Shark Talk

(written 30/08/09, posted on 13/10/09)

Up at 6am, again. On the boat out there are only five of us. The beauty of diving off season and the advantage over the Red Sea as it’s much quieter. I’ve been discussing with the staff on the boats my next move which I’ve been thinking will be Koh Tao. Everyone on the boat who has been there tells me Phi Phi is better as it’s quieter and as it’s the ‘wrong’ time to be here weather wise, all the learners will be at Koh Tao splashing about in the water and annoying everyone else.

There’s a lot of Shark Talk on the boat too and I haven’t seen one so far so I’m not going anywhere just yet. The first dive is a cool 29m down to the side of the wreck. We’re only out of the water for just over an hour before it’s time for the next one, Shark Point. I’m expecting good things.

I’m the first in. A giant stride, put my face in the water in and there’s a Leopard Shark swimming about below me. I take out my snorkel and shout, ‘Shark!’ I’m even waving my hand against the top of my head using the sign for Shark. Everyone else is too busy doing jumping in or faffing around with their masks so I happily put my snorkel back in and put my face back under to watch the Leopard Shark slink around and off. A fellow diver, J, can’t believe I’ve seen one and neither can C, our instructor. By the end of the dive we’ve spotted one swimming around (it could have been the same one) and one asleep on the sandy seabed which is often where they are. It could have been the same shark each time but seeing them/it in three different ways is amazing.

The third dive at Anenome Reef doesn’t disappoint either as we see Box fish, Lion fish, lots of Golden Spotted and Giant Moray eels, Clown fish and banded Shrimp. By the end of the three dives I’m no longer holding a small disappointment at the different visibility. It is just as good here as in the Red Sea, just some different species and in fact in some ways it’s better as it’s so quiet.

The weather is still pants so I can’t resist booking another set of dives tomorrow with my first night dive in the evening. Just for a bit of variety! Doesn’t look like I’ll be heading to Koh Tao just yet if at all.

Do-gooders doing good

(written on 17/08/09, posted on 03/10/09)

L and I wanted to get bikes to make the 9km trip out of town to the orphanage. I spent last night shivering and not even a curry and a lassi could sort me out. I dosed myself up with tablets and conked out.

I wake up and am feeling surprisingly fine. At the bike hire shop I force a good breakfast down with some orange juice and after testing the brakes and saddles we're off. I'm not able to go as quickly as I want but seem to be making reasonable progress. About 2km out of town I realise my trousers have completely ripped and I might as well be wearing hot pants. Not a good look for teaching children. We pass a market and I decide to run in. I end up with a hideous shorts and vest combo which looks like it's straight out of Pri-marni (see top pic for the shorts). I was great entertainment for the market stall holders and the women gathered round pointing at the rip in my cargo pants!

At the orphanage we're surrounded and dragged into the classroom. We play games and teach the children, most of whom have a good level of English. None seem to go to school though. We're encouraged to go and play with the children at lunchtimes and I can't help but think anyone could sneak in. There are no checks, no safety measures. We're given lunch and I know then this is no scam. The fish tastes of stale pond weed and the chicken has no meat on it. I chat to the Director about aid agencies and L vows to raise money on her return to home. The kids are amazing and we are waved off and made to promise we'll be back. We leave some donations before heading back into town. The bag of rice we wanted to buy didn't make it as neither of us thought we could balance it on our bikes.

We finish our day by giving blood at the local children's hospital and go and have a sugary drink before we faint. Both of us feel much better after the floating village yesterday. I can see Cambodia developing more like Vietnam but after a history of brutal war it'll take so much more.