Bangkok Protests- Airports Shut Down
Earlier this morning we learned major protests were going on in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand. The people want the current Prime Minister to resign. They believe he is more corrupt then the previous one. Thousands of protesters converged on the capital city and rushed tourist airports breaking windows, security screening areas and disrupting flights. The airports of Phuket, Karabi are shut down indefinitely. Several of my fellow yoga students were heading to Phuket have now had to change their plans.
We did see a parade of protesters in a scooter motorcade at our departure port. About a hundred of them rode in peacefully, most wearing yellow shirts with the picture of the Thai King. Thankfully, after a 30 minute delay we were able to take the ferry from the island of Koh Phangan to Koh Samui where I caught my flight to Bangkok without any mishaps.
Thai Massages aka Chiropractors with Hawaiian Shirts
The beaches have many entrepreneur masseurs perched on wide, wooden platforms with mattresses eagerly waiting for their next client. I finally had one of the famous Thai Massages. For only 250 baht (or about $7-8 for 1 hour) you to can have a little, middle-aged, Thai women in a red Hawaiian shirt and long skirt, knee you in the thighs, step all over your back and put you in positions you never thought possible! It was GREAT!! It was a cross between a massage and a visit to the chiropractor. Creakin’ and crackin’…Hmmmm…I wonder what my chiropractor cousin, Lawrence Grimm, would have thought of her technique????
I have 4 nights left here on Haad Salad beach and I plan on getting one every night!
I’m ready…bring it on!Acupuncture and Yoga
I tried acupuncture for the first time last night. One of our instructors specializes in it along with Chinese medicines. It was pretty cool. She somehow read from my pulse that I had some type of kidney deficiency along with sleeping issues. Now…I had a full physical before I left the U.S. and nothing came up regarding my kidneys, but I do lean towards insomnia on occasion. She already knows about my back injuries. Anyway…I laid on my stomach while she inserted 13 needles into me (4 head/neck, 6 lower back & 3 ankles). Just to test the waters…I tried moving my ankles…not so much! Shooting pain made me stop. So I just laid there for 20 minutes until she removed them. I didn’t feel anything last night and didn’t sleep very well…again. However…my back has NEVER felt so good. Seriously! Ever since the car accident I was in at 16, I’ve lived in varying degrees of back pain. It feels really good right now. I think I might be hooked on acupuncture!
Full Moon Party: Haad Rin
Last night I went to the famous ‘Full Moon’ Party held each month on Haad Rin beach (a 45 minute songtaw taxi ride). It was impressive! 10,000 people from all over the world dancing and drinking on this large stretch of beach. It was a beautiful, clear, hot summer night. Bars set up elaborate outdoor beach parties with techno, R&B music, fireworks, light displays and games. One of them involved drunkin’ tourist jumping rope while it was on fire…and yes, I did see several get singed. Picture Spring break in Cancun.
SCUBA diving in Koh Tao
Yesterday was beautiful. Sunny, hot and the seas were calm. I spent the day aboard a large tourist boat filled with people from Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Japan, US and Russia. We went to Koh Tao, an even smaller island then Koh Phangan, to snorkel and SCUBA dive. Visibility was good 50 feet down. We weaved in and out of many large boulders and saw some colorful fish…even a barracuda.
Overall it was nice to be among the marine life but it wasn’t anything remarkable. In the 10 years I have been SCUBA diving I have to say my favorite was a 120 foot, shipwreck dive off of Key West. The most beautiful was ‘The Wall’ in Cozumel. Granted…I haven’t been to the Great Barrier Reef yet and I know there are SO many other amazing places to dive. If you have a recommendation…let me know! J
I have made the ‘executive decision’ to move from my jungle mountain hut to a beach bungalow. My reptilian roomie keeps coming in late at night and is quite noisy. I really don’t ‘do’ reptiles…its just not my ‘thing’. Besides…the ocean is so calming. I feel more inspired to study among the waves then under a mosquito net.
