koh tao.

after a long night celebrating the full moon on koh pha ngan, bryn & india and their friends zach, tracey and aric returned to their hotel on the next island over, koh samui. exhausted but determined, the five celebrated a crazy last night together on the island before all parting ways the next day. tracey and aric headed up back to bangkok to catch their flight back home to toronto. zach was also homeward bound; he hopped a ferry south to phuket and then on to sydney. bryn & india, ready for a serious detox, headed north through the bay of thailand to the warm island of koh tao. 

on the ferry over, boys bombarded them with pamphlets for different scuba resorts, packages of hotel rooms, scuba lessons, and breakfast options. but india & bryn were determined to learn at ban's resort, a scuba resort recommended to them by their friends liana and tristan and recently visited by tracey and aric. both teams had nothing but good things to say – so, upon docking, bryn & india jumped in the back of a pick up truck with a bright yellow ban's scrawled on the side, and set off for the beach.

mango smoothies on koh tao.

ban's was like disneyland – a picture perfect paved village in the edge of the small island. there was restaurants with traditional thai and overpriced americana cuisine. there were movie nights and glow parties at the bar. there was a 24 hour mini mart that sold grilled cheese and 20 oz. chang beers. everyone was barefoot, most were shirtless. everyone was tan and crunchy from the saltwater. and everyone was happy. the pools were filled with laughing and the staff at the bar poured shots for themselves when you bought one for your friend. bryn & idia were happy. they signed up for a three day open water diving course.

winding paths cut through ban's lush gardens.

their diving instructors, jimmy and jessie, were from ireland and england, respectively, and took bryn & india, and their 11 other classmates with patience and encouragement. after a classroom session and a night of homework, bryn & india took to the water immediately, and passed their water certification easily. they swam with schools of orange clownfish and pairs of bright butterfly fish. after five dives, the class took their final written exam, all passed, and celebrated by having a long night of partying on the beach.

staying warm on the boat after a stormy afternoon dive.

the beach at ban's lights up at night.

over their three day open water course, bryn & india got to know a nice irish boy named A who had been living in koh tao studying to be a diving instructor. after months of the island life, he had grown tired of it and had decided to move back to the u.k. it was his last week on the island and with his encouragement, and the promise to be their diving partner again, bryn & india signed up for the two day advanced open water diving course.

the next two days, bryn & india were spent back on the boat in rocky waters. the sun had given way to monsoon season, but under the water, bryn & india could have cared less. they swam 30 meters deep, did a night dive using only flashlights to see, and dove guideless, just the two of them, floating in the underwater world. it was a surreal and wonderful feeling; breathing underwater, swimming so deep you couldn't tell up from down, was like being the most alive you've ever felt while totally disconnected from the world.

two days more of that, of movie viewings on projection screens, of fresh mango smoothies and coconut milk curries, of nighttimes walk with A, and they never wanted to leave.

scuba is sexy.

india and a: ah! real monsters. 

unfortunately, bryn & india's 30 day tourist visa they had received when they flew into thailand was about to expire. and to renew a short term tourist visa in thailand, you needed to leave the country and re-enter. so bryn & india kissed their friend A goodbye, swam in the warm turquoise waters around koh tao one last time, and headed back to bangkok where they boarded a bus bound north for laos.

on koh tao, the bartenders pass out condoms with the drinks.