So Long Beaches.....cya

:: Refugee boat ::

Setting off from Ao Nang we shot across to Surat Thani in time to jump on the night 'refugee style' ferry to Koh Tao. Checking in you are assigned a number which is your space on the ground for the night...territory which you fiercely defend for the rest of the night. Luckily our crossing was smooth and uneventful.

:: Night Diving ::

Some see Koh Tao as the diving mecca of Thailand. Some view it as a factory as there are something like 47 Dive schools on a not very big island. For us it was a perfect place to do some more courses and rack up some good value dives in relatively good weather. We worked through our Nitrox, Deep, Navigation and Computer specialities. The deep being the highlight as part of the training is to experience induced narcosis which kicks in around 35m. At 37m (120 Ft) we couldn't manage to write simple words backwards...sort of like being drunk and not caring to answer the question asked.
As luck would have it our time in Koh Tao lined up with the 20th year anniversary of the Full Moon party on nearby Koh Phangan. Needless to say we jumped the party boat from Koh Tao to check it out. We expected 19yo on their holliers but we were pleasantly surprised, finding a mix of all sorts enjoying a good party on the beach. Being the rainy season weather was also a concern but we enjoyed perfect clear skies...even seeing the moon.
A few more dives...including one at night which was very very weird....(weightless with the visibility of a narrow torch beam) then we headed back to the welcome of John and Nus in Phuket for our final few days in Thailand.
Tonight we are off to Yangon, Myanmar...and after 11 months and 3 weeks of holding out on flying, we are forced to take to the skies once more as travellers cannot enter the interior of Myanmar without flying in. Our first purchase will undoubtedly be an umbrella as we hit there smack in the middle of their monsoon season.