A little slice of paradise

I'm sitting in a nifty little wood and thatch restaurant perched out over the water of a small bay on the island of Koh Tao. The sun is softly setting into the ocean. (hissssssss.....) Some very groovy music is playing. I've got a cold, sweaty beer. About 10 western tourists are spread about at various tables chatting. And they have 3 computers here and i'm doing a blog. It's pretty weird. The world has become a bit odd with this internet thing. The Thai woman sitting next to me, who lives and works here in this remote, thatched roof outpost, is instant messenging with a friend.

Hmm.

So I arrived here on the island yesterday morning after a 6 AM flight from Bangkok. Got to the dive shop. Dropped my bags off. Got a short dive orientation, met 2 nice Germans from Stuttgart (Swani and Ingo) and 2 nice Brits from Manchester (Vicki and Danny). We had dinner together, the five of us. Our common tongue of course was English. But the accents were so different we all had a tough time understanding each other. I don't know why this is, but whenever tourists meet, there's always this kind of conversation:

"Whenever I meet Americans, they never know what kind of food we have in England." And so on...

It's a funny thing that seems to happen no matter where I travel when I meet other tourists. I think we're all just searching for something we can talk about, and the one thing we all agree on is how different we all are. And the discussion itself is sort of a coming together - how we learn to talk to each other. Of course, we also talk about the amazing diving, where we're staying, what we each do in our country. I've met so many amazing people so far. Traveling by oneself is easier than I thought...

I stayed in a crap "modern" concrete bungalow last night. Too centrally located, so very noisy. And not comfortable. I was kinda pissed about not being able to find a good cabin - I know on these vacations I can't fully relax until I find just the right cabin with just the right vibe. And I've learned that a hammock is key for me to relax. Its like I need that soft hangout spot to let stress go.

So today, after the morning dive lesson (which took place in a classroom), I went and found another spot. Cheaper. More rustic. But with a hammock. And I think that's what I needed. Now if only the nearby rooster would shut up. (God has granted roosters with the most awful sound that comes out of their mouths. And they make it nonstop. Why God...why?)

The restaurant I'm in right now really completes the vibe. I'm finally starting to relax. We did some test diving in a swimming pool today. Tomorrow, I actually get into the water for the first dive. I'm very excited. Everyone's talking about these whale sharks they've been spotting. Evidently, they're very rare to see round here. But they've been hanging around this underwater granite 'pinnacle'.

Okay for now. Tomorrow, I put photos up.