Lacey and I have begun our new adventure traveling around South East Asia for the next twelve months. By the look of things we left Beijing in the nick of time: Beijing Flooding We began two weeks ago flying into Thailand directly to Koh Samui to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary on the same island where we were married. After a few romantic days and nights we hopped over to Koh Phangan for two days and then on to Koh Tao. We are now in Chiang Mai headed towards Laos in the morning.
Arriving in Thailand was figuratively and literally a giant breath of fresh air. When we got off the airplane we heard a Chinese woman speaking to her little boy. She said, "Kan baobao, tiankong shi lan se de!" (Look sweetheart, the sky is blue!)
While in Koh Tao I completed two diving certifications: Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver. They were great and I'm very exited about continuing my education to become a Dive Master and possibly an instructor. Lacey was extremely supportive, patiently relaxing for six days while I worked my butt off. For my next certification we will have to find a place that can provide her with something interesting to do because it wouldn't be fair to make her sit around bored for four weeks. To see more photos check out our Facebook.
The underwater scenery was spectacular. Throughout my time in the water I saw barracuda, turtles, shrimp, eel, giant clams and an array of beautiful, tropical fish. During my Advanced Open Water course I chose to dedicate one of my dives to learning how to become a naturalist and recognize the ecology of the reef. One interesting symbiotic relationship that I observed was between a Watchman Gobi and Pistol Shrimp. The two work together in the same hole in the sand. The Shrimp digs a hole for his family and the fish but is nearsighted. The fish stands guard and warns the shrimp of possible danger. check out the clip below and fast forward to 45 seconds to see the shrimp in action.
While in Laos we plan on sailing down the Mekong and then make our way north into Yunnan, China. We are really exited to get off the beaten tourist track and really experience some raw adventure. Thailand just doesn't quite feel the same this time around. It never was really an undiscovered destination but returning here after five years has made the drastic increase in tourism clear.
While in Yunnan we plan to visit the city of Dali and do a two day trek to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Then we plan to head east to see Guilin, Guangzho, Hong Kong and Macau. Please note that during the month of August we will be back in China without a VPN and will not be able to update Wanderlust. Once we get to Hong Kong we will check in and hopefully share some amazing stories.
