Bangkok in a "State of Emergency"

As has been well advertised on the news, Thailand has been experiencing rather a lot of political unrest recently. It's not actually that long since the last time this happened, with the government being overthrown in September 2006.

Now I'm probably the worst person in the world for keeping up to date with local affairs, but apperently what was being shown on CNN and BBC was pretty dramatic. People brandashing poles, bottles, slingshots and even machettes and swords, protesters being battered down to the ground 6 to 1 by police. Many of the protesters were old women and while the aim was to remain peaceful one person was eventually killed by the government supporters. Strangly enough, whenever there was violence it was blamed on everyone put the police, not what it looked like in the pictures.

It seemed quite strange to us to hear about all this from the news and worried friends and family, but where we are, although it's quite central, we were not affected by it at all. However, when a state of emergency was finally declared early Tuesday morning, the school was instantly full of worried parents pulling their kids out of classes. By 1pm the school directors had decided to close the school. Suppose that happens when the place is full of rich kids, probably many with relations working in the government.

Civil unrest anywhere should be no cause for celebration, but when you are only just managing to keep your head straight at the end of the school semester and you find out you have an impromptu 5 day weekend, you find it kind of hard to contain your excitement. Never ones to miss a holiday opportunity, and regardless of the fact that we had only been back from the beach a day, we decided to head of to our local island, Samed.

Koh Samed is popular with most expats in Bangkok as it is only about 2 hours drive in a car and then a short boat ride. With white sand beaches and turquoise water it is unlike the rest of the coastal area that is close to Bangkok, which tends to have dirty brown beaches and slightly muddy waters. The island is always nice (apart from bank holiday weekends where it's overrun with loads of vain Thais who do nothing other than have pictures taken of themselves in all sorts of daft poses), but it's quite amazing how much more you can enjoy the beach when you're getting paid for it. We kept stopping during our busy schedule of sunbathing and reading saying 'we should be shouting at kids right now'.

By the time we returned to Bangkok life had pretty much returned to normal. The protesters had been appeased by the Prime Minister stepping down (to do a cooking show apparently...just one more of those things it's best not to try and understand). Peace should last until next month when it's been said that it is being 'arranged' for him to be re-elected. Here's hoping they can hold off until mid November and we have returned from school holidays in case we get another bonus break.

No doubt I could get in trouble for it, but the pictures from Bangkok are off the net.

Cha-am

For a treat to ourselves as we neared the end of the long first semester, we thought we would splash out a little more than usual on a weekend away. Since we've been back in Thailand our budget for accommodation seems to have gone up and up. It's so easy to find ways to justify to yourself why it's worth spending 200, 400, or even 1000 baht more (£3-£15). on a good night's sleep. Long gone are the days of staying in the grotty dorms or leaky roofed huts of Valerie's or Rock Garden.

For our trip away we never actually intended on going to Cha-am, I had been taken there by some students a few years ago and found the resorts all super sized with a bad beach and hundreds of screaming kids. We had planned on going to Koh Samed where you're always guaranteed a beautiful beach if not relative peace. Finding that the nicer affordable accommodation on Samed was full, Nick looked around and found a special offer on a new resort in Cha-am. Usually way out of our price range, it was on a special offer, tempting us to stay somewhere we would never normally go.

Sadly, it is very rare that we go to a place and have not got at least one thought on how it could have been better. I'm sure that anyone who travels a lot is the same way. When you pay bottom dollar you never expect that much, so you can't grumble or be disappointed, but when you start paying a little bit more for slightly nicer places, you start to come to expect the basics to be there...a fan that doesn't sound like a jet propeller, a shower that water actually comes out of and if you've really spent your money, a light you can turn off from the bed (bedside lamps are an absolute novelty out here).

The Alila in Cha-am, was possibly the first place I've ever stayed where I couldn't really criticise anything. The room was amazing, ultra modern and stark but with every gizmo you could want to make your stay special, from an Apple TV and music system to a rain-shower in the middle of the bathroom. The resort had 3 samll restaurants, 2 pools, and seperate private villas. There were private cabanas on the beach and poolside seating areas in there own hedged alcoves. You just have to pick where you want to be and some one will come and spread towels on the beds, give you fresh fruit, iced water and a chilled water body spray. With so much space and privacy, you always felt like you had the place to yourself, and not a child in sight. In the mornings there were free yoga sessions by the pool and they even provided yoga mats in every room. Not that we were that energetic.















