Under the sea!

Rochine Williams
Nov 27, 2016
2 min read

WE DID IT! After 18 months of mentally preparing myself. We landed in Phuket ready for a three day intensive course of 12 hour days! We are now fully qualified in PADI open water diving to 18 meters! I was absolutely terrified about diving as I have a great fear of open water, Yes I know it sounds crazy as I've worked on cruise ships! I think it was just the worry of allowing myself to breath under water as it is so unnatural. We've now completed 9 dives and by the sixth one I felt confident to actually relax and allow myself to enjoy it. Once fully comfortable under the water i suddenly had a moment of elation in seeing the beauty that surrounded, that and the realsiation that i was swimming 18 meters below the surface with fish and corals that i'd only seen in books. unfortunately my dream of seeing a turtle didn't happen but the whole experience was incredible and I can't wait to explore more and find that turtle.

Phuket on the other had i WON'T BE IN A HURRY TO REVISIT! Patong is basically Thailands version of Benidorm but even worse! It's dirty, noisy and the streets are crawling with pestering men and women trying to haggle with you to buy tickets for a sex show. They even told my husband to leave me at the hotel and go back to them! haha We decided to have a few drinks on the famous Bangla road to see what all the fuss was about. This was where we found the board game Jackpot and ended up playing the barmaid for shots of tequila. I don't think I need to explain how that ended and whilst we did have fun, as the night got later the crowds got creepier and as a couple it was not a place we felt safe and could enjoy.

On to the next place...Phi Phi Island!