Haven’t posted about my last few days because it spent it taking a Scuba diving class on Koh Tao! I love Koh Tao, it’s my favourite island of the three I visited. There is just so much to do there, I could have stayed an extra week (and definitely will next time I come back)! 

The Scuba course started on Saturday night where we had to watch PADI videos for 2 hours. I didn’t realize how much science is behind scuba diving – from buoyancy to what happens when air is under lots of pressure under water. 

The next day we finished up the videos and did some pool practice! It was nice to practice with the equipment in a safe, confined space; it was a weird feeling to try and breathe underwater for the first time. 

After pool day, I took a long walk to a terrace overlooking the islands. The sun was about to set and it was a decent view! 

As I was walking back through town, I ran into some friends I made on the other islands. Thailand is pretty great in the way that you’ll most likely run into people you’ve met elsewhere in the country because all the tourists do a similar route. We hung out on the beach then had dinner at the most fantastic restaurant – it’s called Mama Piyawan and looks like a hole in the wall but the food was absolutely fantastic. It seemed to be a mother and daughter operation with an authentic vibe. It seemed like the kind of restaurant Anthony Bourdain would visit on his travels (I have been getting into his travel themed shows lately). I recommend checking it out if you are on Koh Tao, it’s near the Taco Shack 2 hostel! 

Scuba day 3 was in the ocean! It was really exciting to be in the beautiful blue water surrounding the island. We were mostly getting used to buoyancy at the bottom of the water, and because our boat went out in the afternoon I saw more scuba divers than fish at 12m below. It was like Grand Central Station under there!!!! It didn’t really matter because we were focusing on skills (and not losing our instructor) and we saw some cool fish regardless! 

Today was the last day of diving. We went out at 7am and just had some more fun dives to do! The second dive site was the highlight for me – we saw 2 trigger fish and a stingray. I went with Simple Life Diving for my PADI and while it was a bit more expensive I picked it because it got better reviews. It really lived up to the hype! We had 2 staff with us in the water and max of 3 students at all times.  

One thing I’m loving about Thailand is that everyone is here! I’ve run into the same people over and over, and I even ran into someone from home who has been travelling for 2 years. I was really nervous about travelling alone (scared I wouldn’t meet people) but I’ve made some amazing friends so far. I even met up with an old friend from Stfx! 

I’m in Koh Samui for the night tonight then half a day in Bangkok tomorrow. Just had a spectacular 2 course meal all to myself (pictured below); I’ll be heading to Hanoi on Thursday!