PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: We all know the movie but if you throw in a boat, its sums up the 24 hour period we spend getting from Kuala Lumpur to Koh Tao. Needless to say that we were absolutely shattered.
TO DIVE FOR: It wasn't in the game plan but after enjoying the snorkeling in Malaysia so much and learning that Koh Tao is one of the best and cheapest places to learn to scuba dive, we just had to give it a go. After four months away from any formal work environment, hitting the classroom with our instructor (otherwise known as the little dictator) to start our PADI Open Water Diver Certification was a challenge. Nevertheless, after one day of classroom theory, one day of learning basic scuba skills in a swimming pool and some nightly homework, we were ready for our final exam and to demonstrate our basic swimming skills. The morning of the third day was D Day. We had to pass the final exam, swim 200 metres non stop and tread water for 10 mins to be allowed to undertake our four open water dives and gain our certification. We aced the final exam with 100% (was there any doubt), Thorpedoed the demonstration of our swimming skills and were excited about our first four open water dives. Descending into the open water off Koh Tao without the confined safety of a swimming pool was a thrill not only because we were breathing under 18 metres of water but it felt like being in the middle of an aquarium with huge quantities of crazy coloured fish and coral reefs. We successfully completed our four dives demonstrating the basic skills acquired to complete our certification. We now look forward to finding other awesome dive spots during the rest of the year. Random trivia for your next quiz night: SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
WWW.SORTED.ORG.NZ: In an attempt to stay on budget, we now have many 'tightarse' strategies up our sleeves. They include but are not limited to: Not checking out of our room without taking the complimentary soaps or fresh rolls of toilet paper; An air conditioned room is unnecessary and extravagant, as fan rooms suffice as long as you have a cold shower before bed and perhaps intermittently throughout the night; If your ticket operator has not mastered the English language, you can pass off your NZ drivers licence for student ID to get discounted entry; Eat where the locals do and not the tourists, it will be half the price and probably taste better; and When bartering in Asia, you will get the lowest and fairest price by pretending to walk out the door.
OI OI OI? We have been mistaken many times since we left home for being Australian, even by our friend Daniel from Melbourne, who thought we were from Queensland. However, the last few days in Thailand have been ridiculous. We have walked around to choruses of touts putting on really bad fake Australian accents as they greeted us with "Gidday Mate". One taxi tout even yelled across the road at us "Aussie Aussie Aussie OI OI OI". We have now started replying with "Kia Ora Bro" which one tout thought was Zimbabwean.
By the time you read this, we will be winging our way to Singapore for two days before attending Dave and Char's wedding in the Gold Coast this weekend. After that, we have a whirlwind 10 days back in Wellington and Tauranga before heading to Africa.
Take care and we might see some of you soon.
Love Kirsty and Rodney.
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