|
with anna
|
|
|
A.nna
 anna // singaporean. my dream is to some day live in a countryside and have a lot of dogs. reach me on
mail | facebook | instagram |
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Solo Diving in Phuket No buddy, no problem! 
<me, by me>
My 2nd time traveling alone and this time I dived! Picked Phuket because I dove in Racha Yai before & the visibility was unforgettable. Back then I only did one dive, it was an impromptu plan as my uncle decided to try an introductory dive when we were out at sea so.. There I was, a week ago, back in Phuket after close to 2 years.
Chose to dive with Sea Bees Phuket this time, think they're one of the oldest and most popular dive centre around in Phuket. Quite different from the usual dive trips where we stayed with the dive resort & the dive centre is in the resort itself. This time we were given the option of staying in Patong/Kata/Karon and they'll pick you up for free every morning! I'm a little more familiar with Patong so I stayed in Best Western Patong, 5 mins walk away from Jungceylon & Bangla Walking Street so dive allll day, shopping allll night!
Based on the weather forecast for the past years, it shouldn't be the monsoon season but it was raining every day. On the first day of diving, it was raining the whole day & the water was got really choppy. Thank god for big ass boats so I didn't get too seasick to the extend of puking. Was out in the sea from 9am to 4pm and it was raining heavily throughout. I was thinking shittt at this rate I don't think I'd get to tan already :(
Most importantly the water was relatively calm though the weather was not. Mild current but everything was pretty much under control. Two dives for first day was at Shark Point. Not sure how I felt about that - shark point. I've heard from many experienced divers that sharks are the best, they're not aggressive bla bla bla but problem is I don't know how to differentiate the types of sharks so a great white can be in front of me and I might mistake it for some friendly nurse shark or something. A bit exagerrated but you get the gist. Disclaimer: I'm not saying that great white would definitely attack but I'm not sure if I'm ready for this..
That aside, nope, we didn't see any sharks. Can't say I'm not disappointed at all but it was at least an easy dive, just to get back into the water and familiarize myself again. Pardon the low quality photos, I was struggling & juggling between green & blue water, switching between magenta & red filter. Side note, someone has to tell me how do you identify and confirm if it's green/blue water? I was so sure for one that it was green water so I had magenta filter on and the whole dive's photos were horrid. I tried, here you go.
<when
    
The highlight of day one has gotta be the huge school of fish. I'm certain there were at least a thousand around us. It was not only a school, it was a queue as well, covering the whole stretch of wall. While diving forward, they were just beneath us the whole time. Amazing.
Second day of diving was back at Racha Yai. The visibility and state of sites were so much worst than before. Not sure if the artificial reefs and marine life were further ruined by the increase in c****** divers or it just wasn't my luck..
 
And a change to green water for 2nd dive :/
<I didn't even know this was pufferfish, it was HUGE>
   
Other than the wrong filter, you can pretty much tell the visibility. It was so poor that when we descended, we were told the seabed was around 10m and as we descend, we couldn't see shit. Only when I was around 8m+ then I saw the seabed. And that was the vis through the dive, 2m to 5m max.
But the artificial reefs at Racha Yai really has a lot to see. Every box has so much to see if you look closely. I gave up snapping any more photos before I lose my guide. Found quite a big nudibranch by myself with the nest beside, super cute. I think nudi is becoming one of my fav to find & see underwater.
Last day of diving was awesome. Had super Sunday with Seabees, meaning it's 4 dives a day at Phi Phi Island. But because I was flying off the next day, I did 3 dives only. That being said, I stayed on the boat throughout from 8am to 9pm, no joke. I guess sea god kept all the best stuff for me till the last day.
Sunday was when I clock my 50th dive for my 1st dive and I was blessed with 10+ blacktip reef sharks, bamboo sharks and I had my best dive moment. No photos but let me try to describe my best dive moment yo.
It was when I was diving at Viking Cave in Phi Phi & my guide held my hand and we dove into the cave which was literally pitch black. I was quite scared because fuck we had no torch! He then turn us around and told me to look out & around - it was that moment - like looking out of a tunnel and at the end of it all we could see was the endless blue ocean. It was prettier than any coral/fishes/wrecks I've ever seen. The serenity I sought through diving was taken to a whole other level, my heart was full and at peace, words just can't articulate whatever I've experienced, truly out of this world.