The only time we actually attempted to leave the resort and see some of Cha-am (more through guilt of laziness rather than a desire to explore), we found that the tide had come in and the beach had completely disappeared. Perfect excuse for an even earlier than usual evening cocktail!


What with great food, service and setting, the only negative experience of the whole weekend was being stopped by the police in the taxi on the way there. Having been pulled over at a random checkpoint, the policeman there in typical Thai police style, saw it was a pair of white 'falangs' and demanded we pay him 100 baht. After refusing to give any kind of explanation he took the 100 baht note and put it straight in his back pocket. They train police well in this country.

Khao Yai National Park

Now that the first semester is about to finish, I'm finding that I have lost all interest in lesson plans and making worksheets, and have just decided to let all the paperwork do what it does best (pile up) and catch up with my blog. Have been really lazy at keeping it up to date, even though we've managed to fit some cool stuff in on the weekends.

Thailand's largest national park, Khao Yai, is a place we've been talking about visiting for years. But when it's a toss up between turquoise waters, white sand and a good book or hiking through leach infested jungle, strangely the jungle always lost out. This time though, when we were invited to join our friends in their chauffeur driven car (admittedly a rather large selling point), for an overnight trip up to Khao Yai, we thought we should make the effort.

We arrived around lunch time and had lunch at our guesthouse. I had kind of hoped that it would be slightly cooler where we were staying, but it was hotter than ever and when we ate our lunch sitting outside under a tin roof, it was like sitting in a tan cabin without the perks of getting brown. It took us all about half an hour before we crashed out on our beds (or wooden board might be a better name for it) trying to escape the heat.

Our first tour that evening was out to the bat caves. We went down into the caves where around 2000 insect eating bats were sleeping. Thankfully and surprisingly there was no smell, but there were creepy crawlies everywhere. Our tour turned into something out of fear factor as the guide tried to initiate us all into the wonderful world of underground bugs. Now I'm reasonably good with wildlife, but not when it comes to anything with over 4 legs. I have absolutely no desire in the world to have things crawl on me, for picture purposes or otherwise, call me a wimp, but many legged things just freak me out.

From the first cave we went on to watch the daily swarm of bats flying out from another cave. This cave had around 2 million bats inside and it takes around an hour for them all to fly out. Once outdoors and away from the bugs (or so I thought), it was cool to watch the endless stream of bats undulating across the sky on their way to find food. It wasn't long though, before our guide found something else freaky to harass, and everybody ended up taking turns wearing a rather large millipede (alright, I'll admit it, I wasn't game for this one either). We ended the evening tour with a dip in the dark in some cool, crystal clear, fresh water pools on the way back to the guesthouse.

Bright and early the next day, after a rather back breaking sleep, we piled in the back of a pick-up truck and headed out to the park. Pretty much as soon as you enter the park gates, you start climbing up the winding road into the hills. It's amazing how a little bit of height can make all the difference when it comes to air temperature. There are few places I visit in Thailand that I can call refreshing, but Khao Yai is one of them. That is at least until you decide to hike through the dense undergrowth of the jungle floor, then it's just wet.

Within about five minutes of getting into the park we spotted wild gibbons. These daredevil creatures were playing about 60 feet up in the tree tops, launching themselves from one thin bendy branch to another. Over the course of the day we were to see various feats of athleticism (or stupidity, depending on how you look at it), including tree hopping with babies and accidental base jumping out of trees. The most memorable thing about the gibbons though, was the constant noise from there howls and cries. Typical perhaps for the nation they reside in, they seem to sit next to each other and all shout at the same time without actually listening to what anybody has to say.

I'm sorry to say that while the gibbons were possibly the most impressive things we saw, they didn't hold my attention quite so much as something smaller and a lot less unique. Apparently the muddy forest floor of Khoa Yai is home to thousands of leaches. I'm not sure exactly how many I saw, but the moment we stopped and everybody else looked up into the trees to catch sight of the baby gibbon or some rare bird, I started looking down at the floor at the instant attraction my feet hold for leaches. It is quite shocking how fast they can move and find peoples feet to climb on to. I can now officially add leaches to the list creepies I don't like.

