Cave 'Diving'

Not really cave diving, but after what we went through to get into them, it sure felt like it!  So we went through the tight cave and this is what we saw when we got to the center area.  I think I told you it was like a doughnut, round with the center hollowed out and the sun shining.  If I didn't I meant to, and I am now.  Once we got through that tight spot, we got to see daylight again!

We found a few little critters:

Some interesting rock formations:

and trees:

And us  :-)  

Cave diving was much different than I expected.  Once we go in a cave, we are usually in dark areas for the duration of the tour.  Not so with these caves...

Our tour guide was great!

And remember that little hole we had to go through to get in?  It wasn't so little any more:

The tide had gone out a bit and we could see more daylight:

And the guide?  He finally told us it wasn't deep at all - Steve waded out.  Stinker!

And that is the last of the Thailand pictures until I get back home folks.  

Today we are in Kona Hawaii and we went snorkeling.  I saw soooo many gorgeous fish!  Oh, and we saw a sea turtle too.  We will be going back - but tomorrow, we are off to my aunts house in Volcano National Park - touring... an active volcano!  Whoot!

Be back sooner - or later!

Dingy Exploring in Thailand

Back to the Thailand vacation... man these trips are tough!  You know, Malaysia, Thailand, now Hawaii.  Yeah, really tough, but someone has to do it, right?  Need to support the tourist industry.  Better yet, I need to have a clear understanding of our world  :-)

While on our adventures in Thailand, we rode a boat to look at caves.  The boat would take us to the general area, we would hop off of it into a dingy, explore, then come back, hop back onto the big boat and go somewhere else to do it all over again.  We always had a guide with us in each dingy, so no worries about being lost.  We had a blast!

"DUCK!!"  is what the guides said when we went to see the caves in Thailand... they were AWESOME!  Not like the normal caves that I am used to seeing in the states, these are in the sides of juts of land out on the middle of the water.  Some went into the land, others went through a wall of it into an open center with a... lake?  for lack of a better word.

So when we got to one particular area...

And the guide strongly suggested we duck...

He really was not joking!

Over the head lighting was not even going to work:

What did we see the once we made it through the cave?  Yes, we did make it through  :-)  You will have to wait and see that tomorrow... this post is too long and I am bushed from our day today.

Hope you can wait!   ;-)

Phi Phi Island, Thailand

During the Phi Phi Island trip, we stopped at several islands, with the ultimate goal of reaching Phi Phi.  We had heard so much about it, but we still had no idea what to expect.  I am really not sure *what* we expected, but we were not disappointed.  Phi Phi (pronounced Pee Pee) Island was breathtaking.  Steve and I were glad to finally set foot on this island paradise:

  

There is no need for explanation, so I am just going to share pictures of Phi Phi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was even a place to go to the bathroom - but I was not to be bothered...

 

Asia has cobras and monkeys - and this looked like a lovely home for them:

 

Reluctantly, when the guide said it was time to go, we got in the boat and headed back out to sea, but with a heart full of memories of Phi Phi Island's simple beauty.

We off we went to see what adventures lay ahead:

 

And from the looks of it, I didn't think we would be disappointed:

 

The Islands of Thailand - Breathtakingly Beautiful

Finally, the pictures you have been waiting a month for - Thailand pictures.  So sorry about the wait; do you know what it is like sorting through hundreds of pictures?

Thailand was magnificent; breathtaking, refreshing, fun and exciting.  We had such a great time there - so much fun we would love to go back.  As with any place we visit, we did not have near enough time to explore.  The first day were were there, we scheduled several things to do, one was going to Phi Phi Island.  On the way to Phi Phi, we just watched in awe as the landscape before us unfolded.

In the distance, we saw the knobs of many little islands:

We thought they were pretty in the distance, but as we got closer, the view got even better:

The waters were different colors depending on where we were and the color of the sky.  If we were in the deep seas, they are dark, in the coves, they were blues and greens:

Many of the islands had little beaches by them:

As you can see, the scenery just took your breath away:

And so much of it was picture postcard perfect:

There were miles and miles and miles of these types of pictures - and of course, I got hundreds.  I am sure I could go on forever trying to show you what it was like, but instead of doing that, I will just share more of what we experienced over the next few days.  Are you enjoying the view?

Part 2 of our trip coming tomorrow.