While I skipped my night dive and had the boat to myself and the crews (trying not to emphasize my fomo feels for not joining everyone for the last dive), I was looking through my dive logs which I also managed to fully fill during the trip (yes I brought a new logbook along, this is what a good student does - in Jan's words lol). This is definitely one of the best sport I've picked up and I thoroughly enjoy every moment underwater, except when I see triggerfish.
There was this site which I think is Bida Nok (?), we were told to descend where the triggerfish normally nest at. I was like whutttttttt?! OF ALL PLACES?! But yes, I didn't have any much peace during the whole dive. I was looking around and being very cautious not to trespass any triggerfish's nest. And then there's this funny moment (well at least to the others) when I was right in front and suddenly I u-turned and started swimming towards the other direction from where we came from and everyone was just looking at me like this
... the next moment they saw a huge triggerfish in front of them and the guide started laughing knowing my fear. Boy, you don't joke with such stuff. Every man for themselves, I'm abandoning anyone if an aggressive triggerfish is around. I said it.
Haha right gif at the right time. I was that 👆, 200%.
Well, all in all, the dives were great. I had Nelson as my guide and he made sure that every dive was safe and fun. I have no complaints be it their safety or service. Except that the dive sites are really far from Chalong Bay (where all boats take off). Easily 1.5 to 2.5 hours, Phi Phi was the furthest - and when the water is choppy, it's just plain dreadful. Other than that, they made this trip really easy and fun for me. Also to the new friends who made surface interval less boring ❤️
Solo dive trip isn't as scary as I thought it'd be. Well, not as scary as this one guy we saw underwater who was legit ALONE by himself, no buddy no guide??? And here we have me some fun land stuff I did..
<not becoming an alcoholic, just starting to really like gin>
<thai food>
<and more thai food>
<work from home Monday situation>
 
<see one time, drool one time - finally having it.>
<last day so a mandatory selfie, no?>
Because I spent most of the time on the boat, my meals were well taken care of by the impressive cook who was onboard with us as well. So whenever I get to eat out, I ordered 2 portions each time so I can eat as much as I want. Sadly with the increment of Chinese tourists, you can barely find authentic Thai food around. The only legit one I had was this street stall outside Banzaan Fresh Market. Other than that, I don't recall tomyum or phad thai to be sweet. Even outside Banzaan Fresh Market where there's lots of street stalls, more than half were serving Chinese food. C'mon!
Anywho, so now I've tried solo diving and am here to confirm & report that no buddy, no problem. Though I still miss the ever-lame jokes and companion of the people I normally dive with but sometimes it's just that hard to get everyone's schedules to come together, so till we can do so, I'm happy this is something I can finally and able to do by myself.
Still gotta learn how to be braver to sleep by myself but other than having to fully cover myself in blanket and build a fort with pillows, traveling alone is something I want to do more. This is quite a fulfilling year with a lot to look forward, though it's August, I still have 2 more trips coming up (one of it will be yet another solo trip + a place I've never been to, so double yay!) and till then, adios for now xx
Labels: activities, annainphuket, annateng, beach, bida nok, dive, dive spot, dives, diving, fishes, island, marine life, phi phi island, phulet, racha yai, shark point, solo dive, solo diving, thailand Thursday, March 2, 2017
Why I Love Bali? My love for Bali goes to the moon, orbit one round and back.  I first set foot in Bali in December 2014 and since then, I've been back and forth Bali at least twice a year. That's when I started #AnnaInBali. I love everything there - the food, the people, the swimwear outlet, the beach, diving, the sun. The list goes on.. I sell Bali and I'm gonna share with you the things you can do (and where it can be done), places I've stayed and food places I'd recommend. FOOD FOR THOUGHT For starters, there are many food & beverage which Bali is popular for. I'm gonna use we because I feel like I belong there already. We are better known for bali guling, nasi campur, bbq pork ribs, kopi luwak and mie goreng. 