We ended up hiking through the jungle for about 3 hours (that's our group whose guide didn't get us lost). It was kind of cool as we were more off the beaten track than I expected us to be (hence some people got lost). We didn't see a huge amount; frogs, lizards, some cool birds, but it was still good to do something different. We had lunch at a tall viewing hut overlooking the salt lick where the wild elephants come and stand (sadly minus the elephants), before heading over to the waterfall and seeing some rather cheeky (and rude) macaques on route.

When we had entered the park that morning, about 4 ambulances shot past us with sirens blazing. Our guide told us there had been an accident at the waterfall the night before. It was while we were making jokes about the fact that it had taken them over 12 hours to respond with ambulances, that he told us a foreign man who was working as a teacher in Bangkok. The man had gone for a swim and got swept under by the force of the waterfall, then resurfaced before disappearing again. They were still looking for him 24 hours later when we arrived. Obviously we weren't given the option to swim (not that I think any of us fancied it). In fact the closest we could get to the waterfall was the viewpoint above. There were boats and divers still on site, and you could see the excessive amount of water coming down the falls due to the rain.

After the waterfall, when we were heading back towards the guesthouse, our eagle-eyed guide spotted a scorpion crossing the road and grabbed it before jumping in the back of the truck with up. He then proceeded to drop it on the floor of the truck. Thankfully he got it again quickly and it seemed to put up with the picture taking quite patiently. Needless to say that was one creepy crawly we were all rather happy to see removed from the truck.

Return to Angkor

I have a few rather lasting memories of my first trip to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor in 2002. Firstly I don’t think I’ll ever forget the 10 hour bone shaking ride in the back of a pick up truck shared with around 15 other foolish and ripped off backpackers (this was however much better than Nicole’s ride which I think took her nearly 20 hours in the rainy season). I also remember the 2 days of showers it took to remove the dust that managed to get into just about every orifice. I remember the fact that Olivia and I were rather foolhardy in thinking that us 2 unfit ladies would cope with a 27 kilometre bike ride around the temples in 36 degree heat (not to mention the hiking round of 4 temples on route). However, I think the things I remember most are how amazingly cheap all the shopping was and the vast selection of great restaurants and bars this small town has. Oh yeah, and the fact that you can buy freshly baked, warm crusty baguettes on the street and red wine is dirt cheap (I often wish the French made it here!).

Returning to Cambodia was no disappointment. It is still just as good a place to chill out, eat and relax, and with all the stuff to look at you can’t help but feel cultured while you’re at it. While Seam Reap is quite developed though, it’s a real culture shock to go into the Capital city of Phnom Peng. It still shocks me just how different Cambodia is from neighboring Thailand. As you drive through the country you see that the majority of people are still living in straw huts or even just stringing hammocks under a tin roof.

Siem Reap had changed quite a lot, but only in good ways as far as I could see. There are so many small restaurants that have opened, with the most popular being the local style ones. Even the street food stalls were really busy with tourists so it seems like the wealth is at least being spread around a bit. The market was as bustling as ever, and haggling is slightly tougher, a sure sign that people are becoming less desperate.

This time we were a little bit more sensible when arranging our tour of the temples. We had a really good driver take us out in his tuk tuk the first day to the local temples. The next day he took in an air-con car to the waterfalls and the distant temple of Bantey Sri. This was definitely a good move, as much as I liked the tuk tuk, I was really grateful we splashed out extra on the car, we arrived quite cool and fresh from our journey and watched people climb out of tuk tuks after there 40k ride completely covered in dust. The road got so bad at times it was like driving through a sandstorm with only 10 metre visibility. You really felt for the kids who have to walk or ride bikes along it every day to get to school.

