Patchy grey cumulus hanging sticky in between the open blue sky and the rising sun. Today we fondly write to you from the beautiful island of Koh Tao. Turtle Island, as it's called in English, is a small spec on the archipelagic reef of the Gulf of Thailand. So small in fact that most of the locals at our school have never heard of it. The island itself looks like a short stack of rock-pancakes jutting out of the ocean. Jungles have taken over most of the island, except for a small enclave of bungalows and dive shops huddled together at the shoreline.
Not sure what was more adventurous, the dives themselves or what we had to do to get ourselves to Koh Tao. We rode the train for an entire day with one stopover in Bangkok to grab some dinner before getting on an all night train again. Then we arrived at the ocean at 5am and hopped a boat that sailed for three hours out to the remote island from which we write to you now. We will have to reverse the trip to get back home... all for a few days of diving.
We've been diving four times already, and we both agree that it's ranked high on our list of top five favorite things to do in this lifetime. Diving is actually one of the reasons we came to Thailand in the first place. Of the many urchins and otherworldly creatures we've seen on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea, especially noteworthy are the black-tipped reef sharks, green-spotted sting rays, morray eels and giant pufferfish. Travis got certified for deep water diving, which means he can finally visit Katie at 90-140 feet below the surface. On his first dive to the bottom, a 6 foot reef shark glided by within just a few feet of his face mask. We were awestruck yet again, by the ethereal experience of submersing in Mama Gaia's giant aquarium.
Sailing back to the island from one of our dives, we realized that we're the first generation from our entire lineage to be able to take a good look at what lurks a hundred feet under. Not even our Norwegian Viking forefathers did that! As you can see in the photo below, we are flying high from the adventure.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
IN THIS WORLD, a poem
In this world most people wake up before sunrise.
In this world we eat rice everyday.
In this world there is no God to pray to, only spiritual precepts to adhere to.
In this world the teachers treat their students as they would care for their own children.
In this world the leaves on the trees can grow bigger than people.
In this world everybody has a fan in the house.
In this world it is said that when dogs bark, it’s because they are seeing ghosts.
In this world a good dinner costs two dollars.
In this world the market, restaurants, laundry, school, drug store & our house are all within walking distance.
In this world all the teachers live in a community around the school.
In this world the weather is sunny & humid everyday.
In this world we do our shopping at the outdoor market, where the fish are so fresh they often jump off the table and flop around on the sidewalk.
In this world there is always enough time for exercise.
In this world our days can stretch out as far and as long as the vast green horizon that borders the city.
In this world one can go a whole lifetime without ever seeing the ocean.
In this world we have to learn to share our home with the ants, cockroaches, and geckos. There’s really no choice in the matter.
In this world there are people who wade through our trash and sell our recyclables as a respectable profession.
In this world we can grow a vegetable garden twelve months a year.
In this world we live in a kingdom known as the land of smiles & the king is revered by all.
In this world death is celebrated as just another part of the circle of life.
In this world we can still hear birds singing in the morning, even in the heart of the city.
In this world everyone gets their relaxing massage done in the same room together.
In this world these massages lasts two hours and costs five dollars per person.
In this world monks who’ve renounced their material possessions must resort to begging for food everyday, and are seen as the top of the social hierarchy: society’s elite.
In this world children bathe together unashamedly.
In this world we squat to use the toilet and spray down with water instead of using TP.
In this world eight year olds drive motorcycles to and from school, just like everyone else.
In this world there are no retirement homes because families live together and take care of each other.
In this world we shoot homemade rockets into the sky as a prayer for the coming rains.
In this world some mosquitoes are deadly.
In this world the most popular band is a group of men that dress up like cowboys and Indians, and play country western music.
In this world fresh tropical fruit is always in season.
In this world we eat rice everyday.
In this world there is no God to pray to, only spiritual precepts to adhere to.
In this world the teachers treat their students as they would care for their own children.
In this world the leaves on the trees can grow bigger than people.
In this world everybody has a fan in the house.
In this world it is said that when dogs bark, it’s because they are seeing ghosts.
In this world a good dinner costs two dollars.
In this world the market, restaurants, laundry, school, drug store & our house are all within walking distance.
In this world all the teachers live in a community around the school.
In this world the weather is sunny & humid everyday.
In this world we do our shopping at the outdoor market, where the fish are so fresh they often jump off the table and flop around on the sidewalk.
In this world there is always enough time for exercise.
In this world our days can stretch out as far and as long as the vast green horizon that borders the city.
In this world one can go a whole lifetime without ever seeing the ocean.
In this world we have to learn to share our home with the ants, cockroaches, and geckos. There’s really no choice in the matter.
In this world there are people who wade through our trash and sell our recyclables as a respectable profession.
In this world we can grow a vegetable garden twelve months a year.
In this world we live in a kingdom known as the land of smiles & the king is revered by all.
In this world death is celebrated as just another part of the circle of life.
In this world we can still hear birds singing in the morning, even in the heart of the city.
In this world everyone gets their relaxing massage done in the same room together.
In this world these massages lasts two hours and costs five dollars per person.
In this world monks who’ve renounced their material possessions must resort to begging for food everyday, and are seen as the top of the social hierarchy: society’s elite.
In this world children bathe together unashamedly.
In this world we squat to use the toilet and spray down with water instead of using TP.
In this world eight year olds drive motorcycles to and from school, just like everyone else.
In this world there are no retirement homes because families live together and take care of each other.
In this world we shoot homemade rockets into the sky as a prayer for the coming rains.
In this world some mosquitoes are deadly.
In this world the most popular band is a group of men that dress up like cowboys and Indians, and play country western music.
In this world fresh tropical fruit is always in season.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
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