I am off on my travels … Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago (Burma/Myanmar) March 2014! I will be posting about each leg of my trip, and I look forward to sharing it with you! While on the dive liveaboard, Deep Andaman Queen, I may not have access to internet. If not, I will post on my return!
I left Dallas on February 27 at 10a.m. I have arrived in Phuket, at 5a.m. Dallas time, March 1. In Phuket, it is 5pm. And yes, I am tired. I’ve been traveling non-stop, and have yet to find a full 8 hour sleep. I plan to make up for it tonight! I am struggling to stay awake. As much as I want to head down to the beach and walk, I know that I need rest more. My shoulders hurt, my wrists hurt, my entire body feels like it has been in a prize fight. And in 24 hours, I will be picked up for my liveaboard, the Deep Andaman Queen, which heads to the Mergui Archipelago off of Burma/Myanmar. So, here is the plan: stay awake another hour, go have dinner, come back to my room and pass out. I will explore the beach tomorrow morning. And have a massage.
It has been a fascinating trip already! I woke this morning in Bangkok, looked out my balcony window, and saw Buddhist monks walking along the reflecting pool…complete with dragon! I enjoyed breakfast, then watched a wedding procession pass the reflecting pool (the reflecting pool seems to be a very popular place!). I have learned about the Thai Wai, the Thai greeting which is hands in prayer with a bow. Women say Sah-wah-dee-kah to say hello. The deeper the bow and the higher your prayer hands, the more respect you show. To offer a wai to a Buddhist monk is to hold your hands at the forehead in prayer, and bow. The higher a person’s position in society, the more respectful your wai should be. It is considered very rude in Thai culture not to return an offered wai. Kob kun ka is “thank you”. I’m learning, and I love to learn! Everything is so new and exciting.
There are beautiful shrines everywhere! Did you know that 95% of the Thai people are practicing Buddhists? And photographs of the King and Queen….Bhumibol Adulyadej is the King of Thailand and took the throne in 1946, making him the longest ruling monarch in the world currently. The Queen’s name is Sirikit. The royals are adored here. They are apart from any government problems.
I am staying at the Amari Beach Resort on Patong Beach. The hotel is quite lovely, and situated a little to the side of the public beach of Patong. The beach at the hotel is similar to Cozumel…I hope I have some time tomorrow to snorkel a little. If not, I return here on March 9, at which time my beautiful daughter joins me for a week.l,
March 2. 11a.m. Well, I did not sleep as much as I wanted to, but I have breakfasted by the ocean, and have repacked my bags. The hotel is kindly going to allow me to leave a bag here, which is a relief. So now, my one bag carries clothes, dive equipment, camera equipment, and personal items. Shit. It is heavy! But better than dragging another bag with me to the boat. I will be on the high seas tonight, heading north toward the Mergui Archipelago, in the Andaman Sea.
As I said, I don’t know if I will have any internet, so if not, I will post as soon as I get back to the hotel. My fingers and eyes are itching to see pelagic animals and take great photos! ลาก่อนนะ! (Goodbye!)