I'd like to say the temples were just as spectacular second time around, but when you first see Angkor and the Bayon the wow factor is all in the grandeur and the scale of it. Having seen it before, it didn't quite hit me as much. And, sadly, a few of the better areas to see are now out of bounds. What was really nice though, was the fact that it wasn't absolutely swarming with tourists. It was nice to have the chance to explore in relative peace. The Bayon is still one of the coolest temples I've ever been to. The king who designed that must have been slightly vain, it has over 200 images of his face carved into the towers all around.

As always with our weekends away, we were a lot lazier than we should have been. As it was the rainy season and the clouds role in around lunchtime, we had the perfect excuse to call it quits by lunchtime. I know we should have been taking the time to learn all about the history of the place, but in all honesty, it's all about the photos! We did make one attempt at seeing sunset, made it back out to the temple just in time for the rain to start, so quickly gave up on that idea. The other reason we were so lazy was the fact that we managed to find a really nice little guest house with a pool. Place had only been open a month so for around $10 each we got a nice big room, breakfast and to chill in the beautiful garden by the pool.

Apart from being stinking hot, Cambodia is always an amzing place to visit. The people are so nice even though the country is still struggling to right itself. Hopefully, if I can get my butt in gear, we will be going back to Siem Reap in December for the half marathon. Maybe the thought of more French bread, cheese and wine will be enough to drive me to getting fitter....

Borneo; the mountains and the monkeys

Our diving days were cut short when I got ill (I never knew sun stroke and a little beer could be so unpleasant!), so we headed north through Sabah to visit the ginger monkeys of the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary. Now I've never been much of a fan of apes/monkeys of any kind, but since sponsoring an orang utan for Nick we've been saying that we must visit one of the sanctuaries in Borneo. Nothing could have prepared me for how cute the orang utans are. You hike along walkways through the forest to sit and wait for the feeding time. We went in the afternoon in the hope of avoiding the coach parties that visit in the morning. It was quite quiet when we got there and there wasn't an orang utan in site. Feeding time came and the food was put out and still no action, everybody was just hanging around watching the long cables that snake off in both directions through the trees. After what felt like an age, the cable on our left started bouncing and along came a rather small and skinny orange bag of bones and muscle. Terry Pratchet once likened the orang utan to a collection of rubber bands; strong, stretchy, and very very bendy. They are so flexible and strong, that the little ones cartwheel from hands to feet as a means of travelling along the cables. They can hang by their feet, fold over and stick their heads though their legs and keep their hands free for eating. They eat, fight, play just like kids, all very very cute. We watched the orang utans for about an hour before they were scared off by the macaques. These are small aggressive monkeys that have to be shooed away from the people as they have been known to bite and scratch.

After visiting the sanctuary we moved on the stay at the base of Mount Kinabalu. Now we didn't have enough time or inclination to climb to the top, but we did wanted to do some of the walks in the surrounding park. When we arrived at the hotel in the afternoon it was cloudy but the views south across the hilly peaks of Borneo were amazing. Just mile upon mile of uninterrupted forest. It wasn't until the morning however, that we got a brief glimpse of the top of Mount Kinabalu before it disappeared in the clouds again. Although it's not that high and supposed to be an easy climb, it's quite dramatic to look at. It's bare, grey rocky peak is a 95% incline so it just seems to rocket up out of the surrounding forest. Seeing the peak has made us both determined to go back there and take the time to climb it.

We left Mount Kinabalu and travelled by bus to Sabah's capital of Kota Kinabalu. This must have been the most hair-raising bus ride I have ever taken. For 70% of the time we driving up and down along the narrow ridges of the peaks, and our bus had definitely seen better days. The engine alternated between coughing its way up the hills, and squealing its way down. We could hear the brakes struggling as we leaned out of precipitous drops round bends. As the journey went on the smell of burning clutch got stronger and stronger. It was quite a relief to make it down to flat ground. Saying that, as stressful as the journey was, it took us through some spectacular countryside. We were on the only road across Sabah and the views are spectacular. It was a refreshing change to see unspoilt rain forest unlike the miles and miles of palm plantation that run along the east coast. It is sad to see that so much natural habitat has been destroyed.

All in all, Borneo was a really amazing place to visit. Apart from the beauty of the forests and wildlife, and the picture postcard perfect island beaches, all the people that we met there were really cool. It's not often that you go to a place and you can speak highly of the tourists but it seems like it's a certain type of person that makes their way to Borneo. Everybody was very like minded and more interested in appreciating the natural stuff rather than just looking for a good party. It's a very easy place to make friends.

