Week 34: Back to Koh Samui

April 28, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

One of the harder parts about this crazy lifestyle of ours is that we are constantly picking up and moving somewhere new. We’re not exactly traveling light, which can make planes, buses, ferries, taxis, jeepnies and tuk tuks, a little difficult. And I’m often envious of those people with the tiny little backpacks.

This time before heading back to Koh Samui, we decided to do a bit of downsizing in order to lighten our load. We both got rid of quite a bit of stuff, but unfortunately it didn’t seem to make a dent in our belongings. So far we’ve been pretty good about shopping, and haven’t really purchased any souvenirs, but between the dive gear, camera gear, and computer gear, our bags are definitely heavier than we’d like.

downsizing
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Posted by: Kelly

Week 33: Last week on Koh Tao

April 22, 2009 - Filed under Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Weekly Report

After 5 weeks on Koh Tao, we decided it was time to move on. We’ve had a great month relaxing, diving, and catching up with a few friends (Becca, Jacob and Patrick who we met in the Philippines, as well as Kenny and Ben, friends from Vancouver).

The highlight for this week was undoubtedly the Whale Shark. We had heard one had been spotted a couple of times over the last few weeks, and we’d been trying to arrange a trip to Sail Rock, almost since we arrived, but for some reason none of the dive shops could make it happen. Until last Friday…

whale shark, koh tao, thailand

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Posted by: Shim

Foto Friday: Whale Shark at Sail Rock, Koh Tao, Thailand

April 17, 2009 - Filed under Foto Friday, Underwater Photography

Whale Shark, Koh Tao, Thailand

See more whale shark pictures and other underwater shots here.

Posted by: Shim

Back Online and a Buck a Beer

April 15, 2009 - Filed under Drinks, Eats, General, Planning, Stuff to do

After almost a month with an over heating video card stuck in 640×480 and $600 later, I’m back online. For most travelers it probably would have been a non issue till they got home using internet cafes in the meantime, but I have a number of client projects on the go and I’m usually not more than an arms length from my PC unless I’m underwater. Luckily I bought an iPod Touch before leaving Canada! I’ve often pooh-poohed how the iPhone and Touch are bulky MP3 players with not quite enough built in features to be true PDAs, but man was I thankful for the WiFi, browser, and email applications these past few weeks, not to mention the countless hours spent playing solitaire when the power was out. I was able to stay on top of client issues and steal Kelly’s Mac for emergencies. It took UPS almost 2 weeks to ship a new video card from New Jersey to Koh Tao in Thailand via expedited shipping. At least I didn’t have to install it with my Swiss Army knife screwdriver… I ended up finding a repair shop locally that had the proper tools, something of a rarity on some of the smaller islands.

So what does a nerd do offline in a tropical country? He stays hydrated…
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Posted by: Shim

Week 32: A week in point form…

April 13, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

Here’s what happened this week:

  • Mike finally got his computer fixed after waiting 2 weeks for a new video card.
  • I lost my bank card, and am now awaiting a new one from home.
  • We had a few drunken nights with Becca & Jacob, involving thai buckets and late night pancakes.
  • The weather has been rather un-cooperative, bringing lots of rain and a few power outages.
  • We lounged on the beach and consumed several beer, while floating off the beach in front of our place.
  • Patrick, who we also met in the Philippines arrived on Koh Tao, after spending a month in Bali.
  • We went diving at Chumpon & Red Rock for the 3rd time.
  • We had all you can eat Thai BBQ (kinda like korean BBQ, but Thai) for only $5.
  • I ran into one of the girls who worked in the dive shop where I did my dive master’s, 6 years ago.

Posted by: Kelly

Foto Friday: Mmm… Thai Buckets!

April 10, 2009 - Filed under Foto Friday

Thai Buckets

Posted by: Kelly

Week 31: Life without internet

April 7, 2009 - Filed under Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Weekly Report

Our internet connection has been out for the last 5 days, which means the posting around here has been even lighter than normal. Luckily work’s been pretty slow for the most part, so we’ve been taking a little break from the online world.

Once again we’ve settled into a bit of a routine here, and while it’s nice for us to chillout and not be constantly on the go, it does make for some pretty boring posts. So in an effort to keep things interesting, and because I missed “Foto Friday“, I’ve decided to turn this into a picture post.

koh tao
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Posted by: Shim

Week 30: Settling in on Koh Tao

March 29, 2009 - Filed under Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Weekly Report

This week we got settled into our new apartment. It was a lot harder to find a monthly rental than we expected, especially one with internet. Most places that had internet didn’t do monthly rentals, and the few places we found that did do monthly rentals, didn’t have internet. We did however manage to find a place. It’s not perfect but so far we’re quite comfortable here.

It’s a one bedroom apartment, a couple blocks off the main strip of town, on Koh Tao. It’s right on the beach and we have a little balcony overlooking the water as well as a great rooftop patio, both of which make up for the fact that our kitchen only has a microwave. Luckily the food in Thailand is great, and most of it is quite cheap, so while we love to cook, we probably wont be doing much of it over the next month or so. Unless anyone’s got some great microwave recipes.

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Posted by: Shim

Foto Friday: Shark Island, Koh Tao

March 27, 2009 - Filed under Foto Friday

Shark Island, Koh Tao, Thailand

Posted by: Kelly