Scanned Print Photo

 

 

 

 

Playing with the scanner. Procrastinating. Looking for an excuse not to write. In the photo second to the bottom, I'm furthest on the left.

More Scuba Diving – Ko Tao, Thailand

More bubbles coming out of my head...

Scuba Diving – Ko Tao, Thailand

I started to get bored after 3 weeks in Chiang Mai and decided it was time for a change. Scuba diving was on my mind. Originally, I was lead to believe it wasn't diving season in Thailand, and excluded diving from my original schedule. The guide books indicated that the dive season starts in mid-November after the monsoons subside. The monsoons affect the underwater visibility. Later I learned that the monsoons subside in mid-November on the West Coast of Thailand and it was fine to dive on the East Coast of Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand prior to November. Anyway to make a long story short, I decided to go diving. I flew to Ko Samui (Ko Tao doesn't have an airport), connected with a dive master, Adam, and we motorboated over to Ko Tao. On arrival I learned it had been raining for four days prior to my arrival. Nevertheless, I proceeded to dive. For two of the five dives that I completed, the water visibility wasn't the best. During one of the dives, for a brief moments, I could barely see Adam, the dive instructor. However, the underwater visibility on the other three dives was fine. We saw a sea turtle, moray eels, clown fish, parrot fish, a spotted ray, puffer fish, and angel fish, just to name a few.

In the end, I was glad I did make to trip south to dive. My only other real diving experience was in the Red Sea where I completed my advance open water training. During the training I wasn't exactly relaxed, partially because I was concentrating on completing the training exercises correctly, I also was part of a larger group of divers, and I didn't have a lot of experience diving. This time because it was only the two of us, and the object of the dives was purely pleasure, I was able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the dive. My air intake efficiency improved significantly. I can't wait to get to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in a couple of day for more diving.

Underwater Photos - Ko Tao, Thailand

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School - Chiang Mai, Bangkok

During the morning session, on first day, we reviewed the ingredients used in preparing Thai food (i.e. lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, etc.) On the second day, we learned how to make green curry paste from the raw ingredients and on the third day we visited a local market. During the visit we identified and discussed various types of Thai vegetables and fruits. In the afternoon, each day, we learned how to prepare six Thai dishes - my favorites of the eighteen dishes we learned to prepare were Gaeng Kheo Wan Gai (Chicken in Green Curry), Phad Thai, Tom Yum Soup, Laab Gai (Minced Chicken Salad) and Som Tam (Papaya Salad). The food was plentiful. We could eat as much as we liked. There was no need to eat breakfast prior to class or dinner in the evening.

In the States, the Thai food often tastes a slightly different from the food Thai food prepared in Thailand. Originally, I thought the food was altered to accommodate the Western palette. This is probably not the case, however, as was pointed out in class. A more likely explanation is that some of the ingredients used in Thai cooking in Thailand is unavailable for use, or is cost prohibited, in Thai restaurants abroad. For example, cane sugar is often substituted for palm sugar, lime juice for kaffir lime leaves, ginger for galangal, etc. Authentic ingredients afford the authentic Thai taste.

Thai Massage Class – Chiang Mai, Thailand

A Thai massage focuses on the body's energy lines and pressure points. It's a lot different from the oil massages in India and the bath massages in Turkish. If anyone wants to learn about Thai massage I would highly recommend this school. The staff is extremely friendly and professional, and very accommodating. They arranged for each student's picked-up from their guesthouse in the morning and returned in the evening. They also provided a lunch and loose fitting clean clothes daily. The only caveat is that to become proficient in Thai massage one must enrollment in the ten or a twenty week course, the one week course is not sufficient. I don't think anyone who only took the one week course could give a Thai Massage without using the manual for reference.

Prasat Hin Phimai - Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

When the Angkor Empire was at its peak, present-day Northeastern Thailand formed the empire's western frontier, through which temple trail linked Prasat Hin Phimai and other nearby shrines with Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The Phimai temple, like other Khmer monuments in this part of Thailand, predates the Angkor Wat complex.