Underwater

Beep Beep! This is what you get used to hearing on Pi Pi as the little Thai guys running up & down the tiny streets (no cars) yell at you to get out of their way. 2,000 people died here during the Tsunami in 2004 but the island seems to have recovered as its a huge tourist destination. Josh told us that some of his buddies at the dive shop were on dive boats when the wave came and didn't even notice it until they came in and saw everything destroyed and everyone dead.............sooooo gnarly. FYI - death by falling coconut is a concern in Thailand.....Shawn bought a helmet.

Make it to the dive shop by 7:45am on about 3 hours of sleep and settle in for the 30min boat ride. Boats have definitely been a concern of mine leading up to the trip as I used to get VIOLENTLY sea-sick when I was younger (highschool). I'm talking about being on a boat and contemplating the feasibility of an air rescue bc I felt so bad. Luckily, I seem to have outgrown it as there were no issues this time (thank god)

First dive for me in about 10 years (last place was Kauai) so I got some refresher tips from Shawn and Josh and all went well. Just getting used to the whole experience of being underwater while breathing took up most of my dive time but saw some cool fish and coral. The 2nd dive everyone was more relaxed (Shawn had a ridiculous mask problem on the first) and we got to enjoy diving and seeing a sweet reef shark, sea turtle, Lion fish, etc. All in all, a good use of our morning and we even ate lunch on the boat overlooking the beach from "The Beach" which was pretty packed with tourists but made worse by remixed, techno, dance songs our boat played...................brutal.

Midday in Thailand (11am-4pm) is really best spent in the water somewhere or definitely out of the sun. It gets sooooooo hot here its ridiculous & the sun is absolutely stronger than anywhere I've been before. Those of us with ancestors hailing from Scandinavia do not always possess complexions that take such strong rays easily. Sunscreen and a straw "Cabo Wabo" hat (thanks Shawn) are a must.