For the last bit of our holiday, we had decided to head up to the Cameron Highlands on peninsular Malaysia. I've been wanting to go there for a while but always get distracted with the diving. The Cameron Highlands are a band of hills that run up through northern Malaysia. They have been popular with the Brits for a long time and in places can even have an 'old English village' feel to them and there's even an old red phone box. The highlands have cooler temperatures than everywhere else in Malaysia and are the agricultural centre of the country. There are vegetable and strawberry farms everywhere and cactus gardens and flower markets line the roads. Cameron Highlands most famous export however, is tea. When you head off down quiet side roads you find yourself travelling through the most beautiful manicured tea plantations. This would definitely be my first choice of places to live in Asia, it's a shame they don't really need teachers like in Thailand.
We spent our days either hiking or exploring on a moped. We stopped for tea and scones each day and filled up on some of the best Indian food I've ever had for nearly every meal. I can't wait to go back. Next time I'll just have to remember to take more clothes, I got so cold at night I had to sleep in a jumper!

Not quite Vietnam....

By the time we got back from Canada we were both absolutely exhausted and quite relieved that we had left a break of 4 days for planning before we were due to fly out to Vietnam. After making some tentative decisions about which places we were going to stop off in and where we wanted to stay, we enjoyed having a few days to stay in and chill out by the pool. It wasn't until we went to catch our flight to Vietnam that we realized we obviously hadn't done enough planning. Until we were turned away at check in, we were both unaware that you are unable to get a visa on arrival in Vietnam, unlike every other Asian country we've been to. After an embarrassing few minutes of exclamation and claims that this obviously couldn't be the case for a British passport as us Brits must be exempt from that rule (poor argument I know, but worth a try), we gave up and headed to the Vietnam embassy. As it was 3.00 on a Friday afternoon before the 5 day Thai holiday of Songkran, we didn't hold out much hope of being able to get the visas in any kind of a hurry. We were told that we would have to wait 6 days before leaving and we weren't quite prepared to waste that much of our holiday hanging around in Bangkok. So, with a rather abrupt change of plan and very little organisation we headed off to Borneo the next day.

In truth, Borneo wasn't simply picked out of a hat as a replacement destination. We have been looking into it for some time and were hoping to go in October. Both myself and Nick have been hearing about that holy grail of dive locations; Pulau Sipidan for a very long time. Sipidan is a small atoll island about an hour's boat ride from Semporna on the coast of Malaysian Borneo. Once arriving in Semporna however, we found it wasn't as simple as we had hoped to get out to Sipidan. All accommodation on Sipidan itself was closed down in 2004 as there was fear that all the development was causing too much of a strain on the surrounding underwater ecosystem. What a nice treat to see, buildings being pulled down to protect the wildlife. Now all the diving is done on boat trips from Semporna or one of the surrounding islands and visitors numbers have been limited. We were faced with trying to find a dive shop that had space on the boat or were able to get permits. Some places get them every day, some every other. We had to trek around them all.

Our first day's diving was at Mabul as we were unable to get permits for Sipidan. We weren't that bothered as according to the guide book claims, Mabul is the 'home of muck diving'. Maybe it was once, but having been to Lembah, we were both quite disappointed. We didn't really see anything new, all very average apart from a pretty cool dive under an old oil rig. Apparently the rig was positioned where it was (right in front of probably the most expensive resort in all of Borneo) just to annoy the wealthy resort owners. Think you'd be a bit pissed if you'd spent a fortune to stay there and when you opened your shutters you saw the picturesque huts, flowers and deck, all surrounded by reef edged crystal blue water, right up to the great big ugly rig 150 metres of shore. As I said though, makes a pretty unusual dive site!

