Update from the tree top :-)

Update from the tree top …. Ok o.k maybe not from the tree top as such but defo from the tree as I’s sitting at tree house at the beach watching the people snorkeling below and diver in distance, since the diving boat is moored at three rocks.

Ahh I nearly forgot… Dear bro Jiri P. All is good, I’m not diving because or ear infection but sweating a lot so diving in my own sweat 😊 Short and sweet as you requested.

Now for the rest of you who are going to read the whole shebang all the way and not fell asleep during the long read, here I’m really start giving you an update. Bro hush from here ! You wanted short report so stop reading and go back to work, your house will not build itself !

So were was I … ? ahh I remember now, Thailand at Koh Tao Island woo hoo… Yeah so update from the tree top is continuing and now the ferry is arriving with more tourist from Koh Panghan or Koh Samui who want to spent some time here in this tranquil island or maybe want to learn scuba diving or free diving or just browse fresh meat on tinder. Anyhow the tree top is nice and sitting in yellow bean bag what was already sun bleached and had some ass traffic in his days I could enjoy the mocktail Tom Yum and type some letters and words what hopefully make some sentence and over the whole thing will make sense when finished. Since the last time I had recorded any of the events passing in the time here at Koh Tao much not had happened as mentioned last time the ear infection made my life a bit difficult as I could not dive with ear infection and therefore I had to stay ashore and relax until l will be allowed to water again. The first few dives were amazing as the visibility was great and as mentioned in last article the dive at South-West was so far the most amazing National Geographic or Blue Planet moment as when we descend down to few meters maybe 15 or so, the huge school of stripped barracudas came and as we slowly descend they enveloped me as if they were hurricane  and I was in the eye of the hurricane / tornado and they were swimming around me like I was Dorothy and when I have remained still they came so close that I could see into their eyes looking at me , thinking “is this creature edible…  ? is it worth effort..?” they swam in unison fashion and if I moved my hand or finger, they retracted from me in one movement as group and then return when I stop moving. It was amazing see the beautiful blue ocean around me as I was hoovering on middle of this silent tornado looking around 360 degrees with wide opening at top and small opening on the bottom of this tornado as you could not really see through the masses swirling around. Unfortunately Hali “Instructor” signaled that we are going to descend and I had to leave such a beautiful sight and follow her down with my dive buddy. Rest of the dive looked dull after such encounter and as much as the big blue is full of live, so far I had not experience anything like this and this will be the highlight of the diving for long time I feel. The rest of dive was nice but honestly cannot remember much as if the memory disk of my grey matter was overloaded with this sensory experience and did not allow more recording on that day. Maybe it was 5k and there was simply not enough space in the memory. Approximately 30 dives were completed since I arrived and until now so it will be hard to keep up with description of all of them especially if I had hard time to remember them for my diving book, when I need to record them for signature from instructors as part of dive log history since the computer is good but the paper is paper. The few that stayed in my memory are ones with Trigger Fish what is nice but a bit territorial fish which likes to defend their territory by intimidating you, swimming directly to you and in case you will not get the message they put their trigger up “ which is small fin” on top of their body what is signaling “I mean Business”  warning to everyone around and if you not listen then they can bite. I heard few stories about fins punched like the sheet of paper is punched in office by puncher and also some body parts too. However the simple defense is to swim backwards out of the territory and never swim upwards and they territory is horizontally defined and they will hunt you out until you leave their home. I could boast how brave I was but reality is that when I saw it swimming towards me I was scared and my air consumption increased accordingly as well as I was a closer to my diving buddy than I probably should and he probably liked :_)  As they are everywhere around it was a matter of time to get used to them and when I realized that if I stay out of their home they are as any other fish I found them similar to me but in opposite way as I will put my trigger up when I like someone and I will also bite if the intruder get into my bed. Well more dives and one in particular was at Green Rock “there is Green, White and Red rock what  suppose to be based on the person who discovered and map them as he was Italian” thank good that he was not from some multicolored flag nation as he will name all the rocks and might have stay here for longer that wished for. Anyhow the green rock is another nice dive site with multilevel pinnacles full of lives and since I just starting my diving life and career I will not try name them all but the anemone “when Nemo lives” are amazing sight waving the current as the occupants are coming out to check that big huge black thing what makes bubbles “ why does it make bubbles ? does it not know that bubbles can make them visible, dumb animal” and then the some other smaller fishes who swim around, mostly black and small, then bigger and more colorful and with various