Koh Tao, Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand

The two-hour ferry to Koh Tao was rockier than expected (we drove into a storm) giving us motion sickness by the time we de-boarded the boat (note to future self: Meclizine). The hotel driver was waiting for us and we climbed into the back of his pick-up truck (aka local taxi). Our hotel specializes in scuba certification, so the resort had multiple swimming pools filled with novice divers. There was a small walking path along the shore from our hotel on Sairee Beach, filled with white sand, small beach shops, Thai restaurants, and massage spas. A great set-up on a popular and beautiful beach!

We arrived late in the afternoon and Everett’s scuba lessons started with a 3-hour video. It was super boring and he cried when he got back to the hotel room because the class was really hard for him. The content was very technical and he had a difficult time with unknown terminology (disorientation, depressure, cardiac arrest, etc.). Luckily, the dive instructor allowed Ken to attend the class, so he re-explained the key concepts and quiz answers later that evening.

Everett woke up the next morning determined to succeed. The first pool session from 8-noon was a huge success. Waen, his Thai instructor, said he was a rockstar and easily passed all the practical skills tests. That afternoon was another long, draining classroom session. On the second morning, he completed his first ocean dive, which he, again, performed like a pro. The second afternoon was more classroom time and the dreaded written test. We warned him the test would be difficult and not to be discouraged if it took several attempts to pass. (We even planned for a 5-day certification window instead of the standard 3-day.) Well, that kid came back to the hotel room (beaming) and announced he passed with exactly 75%! He was overjoyed and we were so proud of him!

On the third day, Ken accompanied the class on their final dive and a photographer even came along to capture the moment. Congratulations Everett for becoming PADI certified! On the last evening everyone in the dive class ‘partied’ at 8pm to celebrate; Everett drank 4 Coca Colas. He became friends with a class buddy, Noah, who was 20 years old from the Netherlands; Waen was the sweetest “mom” teacher we could have asked for.

In other news, the tropical storm hung around all week and it rained every day. Everett convinced us he needed a neon orange “ninja” cloak, aka rain jacket. I spent my time hanging at the coffee shop (stuck for hours during the constant downpour), researching our next few destinations – a perfect rainy-week activity.

Last night Everett met a group of kids riding skimboards along the shore near our hotel. Ken and I sat on beach lounge chairs to watch the kids play. As darkness fell on the beach, we realized we were sitting in the front row for the evening entertainment… no trip to Thailand would be complete without a fire dance performance.

Traveling sidenote: There is a more complicated balance between planned vs. spontaneous travel on this trip. “Plan as we go” and “just winging it” has proven to be more challenging than we remembered. We don’t like to be restricted when traveling and there is freedom to get inspired by the current moment and change our minds. This takes a lot of intuition and willingness to take risks. Showing up to a place, not knowing anything, and saying “What now?” is the most adventurous feeling.

On the other hand, having logistics and discipline to follow a plan keeps our family from being a total stress case and wasting a lot of time and money. Some examples: most countries require “proof of onward travel” which means we need to purchase on out-bound flight before we’ve even arrived. We’ve also found transport options sell out much farther in advance (trains, buses, etc.) than they used to. It’s super annoying to book a train a month in advance because it locks us into a specific route and timing. If we get too rigid though, there is a lot of pressure to “get to the next destination” and we can’t take personal recommendations from people along the way. So, currently, the working strategy is to plan 1 month ahead for visas and international flights and about 4-5 days ahead for hotels and local transport. We continue to laugh at ourselves each time we say things like, "The trip was easier to plan before the internet."Read more