All courses over - into the final few days of my trip
Saturday was the last day of courses for me, with my DAN O2 Provider plus instructor course. That was a really interesting course but the instructor exam was very tough. All of us who took the exam were very relieved to pass. It’s strange - the girl on our course was still pretty apathetic about the course. Plus 2 people turned up to the course either still drunk or hungover, which rightly annoyed our Course Director. That’s really pathetic and I would have personally just told them to leave the class and come the next time I was putting it on. They wouldn’t want people turning up drunk to their diving classes, but think it’s OK to come to post-IDC classes when drunk. Very sad. But now I am certified to provide oxygen in response to diving injuries (mainly Decompression Illness: that is Decompression Sickness and Embolisms), and I can teach it to others if I get myself an oxygen kit. The DAN ones are very nice, but are a little expensive to buy. Should probably get things like first aid mannequins first, and I do have my eye on the Mk25T/S600 reg set. On Saturday night I went out for dinner and a few drinks with John to celebrate the end of my courses. Ended up in reggae bar but didn’t stay there too long as I was shattered.
Yesterday I’d planned to go around the island with Goi (a girl who works in La Bodega). She probably hasn’t visited the island and it would give me the chance to do a bit of sightseeing before I depart. Arranged to pick her up at 11, but I got there and she didn’t show. Tried calling but had no answer so I came home. An hour later she called to say sorry, and that she’d been in a motorbike accident. She was ok but had some scrapes and cuts on her leg. Now this is scarily common in Thailand, with people having a so-called “Samui tattoo”. It’s another reason why I’m so against people drinking and driving. The roads are dangerous enough with the other crazy drivers and bad surfaces without people driving while under the influence of drink and drugs. After her call I headed straight back to the restaurant to see her. Bless her - she looked really down and had iodine rubbed onto her cuts. I stayed with her a while and then she said she wanted to come over. So she came over and promptly went to sleep. Slept the rest of the afternoon until she had to go back to the rerestaurant to work. John came over mid-afternoon and we watched some of the marketing videos; they have a lot of worthwhile information, but are definately a cure for insomnia!
I have only 2 days left in Samui, including today. Then it’s onto Bangkok for one day before flying back to Okinawa on Thursday. I’m looking forward to getting back to Oki and teaching again, but I will miss Samui. My thoughts about Thailand have changed from the ideas I had about the country before I came. The only problem with this island is that it’s quickly becoming overdeveloped. New villas and resorts are springing up everywhere and will do so until there’s no greenery left and the attraction of the place declines. Hopefully that won’t happen for a while but the development shows no signs of slowing from what little I can gather. Thailand is now a place I’d consider visiting again, but when I have both the time and the money to visit is another matter.
I don’t think I’ve much else to say in today’s entry. The next entry I write will probably be from Okinawa again. So farewell from Thailand, take care and dive safely
or Discuss this Article
Dave,
It was good having you over here and I enjoyed having you on my courses, I can only wish for everybody being so prepared and motivated as you are.
With your attitude and joy and love for diving, you’ll be doing allright, still a good luck to you in your future diving career.
Reading your entries here, it seems you liked it as well.
Glad to see that you liked Samui, we all did our best so you had a good time, but you made it happen yourself as well.
To the good times! Cheers.
PS if you send Dave a SMS, make sure you do a spellcheck.