At first, we were going to dive in Koh Tao instead of seeing the Cambodian islands. But there was a wave in that area. That was done. I quickly ran some ideas through my mind. There were people at the Mad Monkey Hostel in Siem Reap that my sister and I talked to to get ideas. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the islands of Thailand, especially diving in Koh Tao. I heard that their scuba diving padi lessons are the cheapest in the world.
Getting my diving license has been a dream of mine for a long time. My husband already has his, though. There will be fun things to do underwater if I get it too! I can picture it now: each of us with an air tank on our back as we jump into the water. The colors become brighter! I need to touch everything! But I’m not going to do that because it could hurt the forest. I remember what’s real after a moment. Okay, let’s make a plan.
Cambodia to Thailand
I didn’t go to Thailand right away because of how much it would cost to get there and back. I thought about how to pay for two. I wanted to help pay for my niece’s trip outside of the US now that she is grown up. I think that every American should do this at least once. Going out of the country and being around people from a different culture opens your eyes in a big way. I finally chose to take a bus from Cambodia to Thailand after giving it some thought. She will now be able to see another place!
Chaotic Mess at the Border
It got crazy on the bus ride to the border with Thailand. The bus stop was a short walk from where we got off. A lot of people swarmed the border and smashed through the doors at the gate. It looked and felt like a disorganized mess! The first time we crossed the line, it was pretty easy. We had to walk a long way to get to the next one, though, and there were no signs to help us know we were going in the right direction!
My body started to feel stressed. It was hard to breathe because of all the stress in the air. My face was wet with sweat. Things are almost back to normal. We now had to find a place to park. As we hurriedly looked for our bus, the girls we were walking with started to feel stressed and worried. There is finally light at the end of the tunnel! Everyone was ready for the bus. No one got lost!
Ferry to Koh Tao Diving
The next trouble we ran into was when they dropped us off at a bus stop. They told us where to find a boat to Koh Tao island so we could take diving lessons there. It’s time to find a bus going to town. But no one spoke English, and pointing to the English word didn’t help. We asked a lot of people before we finally found the right bus and got on it. We rode for a long time and got to where we were supposed to be dropped off around 3 or 4 am. An inn or hotel in Chumphon is where we were left. The tiny old man there sold ferries to the island Koh Tao, which is where we were going.
Prepare Your Bank for Traveling
We were both very tired because neither of us slept much on the last bus. I was able to help the old man understand ATM when he came up to us. I went in the direction he pointed around the corner. It was creepy to walk down the empty street. I was starting to doubt that this was the right path. I saw it after that. Phew! So, just in case one doesn’t work while I’m away, I had two different banks. What do you know?! They both didn’t work. I had to beg my niece to pay when I got back to the place. She put up with it and paid for both of us.
You should let your banks know you’ll be away. If your bank thinks that someone is hacking into your account, they may freeze it. That’s why it’s important to say when and where you’re going. I did that, but I’m not sure if I also put down Thailand.
Ferry Ride to Koh Tao
Diving
The old man who works there kept trying to get us to pay more for the boat ride while all of this drama was going on. It felt like he was getting close to me. I told my sister that the cheaper one would work for us. He went away and made the call even though he didn’t want to.
After thirty minutes to an hour, a big black van pulled up. We took it to get to the boat. The man driving it quickly let us in. He must have a lot going on. After a few more stops, it would get us to where the boat dropped us off. A lot of people got into the van. The last stop was the boat drop off.
2 Hour Trip by Ferry
I saw what a big boat it was when it came up. There weren’t many people on it with us because it was low season or rainy season. At first, I passed out while we were sitting on deck. There wasn’t much room up here because everyone was here. The last thing I did was push my niece and point to the basement. The rows below us were empty when we got there. I felt so happy. We each chose our own row and fell asleep. I fell asleep for the rest of the trip!
Arrival to Koh Tao Diving Area
I looked at the beautiful beaches and water that looked like it was brand new while my eyes were tired. We got off the boat with our bags in hand and started diving in Koh Tao. There was a crowd of people waiting for us. There were a lot of people with signs and waves. My niece and I said we could just walk around and find a spot. I looked up dive shops in Koh Tao on Google. From what I read, I think I found a good one for us. When you’re in a different country, Maps.me is very helpful. It led us to Crystal Dive which was the school I had chosen.
Everyone we met there was really nice once we got there. We were able to get a deal on a small cabin to sleep in because we were going to take the course. It would take about 4 days to finish the class. Since my banks were giving me trouble, they were happy to wait until the next day for us to pay and start class.
So, we unloaded a lot of our stuff in our room and checked out the town while I made phone calls to my banks.
Get Koh Tao Diving Lessons!
Things started to go well the next day. The ATM let me get cash, so I could pay for us both. After that, class began. It was dull on the first day. They said that’s why they do that part right away. After that, we were in the water every other day. We worked hard and walked for days to get to the ocean. It was rough on our first dive. The water was cloudy. Before you got to the bottom, you couldn’t see anything. I was a little scared because some water got into my gear, but I just slowed down. After I got to the bottom, I was shaking with fear. Then I saw a pretty fish with stripes. As I watched the fish in awe, all my stress went away.
There is another world under the water. It seems so strange! Yes, I passed and now I have Open Water Diving certification! I can now dive almost anywhere! Great news!
Travel
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It was de jevu reading your post. Those busses between Cambodia and Thailand. There are times when you have to really hang on to your sense of humour but afterwards how wonderful the tales we can then tell. Well done with the diving course.
Thanks! Yeah, I sure had to hold on to my sanity for a while there!
What chaos! Haha but sounds like it was all worth it! I have finished the pool dives of my open water diver certification and now need to finish the open water dives. I was actually considering going to Thailand for them!
You should do it! It was awesome!
Do it! You will love it!
Yup! So worth it!