height / depth of the pinnacles the life form change as if the wizard of Oz or Harry Potter came and wave the magic wand and the place changed in the minute from one to another, like in the theatre when they change the scene behind curtain or in dark. Green rock is also a heaven or suburb area for Trigger fish so you are alike Alberto Tomba doing slalom around their territories aka trigger pits. But as with Alberto Tomba la bomba even with Trigger fish you can find the beauty in them, just look better and don’t be afraid by first look and behavior. The another lovely dive site, not that all are not lovely or nice but you know, some leave a better impression in your memory and some leave also impression in your body 😊 so this one is Japanese garden, what I first discovered by snorkeling above it and what a sight it is…. Lots of corals and colors and I mean serious colors and corals, big tree corals in green like trees underwater, orange piles and pinnacles, cream colored with the Christmas tree worms sticking out in blue, red and yellow. Blue spotted stingray hiding under the rocks and in the crevices like if wanted to play hide and seek  “maybe they do that” but back to snorkeling, which was nice and when later get there with scuba now I can get down and look at it from below. But firstly need to finish my 15 minutes thread water on spot as part of the course and two minutes with hands up so that your elbows are out of water, what a workout and Gabriel who was with us doing his open water course offered to do it with me as gesture and I had to admit that in pair time goes better so all done and as we were going back to boat Jordan mentioned that he did well and then Gabriel mentioned that his Life Guard training kicked in …. Well now I learn something new as he explained me how to stay up without much hassle but round kicking legs. Anyhow all done, breath catched  and we  can go diving. Bottom of the Japanese garden is nice and different than from the top as every dive site is. After the diving the pineapple is served on the boat and that is refreshing and nice as well as hydration is important and water itself is not enough so Kai is so nice to prepare the pineapple for us while Kor  is filling tanks for us, what a great boat crew including captain Jack as I do not know his name but when he put on the Ray Ban’s he is like Jack Nicholson, so cool so in moment “ no not from the shining”. There were many may dives at many sites and as well two night dives. Night dives are different and interesting at the same time since you have torch and all is dark , since we entered water after sunset. Ocean in the night is nice and quiet, surprisingly different than the same during the day. Fish sleeps and it is funny to see them parked in all the spaces between corrals and stones in crevices as it they were pushed there like overweight person trying to fit into way too small clothes or door frames. Even the trigger fish sleeps parked in coral space, reminding me of car wash for some reason as you can see part of the car through small openings in the structure. So many crabs in the big conic shells on the sea floor looks like randomly scattered shells until you see that they are moving and realized that crabs are hiding inside them. Shrimps hoovering in front on the torch light like some spider creatures and now you pay attention to sea starts on the bottom since you are not focused on the all the swimming fishes. Dive is nice and slow since the depth is around 6 meters and therefore the air consumption is low so time is long. Overall the diving here is nice, people great and water warm, sometimes too warm I would say as it feels like swimming in the cup of tea. Well diving is nice until you get an ear infection and you cannot dive or  swim to keep water out of the ear. Yeah second time since I’m here I cannot swim / diver but this time it is seriously painful as I woke up in the early morning or late night with pain in my right ear and I cannot even move my jaw without pain. Never had such pain and since we blokes are dying with flu I had to say that this one was really really bad and pain was so bad that I just woke up and waited for clock to turn to 8am so I can go to hospital. Kicked Blue Thunder into live and head off to Hospital, which was actually really nice and for a change not purely white but nice orange with cream and looks so warm and comfy that I felt relived and kind of happy. Walls and even uniforms were orange / cream and the nurse with smile and broken English asked what is wrong and gave me the form to fill up. All filled, moved to weighting station and then to blood pressure then to another nurse who had more less the same questions and after I was given all the papers to the hand with laminated number 1 since I was first in. The official opening hours are from 8:30 and since I was there at 8am I had to wait on the blue plastic chair what was nicely against wall but some smart risk focused person installed handrail along the wall, to help people with stability issues to help them with moving along the corridor but the handrail was actually right at the level of back rest or maybe 2cm lover than top of the back rest of the chairs so resting on the chair was not possible. So waited in and then joined by local men with laminated sign 2 and opposite at blood pressure station third one, this one European. Doctor came sharp 8:30 as if he was hoovering above or have invisibility cloak and just took it off beside me. Thank God it was early morning so I was asleep and also in pain otherwise I might got hearth attack from such surprise. He looked into my ear and establish fact that it is ear infection, gave me antibiotics and steroids drops, bill for 986 bath and I was out.