With all the hype about Sipidan I really was expecting the diving experience of my life. When we dropped in for our first dive and found ourselves faced with a school of bat fish and 3 huge green turtles all within the first five metres, it really did live up to it's reputation. However, I thought if I made it there, then I would be nearly guaranteed to see a hammerhead. Not so and it's still on the wish list. While the diving was unquestionably dramatic, with a vertical 600 metre drop off 20 metres from the beach to dive along, it never really produced that 'oh my god' wow factor I'm still waiting for. But, as I've said before, I think that we're maybe a bit spoilt. I am sure that the majority of divers would be content with countless turtles on every dive, sharks on every dive, schools of banner fish, a school of 20 white-tip on the prowl, and the meanest 1.5 metre tuna I've ever seen. There was one element of the diving in Sipidan that was quite simply unforgettable however, and that was being underwater while dynamite fishing goes on nearby. With Sipidan's proximity to both the Philippines and Indonesia, apparently this happens all the time. The first time we heard it underwater we couldn't work out what it was. A huge great bang that seems to come from all around you. The only thing I thought it could be was a high pressure hose exploding and ended up frantically looking round for someone in distress. The second time it happened the effect was even more dramatic, that bang seemed quieter, but you could feel the shock wave travel right through the water and your body You reverberate inside like you've been caught in a sonic boom. It's quite distressing to know that you're in one of most revered marine parks in the world, while the most indiscriminately destructive fishing technique is used right next door.

Canada part two (the quiet bit)

After saying goodbye to Nick's family and driving back to Calgary we took a remarkably scenic flight to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Most of the short flight is spent flying over mountain ranges. It's only from the air that you can really appreciate how vast a landscape British Columbia has. Just mile upon mile of rugged white mountain ranges with only a smattering of remote communities. Descending into Victoria is no less spectacular, with the surrounding ocean dotted with thousands of small green tree covered islands. We stopped briefly with friends in Victoria before hiring a car and driving across to the west coast of the island to a small town called Tofino. Driving across Vancouver Island is pretty much like everything else we saw in Canada, huge forests, huge mountains, lots of open space. Makes you feel healthy just driving through at it! On route we stopped at a place called Cathedral Grove. A collection of paths and walkways that wind through immense 800 year old cedar trees. Apparently this is one of the many sites where people have been protesting the massive amount of logging that's destruction is evident all over the island.

Tofino is a small community that is set at the end of a long peninsular that shelters the Clayoquot Sound. This sleepy little town has now become a haven for surfers and wildlife lovers in the summer and storm watchers in the winter. If and when I set up a home, I'd kinda like it to be somewhere like here. With quite a large 'First nation' community there are local style art galleries everywhere and it has some really nice restaurants and bars. We stayed in a beautiful mezzanine studio with a deck overlooking the water and islands. For my birthday we went out whale watching and were lucky enough to catch up with 6-8 migrating grey whales. They were a reasonable distance away most of the time but we did get a couple of close encounters. We even got covered in whale snot at one point when one surfaced after going under the boat. We then went to explore one of the many immense white sand beaches before heading out for dinner at a really cool surf bar/restaurant. I'll make it back to Tofino one day just so I can eat there again. It was quite an unforgettable birthday.

We really didn't want to leave Tofino and I wish that we could have stayed longer. It wasn't just that it's such an amazingly peaceful place to explore and you have nature right on your doorstep, but also as we had arranged to go diving with our friend in Victoria. The weather was great while we were in Tofino, but not great enough to make me think I was ready to jump in 7 degree water. Our plan for Victoria was to get back there in the afternoon and meet up with a friend at the local dive shop and after having a brief on land induction, hike our way along the breakwater in front of the shop and drop right in. Now anyone who's been in a drysuit is probably thinking that it sounds pretty foolish to drop straight in the ocean without getting used to it in the shallows first. But hey, come on, as an instructor and divemaster we were both kind of thinking 'how hard can it be...?'. Getting ready for a warm water dive takes around 5-10 minutes going slow. It took us 3 hours to get our stuff together, talk about the gear, get into the gear and get ready to hike. We set off rather hot and harassed in our 3 layers of fleece and thermal under our restrictive spaceman like drysuits, carrying 35 lbs of weight plus the extra weight of the tanks, all the way a long the concrete blocks that make the breakwater. It took us about 15 minutes to walk about 500 metres to the drop in point. By this point our thermals were damp with sweat and our knees were shaking from the weight.

