I am now on the island of Ko Phi Phi in Thailand, attempting to overcome my fear of water by diving into the deep end, quite literally. I am taking a diving course and will soon be certified! Tomorrow is my first dive after several days of an underwater education, learning skills and how not to panic. I am not afraid of much in life but I must say this has been a challenge! Seems that I have found another paradise with turquoise waters, cliffs, caves…indeed I feel as though I have stepped onto the set of ‘The Beach’!
It is within these waters that I became a diver with a deep regard for the underwater world, what a sensation!
Bangkok is strewn with photos of the much revered king. His former residence is spectacular. The Grand Palace is enormous and greatly detailed, filled with temples comtaining the sacred Buddha, as is the nearby Wat Pho, the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok, dating from the 16th century. There I encountered the grand reclining Buddha, measuring 46m long and 15m high, as he has passed into final nirvana.
I arrived to a wet Bangkok. it was the start of their New Year. all through the city, locals and foreigners alike were drenching one another with buckets of water, as signifies good luck. complete chaos on the streets! I managed to stay dry by seeking refuge behind the sealed windows and locked doors of taxis, until one night after many hours of carousing, fortune struck and I joined the wet festivities. my dear friends Anika and Chuck were in town and together we indulged in several nights of meals that last for hours as in Thai tradition, followed by one drink that mysteriously turns into three…Azfar joined from Taiwan, and from high atop the roof of the Vertigo bar we looked into the deepening hues of a setting sun above a city that was far from sleep.