              Now is time to study since no time for diving means time to study theory and prepare for the test to use the time instead of just hanging around the hostel. So study in the morning and beach in afternoon not bad day schedule 😊 as sunset is beautiful and especially if you watching it from the empty beach in silence, expect sound of the waves gently washing the shore. People came and went at hostel and I stayed, sometimes feel like I’m the inventory of the hostel and just time is moving around me. Few days passed and today is time of the exam so I took nice long walk to dive school and sat down for a while, talk to instructors present and waited for my time to get test started what is sixty questions and no time limit so easy. While waiting I used my new marker to mark my equipment as the previous marks washed off due the use and also I want to get some ting to do instead just sitting in vain… Test completed and now is time to take another long slow walk home in the heat of midday with pineapple shake in hand and heading to shop to get some nice fresh liver for lunch as I realized that I need more iron and that liver is better that sugary drinks. As I have plenty of time I left Blue Thunder parked on the side of the road and walked everywhere. I cannot wait to get into water and down to see the amazing underwater world first hand on my own eyes. Day after day is amazing feeling to realize that this is a real life, watching sunset at beach, going to sleep to sound of gecko chasing the mosquitos and flies ,waking up to the sound of birds. Sometimes I do not even realize how happy I am that I am here and living the dream …. Well still not working what is making it a bit harder to chill when the money are not coming in but since I made decision to fully focus on the diving I scrapped the idea of working as the time and energy divided between two would be used not productively for none of them as when you do four dives per day you are ready to bed after shower. English online did not worked really so I might look for some transcript work what might work and hopefully when finished the Dive Master course I hope to get job and then make some money as well as experience before apply for Instructor course.

              Now as I sit in the tree top “well it is tree and I’m at top level so it is tree top I watching the ocean slowly moving on shore and caressing the sand of beach to make it nice and smooth with sun shimmering on the surface it is a dream and I hardly believe that I’m here. Well few tourists are disturbing this image of heaven as they are coming to seat where I am as if they cannot go somewhere else …. Ahh they just disturbed my thoughts for writing. Well you cannot have paradise without tourist unless you buy one for yourself… but then it will be boring I assume unless you have friends who can visit you and have enough time to spent with you but still sometimes the time being alone is good to have and sometimes it is luxury. I believe that the diving makes this island special as it gives it this cool and relaxed vibe at least here at south side since I have no desire exploring night life at north side Sairee beach where the bars are full and pub crawl is famous tourist activity. Why on earth you are going to do pub crawl here when you can do that easily at home. Diving community is more for me and I’m not saying that I will not go to party of two but really either I’m getting old “what as real midlife crises man denying” or just I found the niche and what I want in life.

              So to summarize the update from the tree top, I living the dream life and as soon as I get back to diving the dream become even a fairy tale of pale white Slovak boy who after some years at Emerald Island aka Ireland left the office job behind and step unto unknown and despite not knowing the future took a leap of faith and followed his calling and now enjoying the every moment of it. As Nina Simone sing “this is a new day and  a new dawn and I feeling goooood” and I do feeling good ! When you read as someone left job and went to travel or start something new it is sounds great and sometimes funny, sometimes scary but when you do that yourself, it has completely different meaning and by experience it and live it, I can say that sometimes you need to remind yourself that you are lucky to have all of this as not everyone can and not everyone could or and not everyone has balls to do so. Wind is gently picking up and the breeze in afternoon is welcomed as April and May are the hottest and on the 13th of April there is Sonkran what is new year and also water party when walking on the street is recommended only in swim gear and nothing else, defo not electronics as that day is celebrated by throwing the water on everyone who is on the street and therefore if you don’t have waterproof mobile that you might wish miss few calls and texts on that day. Cannot wait for it. Report will be typed later 😊

Now is time for another walk or food…. Hmm decisions decisions… :-D

 P.S. blue horizon is separated only by the various shades of deep blue of the ocean and light blue of sky with occasional white clouds passing through the sky as if they were just checking the land below and Sun slowly setting down to get a evening bath in the ocean before it will illuminate the other part of this big blue planet of ours.

 Btw. Bro I hopped that you did some work ?! No point be short and sweet when you read it all :-D