and relaxed.
2nd Dive was at 11.30 a.m. followed by lunch at 1.00 p.m.
3rd Dive was at 3.30 p.m. followed by snacks.
4th Dive was at 6.45 p.m. and was a night dive during which we used underwater flashlights. It was timed so at the start of the dive you could see the dive site, but after 15 minutes it was dark. Dinner was served at 8.00 pm after which we relaxed, hung out, and mostly laughed with our dive guide, Stefano!
We met a bunch of really cool, fun people and had a great time! I was truly sad to leave, wishing I could have spent a couple more days on the boat. We spent Saturday night in a guest house in Khao Lak, but went out to dinner with people from the trip and enjoyed some drinks at a local bar, as well.
I'd definitely do this trip again and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get certified to dive or already has certification. Two people received their PADI Open Water certifications while on the trip and several others became Advanced Divers and Dive Masters.
All in all it was well worth the $440 US we spent for the whole package!
|