(#thisislife: $2 local beer & mie goreng, served under the pavilion)
I had to google and yes mie goreng comes from Indonesia. Unlike the local mie goreng we have in Singapore, their mee goreng is superb. I can eat mee goreng at least once a day when I'm there. In the easiest way I can bring this across, it's a less preserved (imo) and tastier indomie mie goreng. You feel me now? Every place has that one signature dish, kopi luwak was one of it for Bali, but personally I'm not a fan of it. It's too bitter for my liking. Also I didn't read much into it but it looks inhumane to me. Here's a civet cat at one of the local farms I visited:  Not sure if it's worth the try because honestly it's not like it taste any better than our usual cup of joe, but just wondering what are we really supporting if the demand is still there for every tourist. It was not until my 5th trip I tried babi guling. I don't remember which we went to, it was an on-the-way and recommended by our local driver kinda thing when we were on our way from the airport to Candidasa (guess you can narrow down which outlet I went to from this route I took). I'm not a big fan of carbs so whether is it babi guling or nasi campur, I can only say it's a definite must-try local specialty but still, give me my mie goreng and nobody will be hurt. I think both of these are the kind of food which are easily found around Bali, so don't bother traveling out just to find a "recommended" one because they taste more or less the same. One of the restaurants which I really love is Ultimo in Seminyak. A 3-course dinner for two cost around $70 and you get a dozen of oysters for starters, two main course, dessert and 2 rounds of drinks. Trust me, you don't get that anywhere close to $70 in Singapore. The food is amazing and to top that, there's live band and the ambience is to die for. Forget about Potato Head & Kudeta, Ultimo will do the job if you're looking for good food, reasonable price and great ambience. Ask anyone who frequents Bali and I'm pretty sure they'd agree. Reservation is not required but I've seen people queuing really long to enter so no harm booking in advanced. 
Another restaurant which has been deemed by all food bloggers that you have to visit is Merah Putih. I don't deny the food is good, but unless you're willing to spend $150/pax for dinner, I suggest you try Mama San instead. If you look at say TripAdvisor, they've got 4.5 out of 5 stars which is still on par with Merah Putih, so.. Anyway, call it thrifty/stingy, I wouldn't pay $xxx for a meal. I think it's a ridiculous way to spend your money but you do your own math.
Lastly, forget about all the raved hipster cafes, you can have them back home. Seriously just grab some Bintang and chill by the beach, live the Bali style. ACCOMMODATION I am forever spoilt by the number & types of villa Bali offers. From one bedroom to a whopping six bedrooms villa, pool villa, water villa - you name it, they got it; not forgetting hotels as well. For villa, I'd recommend Bracha Villa. Huge age bedroom, private pool, both outdoor & indoor dining, spacious living room for the price starting from $230+ per night for one bedroom. It's definitely not the cheapest I must say, I've stayed in 2-bedroom villas at the price of $170 per night as well but you pay for what you get. My take is still Bracha Villa ftw. They've fantastic location as well. A short 5 to 10 minutes walk takes you to restaurants like Ultimo & malls like Seminyak Square.    For hotels, I'd recommend Golden Tulip Devins Seminyak. Again not the cheapest but definitely reasonable. Price starts from $120, but normally I'd pay for deluxe room where I get jacuzzi in my balcony. Wahaha, this is how you should spend your money. Hotel comes with an infinity pool and a really nice blue restaurant which makes breakfast merrier. Relatively centralized as well given that it's right next to W Seminyak. A 5 mins drive takes you to Mama San and a 5 mins walk takes you to Merah Putih.   
I've stayed in both Bracha Villa & Golden Tulip Devins more than once and they're still my top choices. I am the kind of person who is not the most willing to pay for better quality so you can trust me 102% when I say the price is reasonable.
THINGS YOU CAN DO
Saved this for last because 4 out of 5 times in Bali, my purpose was to dive. Which if you do dive, then of everything in Bali I've already recommended, please forget about them and only take this - dive with Gangga Divers @ Lotus Bungalows. Not going to elaborate on this because I can go on for days but if you do dive, do try them out. They made Bali home for me and if it's not for them, I'm not even sure if I'd fall in love with diving.
That is also to say I didn't explore Bali like most people did visiting Tanah Lot & Uluwatu Temple. Can't share much about that but here are some other activities which I did that doesn't take me 30m underwater.
Read my previous posts on Bali here, here, here & here. Labels: activities, agoda, annainbali, arrival guides, bali, beach, dive, dive spot, food, indonesia, sea, sports |
|
xx
© 2017 A. travels |
|