Le 15/12/13, 11:32
1.81405542548.643988
Hi,
Here I am back after 4 days of diving on Queen Manta III (blue safari) and 3 days in the middle of the jungle in the national park of Khao Sok.
Let's begin by the 4 days on the boat.... I didn't make an investigation of each of the 30 participants, of the 8 instructors and of the boat crew. We could just say that all of this looks more like an "Spanish guest house" than a diving party. We were at least 10 nationalities, and only in my cabin of 4, we were a couple of Swedish, a Spanish and a French. Part of the instructors, there was a couple of an American and an Iranian. We could almost make the peace in the world with such a boat. But, we were not here to do it, so there will be no world peace today ! ( yes, I know, I hae plenty of ambition but it will be for next time. Sorry). We had a heavy plan : dive, eat, sleep/rest... Repeat this 14 times and you have my schedule for the 4 days. On my side, I eat mainly cornflakes as they were all you can eat cornflakes during the day !
On The water, we saw different islands from Similan with the lovely name Similan 1, Similan 2, Similan 3... Similan 9 !
Under the water, we discovered ones of the best dive sites in the world. Frankly speaking, I was somewhat disappointed because I expected much more big fishes. The sites are full of corals, small fishes, shell fishes, rare anemones, nudibranches. The visibility was ok but not better than that. I just learnt that this bad visibility was due to bad weather the 2 previous weeks. There is may be a better time for diving here, knowing that we arrive now at the end of the moonson. No pictures, no video from Go Pro under water. The GoPro is a god camera for big fish not small ones.
Just arrive on port, I looked in vain for a tour in the jungle... Everything was booked. So i called directly the hotel in the jungle and here, mystery of the communication, they propose me a departure just tomorrow morning at 9 am. In fact, the Thai are not very frank/reliable, so to avoid to lose face, they invent sometimes... So I am on my way to spend the night in the middle of an artificial lake from Khao Sok National Park. The lake gather hundred of islands. We are 16 people and again a rich collection of nationality : Belgium, Canadian, German, Slovenian, Tcheque, French. The floating hotel is completely isolated and looks like paradise. I mean the location looks like paradise, not the hotel !
After 1 hour of walk in the jungle, we arrive at a cave with a river inside. Bath in the cave will be fun, some part we need to swim. Totally in the dark with just front light. We met few insects during the walk like this horn spider ! Not dangerous.
We have also a night safari were we saw 2 toucans/hornbill, and that's all ! And a morning safari, much more interesting for its colors than for its animals.
I could have stayed there in the jungle 15 days to wait for the opening flower M not a basic flower. This is the biggest existing flower, which can be 80 cm diameter. I know that Rdo and Jean Pierre would be very happy but it is too much for me. You will say that there is not only one flower in the jungle ? In fact, the hotel guide localized only 2... One opened 2 weeks ago. As the opening stay only 3-4days and then it die quickly. (Rafflesia kerrii. Is a parasite from the qui est une plante parasite Rafflesiaceae family)
To be noticed, the monkeys at the hotel are like the chinese, they love litchis ( the chinese litchi, round and yellow)
I am actually in mini bus for Kho Lanta (I am not preparing for the French broadcast :Kho Lanta) I will still do my prefer schedule : dive, eat, rest... It could almost make the number II of : eat, pray, love !
Here I am back after 4 days of diving on Queen Manta III (blue safari) and 3 days in the middle of the jungle in the national park of Khao Sok.
Let's begin by the 4 days on the boat.... I didn't make an investigation of each of the 30 participants, of the 8 instructors and of the boat crew. We could just say that all of this looks more like an "Spanish guest house" than a diving party. We were at least 10 nationalities, and only in my cabin of 4, we were a couple of Swedish, a Spanish and a French. Part of the instructors, there was a couple of an American and an Iranian. We could almost make the peace in the world with such a boat. But, we were not here to do it, so there will be no world peace today ! ( yes, I know, I hae plenty of ambition but it will be for next time. Sorry). We had a heavy plan : dive, eat, sleep/rest... Repeat this 14 times and you have my schedule for the 4 days. On my side, I eat mainly cornflakes as they were all you can eat cornflakes during the day !
On The water, we saw different islands from Similan with the lovely name Similan 1, Similan 2, Similan 3... Similan 9 !
Under the water, we discovered ones of the best dive sites in the world. Frankly speaking, I was somewhat disappointed because I expected much more big fishes. The sites are full of corals, small fishes, shell fishes, rare anemones, nudibranches. The visibility was ok but not better than that. I just learnt that this bad visibility was due to bad weather the 2 previous weeks. There is may be a better time for diving here, knowing that we arrive now at the end of the moonson. No pictures, no video from Go Pro under water. The GoPro is a god camera for big fish not small ones.
Just arrive on port, I looked in vain for a tour in the jungle... Everything was booked. So i called directly the hotel in the jungle and here, mystery of the communication, they propose me a departure just tomorrow morning at 9 am. In fact, the Thai are not very frank/reliable, so to avoid to lose face, they invent sometimes... So I am on my way to spend the night in the middle of an artificial lake from Khao Sok National Park. The lake gather hundred of islands. We are 16 people and again a rich collection of nationality : Belgium, Canadian, German, Slovenian, Tcheque, French. The floating hotel is completely isolated and looks like paradise. I mean the location looks like paradise, not the hotel !
After 1 hour of walk in the jungle, we arrive at a cave with a river inside. Bath in the cave will be fun, some part we need to swim. Totally in the dark with just front light. We met few insects during the walk like this horn spider ! Not dangerous.
We have also a night safari were we saw 2 toucans/hornbill, and that's all ! And a morning safari, much more interesting for its colors than for its animals.
I could have stayed there in the jungle 15 days to wait for the opening flower M not a basic flower. This is the biggest existing flower, which can be 80 cm diameter. I know that Rdo and Jean Pierre would be very happy but it is too much for me. You will say that there is not only one flower in the jungle ? In fact, the hotel guide localized only 2... One opened 2 weeks ago. As the opening stay only 3-4days and then it die quickly. (Rafflesia kerrii. Is a parasite from the qui est une plante parasite Rafflesiaceae family)
To be noticed, the monkeys at the hotel are like the chinese, they love litchis ( the chinese litchi, round and yellow)
I am actually in mini bus for Kho Lanta (I am not preparing for the French broadcast :Kho Lanta) I will still do my prefer schedule : dive, eat, rest... It could almost make the number II of : eat, pray, love !
