Pool or Beach?

You know you are doing something right when your most difficult question to answer over the course of a week is, "Pool or beach?"

That is where we found ourselves during the second half of our first stint in Thailand.  We  moved from one resort to another (this second one was more a resort than the first, though) and found ourselves with, happily, very little to do.  We went out on two fun-dives (a dive for no credit toward moving up the PADI certification ladder) and they were two of our favorites on Koh Tao, mostly because we were more comfortable with what we were doing and could focus on the fish and coral and rays, rather than the skills and trying not to drown.

Beyond the two dives, we watched a new DVD almost every night ($2 at the good ol' black market DVD shop--Holla!!) and chilled out a lot. The chillage was supposed to be simple:  Go to the beach, snorkel, get hot, repeat.  But this fancy-pants second resort decided to complicate our already over-stressed lives by adding an obstacle in the form of a pool.  This pool was slick, infinite, and nestled awesomely beneath a small cluster of swaying palms.  The beach was small and private.  But the pool was clean and super cool looking.  It was slightly raised from the ground, black, and looked as if it belonged at a billionaire's home in the Hollywood hills.  The chairs were more comfortable at the pool and it was the perfect depth for handstands.  Our everyday chore of deciding whether to hang at the beach or pool (first) was really a tough one.  Ugh!

While the food at this second resort was inferior to the first, the rooms were all little cabin-esque bungalows that were private, roomy, and homey.  They let in giant spiders and cockroaches, but they also let in the sound of the ocean and felt just plain goooooood.  Not much more to say - nice rooms, fantastic service, comfortable beds, amazing beaches, and beautiful tropical surroundings.  We spent almost two weeks in paradise and loved every minute of it.  We felt the hurry and grime and edge of China slip off us, but the memories and experiences that taught us so much about a culture so much different than ours stayed with us even was we roasted on the beach and cooled off in the pool.  We left Thailand with renewed energy, diving certifications, and a little less tension in our shoulders. China is all about balance - the yin and the yang.  But Thailand is where we really found ours as we managed to get the pool to beach ratio right before we had to catch a boat to a bus to the train that would take us to the surprise hit of our trip - Malaysia!


Note:
Although the pool was pretty awesome, we did see an octopus while snorkeling off the beach (as well as a shark!) and we also witnessed the cutest most randomly funny moment of our trip there.

A couple was walking on the beach after a big snorkeling session.  They each had on a mask and life jacket and were carrying their fins.  A little naked Thai boy (presumably a local, as he had been swimming with mom and dad) came up out of the water and approached the woman with the snorkel gear.  The boy, probably between three and four years old, grabbed the surprised girl's fins.  Pretty quickly he made clear that he wanted all of her gear and before we knew it he had her mask, fins, and life jacket on (as best he could, bless his little heart) and was trying to enter the water with it.  The couple, mom, dad, and us all had a good laugh as the boy tried the gear in the water for a total of ten seconds after five minutes of getting the stuff on and gave it all back.  How marvelous!