Going to School to see Schools of Fish
July 14 – classroom day and island exploration
After a quick breakfast including American style pancakes and eggs at our new hotel, the kids walked up the road to begin their first set of lessons for the day, 3.5 hours of video instruction. Meanwhile, Sue did what she enjoys most – slept, while Tom did what he likes most – plan. Around 10am, Sue came down to breakfast and we both enjoyed a lazy morning of this and that. Tom had arranged a rental car and around lunch time we checked in on the kids.
Sue got the kids lunch while Tom swam with them in the pool. Around 1pm, the kids were sent back to their classroom and Sue and Tom set off in their purple Suzuki jeep. At the end of the road, our choice of vehicle was confirmed as an ambulance was loading an injured tourist after a nasty motor scooter accident. While the roads of Koh Samui are obviously dangerous because of the abundance of traffic, Koh Phangan is deceptively dangerous as the roads are covered in light sand which when turning often tosses the rider quickly and painfully to the ground; not to mention the affects of the omnipresent afternoon downpour.
Our first stop was Haad Maenam, the next beach north of ours. Visually lovely, the sand was coarse and the construction was constant. We were glad our beach of Haad Salad was lacking any major construction projects. From Haad Maenam, we continued past the cute fishing village where the fishing and dive boats dock daily. At the intersection we turned south on the road the bisects the island. Our map showed a road that connected Thong Sala with the Sanctuary, a small yoga hotel we had stayed at 15 years ago and we were curious how it had changed.
About 20 minutes later we came to the ferry town of Thong Sala and turned south as the rain began. The road was dotted with hostels and restaurants and small roads leading to the beach. As we left the outskirts of the town, the road narrowed and the rain came pelting down. At one point the road turned absurdly steep and rivers of water stopped our progress and the car lost its grip. We began sliding back down the road as a car turned the corner. Thankfully we were able to stop and so did the car behind us. They backed up and we changed direction, shifted into a lower gear and managed to make it up the steep incline.
At the next flat section, Tom managed to shift the car into 4 wheel drive and we continued to the tiny hamlet of Haad Ron, home of the full moon party. The rain pelted everything, the town was deserted and at no point did we see a road leading to the Sanctuary. We did some research and according to the Sanctuary’s website there is a rough jungle track that is a 40 minute ‘adventure’ drive that is passable. We decided we had had adventure enough and turned back for Thong Sala.
We arrived in Thong Sala around 3:45 and set off exploring the surprisingly enjoyable town. We strolled the fish market and the shops until we found a nice latte place. After a break, we went to the food market for some amazing mango shakes ($1.00) and some spicy green curry chicken. Around 5pm, we set off for home along the coast road. We hoped to find Haad Yuan, but somehow missed the turn off. About 6pm we returned, but the kids were still finishing their work at the pool. About 6:30 they returned, riding in a motorcycle side car loaded with scuba gear.
They had done well in the quizzes, only missing a few questions and had successfully completed all their skill tests in the pool. The next day they would complete two dives and then the final exam and they would be certified.
As a reward for their long day of work, the kids were give their choice of activities for the evening. Evie, the super shopper of the family, had her heart set on a ‘romper’ she had seen in Lamai beach but had opted not buy. In Thong Sala Sue had seen more than a few and taken photos to share with Evie. Not surprisingly, she opted to drive back to town to see if any would fit. Tyler opted for screen time with mom.
While Tyler and Sue had burgers and watched flash, Tom and Evie made the 20 minute journey back to town. They arrived at 8:30 and as they were parking they could see the first target shop closing their doors. They ran over and showed the sop keeper the photo of the romper. The woman found it and Evie tried it on and it fit well enough for a $7.50 outfit. When you run to a closing shop there is not much room for negotiation, but when she said 295 we did remind her that it as only 250 earlier in the day.
We dashed over to the next set of shops only to discover that they all had closed 15 minutes earlier. So much for the “they stay open until 10pm” we were told earlier. With all the shops closed, we turned our attention to eating. Mango shake, lime shake, chicken curry, spring roll, to start. Nutella and banana roti (like a pancake) followed by home made mango & Oreo cookie ice cream topped with coconut and m&m.
Around 9:30 it was finally time to head back. We made it home around 10pm and Tyler was already asleep. Delighted with her purchase and her night Evie followed suit and fell quickly asleep. We did need to be up by 7am the next day for another dose of diving.