It is quite a strange feeling to prepare yourself to jump into really cold water fully clothed. It is even stranger to hit the water and have the majority of your body stay dry. The only part of you that is exposed to the water is your hands and your head. When the water works its way through the hood the sensation is not really one of cold, more like someone slapping you repeatedly round the ears. Although as the water in your hood warms up this feeling eases. Diving normally in thin wetsuits, you get used to complete freedom of movement. In a drysuit every time you move your head or neck the chances are you'll let water in, also the huge hood you wear will move your mask and you get a face full of icy water. Turning around is obviously a skill that takes a bit of practice. When I took my drysuit off at the end of the dive I had to pour water out of my boots. Getting water in the suit means that all the insulation is lost and you just get cold. As well as being cold, I don't think I've felt that uncomfortable in the water since the start of my Open Water course. I felt like a student all over again. You have so much weight and air around you that you haven't a hope in hell of controlling your buoyancy. I must have looked like an overweight cruise shipper in the water, constantly going up and down and crashing into things I couldn't see (remember, no turning around).

The whole reason for getting cold and wet in the first place was to see one of natures more unusual creatures, the wolf-eel. This eel like fish has to be one of the ugliest animals on the planet, but it is also one of the friendliest. They often swim out and wrap themselves round divers, they just want to be loved. From the picture you can see why, not the most attractive of faces! Luckily we got our wolf-eel encounter before we gave up and called it quits. 3 hours to get ready for a 22 minute dive. Not only that but we ended up with a longer walk back with the added weight of the water. This dive was meant to be the warm up for 2 more challenging dives the next day. Needless to say I for one was definitely not up to that challenge and so we opted to stay dry and warm for our last day on the island.

The boat trip from Vancouver Island to the mainland has to be one of the most scenic routes taken by a huge car ferry. You wind yourself in and out of the small surrounding island and get to check out all the beautiful houses dotted a long the shores. We were lucky to pass a pod of killer whales feeding in the ripping currents that run between the channels of the islands. They were the last on the long list of stuff we had hoped to see so it was really cool. All in all while in Canada we saw wolves (sadly only in a sanctuary), grey whales, killer whales, eagles, seals, sea lions, a sea otter and Nick even saw a grizzly bear.










When we got to Vancouver city we decided to check into a hotel for a few hours before our late night flight home. After a very brief Internet check we opted for what appeared to be a nice reasonably priced hotel in a place called East Hastings. No doubt all our Canadian friends will be chuckling right now. We got to the hotel and spoke to the guy at check in about walking to the trendy Gastown area that was nearby. He recommended walking the back way to avoid the main street which apparently had 'a lot of poverty'. Following his advice we set off along a rather dodgy route past lots of prostitutes, homeless, and quite a few people who just stood on their own in one spot rocking. Vancouver is one of the wealthiest cities in Canada and this area seemed more third world. Getting to Gastown it's strange to see such obvious wealth right next to such poverty. However, we still got hassled by some rather aggressive beggars. Having explored a little bit and wanting to head back before dark made the area a whole lot worse, we decided that regardless of what the guy at the hotel said, that the main road must be busier and seem less threatening. Not sure if it was a result of the recent mugging attempt but I was feeling decidedly edgy. Walking along the main road in East Hastings is like being dropped into the middle of a movie set in the Bronx. There must have been a few hundred homeless people hanging around on the street. We were without a doubt the only people (other than a photographer) who had somewhere warm and clean to go to. Canadians call this area 'ground zero' or 'needle park'. Because Vancouver is slightly warmer than most other areas of Canada, and because East Hasting has Canada's first safe injection program, the area is a mecca for every drug user in the country. Two Canadian friends of mine said that when they visited the city and were driven through East Hastings they were told 'lock the doors' and they drove straight through. Feeling like we so obviously stuck out on the street was quite scary for me, but more than that it was quite depressing to see such a concentration of poverty in an otherwise wealthy city.

Considering that we were only in Canada for around 2 weeks, and that it is such an immense place, I feel very privileged to have done and seen so much (at times possibly more than we bargained for!). By the time we got on the flight to come home we were absolutely exhausted. Luckily we had 4 seats each to ourselves. A big thumbs up for China Air!