Trying out Thailand

A lack of time, rather than a lack material, is the reason there hasn't been a new post in over a month.  Work commitments and travel seem to have controlled our lives recently, but with some newfound time on our hands, we are going to try to get caught up.  As of the end of October, and although reduced in numbers, the pro-democracy protesters carry on their efforts.  Some of the roads in Central Hong Kong have reopened but at least a couple of major thoroughfares remain closed, leaving traffic snarled and Hongkongers losing their patience.

The Phi Phi Islands lie off the west coast of the Thai-Malaysia peninsula

Jeff and I are proud of the fact that we managed to survive a hot and steamy Hong Kong summer. But we were ready for a break from our jobs and the bustling city.  Fortunately, our friends, Glenda and Tom Kleinkauf, had planned a visit to Hong Kong and agreed to join us on our first trip to Thailand for a little time on the beach and some SCUBA diving.

"Long tail" boats are the primary means of transportation and an
effective means of navigating the extreme tides around the island

Our week away was on Ko Phi Phi Don Island off the coast of Phuket (pronounced "Poo-ket") Thailand.  Thailand is a long, skinny country, bordering Myanmar and Laos to the north and extending over 1,000 miles south to the Malaysian border.  Even measured at its widest point, the width of Thailand is still less than half its length.  Phi Phi (pronounced "P-P") Island is the largest in a chain of six islands situated in the Andaman Sea, just off the west coast of the peninsula connecting Thailand and Malaysia.

High tide and low tide on Phi Phi Island

The area is a popular vacation destination, known for its beaches and unspoiled reefs. The Phi Phi Islands are also very near the epicenter of the Indian Ocean tsunami which struck in late December 2004.  Of the nearly 9,000 people either confirmed dead or missing in Thailand following the disaster, about 2,000 of the victims were in the Phi Phi Islands.  The tsunami also destroyed most of the infrastructure on the islands.  Almost ten years later, much, though not all, has been rebuilt, along with a small memorial to those lost to the tsunami.  On a bicycle ride one afternoon, we were still able to see large piles of trees and brush log-jammed along a path where the surge of water came through.

Jeff cycling across a bridge on a tsunami evacuation path

SCUBA diving around the Phi Phi Islands was a real treat due to the beautiful scenery and warm water (a steady 83 to 84 degrees).  The tides are fairly extreme, which resulted in significant swings in visibility and currents over short distances throughout most of our one-hour dives.  But the reefs were healthy and we saw many of our favorite creatures such as turtles, starfish, eels, cuttlefish, clownfish in colorful pumpkin anenomes and and large numbers of schooling fish.

A curious pufferfish stares at us from a man-made reef of concrete block

Unfortunately, I managed to flood my dive camera on the very first dive of the trip, so I had to rely on my dive buddies, Glenda and Tom for photos of this trip.  The highlight of the trip was at a dive site called Hin Klai where we encountered several Leopard Sharks. Normally very shy, Leopard Sharks feed primarily on small invertebrates and are not aggressive towards humans.  We had the privilege of watching these sharks, which we estimated to be around five feet in length, feed and swim around us for several minutes.

My dive buddies, Tom and Glenda

Normally, Jeff spends his vacation time on his radio, racking up contacts around the world.  However, on this trip, he ran into a bureaucratic brick wall when he tried to get a reciprocal license to enable him to operate in Thailand.  Among other things, the Thai government requires a ham to apply for a license in person in Bangkok, which is 400 miles north of Phi Phi Island and was not on the itinerary for this trip.  So he spent his time bicycling the island, reading and making a bunch of new friends.

Jeff, Tom and Glenda enjoying lunch in Phi Phi Island village

It was a relaxing and  memorable week away from busy Hong Kong, and we are grateful to our friends Glenda and Tom for making the long journey from the states and trying out a week in Thailand with us.