Welcome to the Jungle!

There is something about jungles. Something exacting. Something mystical. Something hidden. A feeling that someone is watching you. A feeling that the ancient forest is trying to tell you something. It feels somehow magical.

I don't know, if I experienced like that only because today was my first time in a jungle or because of the huge diversity of life surrounding me. Probalby it was just imagination. I have always liked the forests in the north, but this jungle was something different. It's not just a flock of trees. It feels like a single living organism formed by thousands of different species of trees, grasses, ferns and other plants which are working together to keep up the delicate community.

However, this morning I took a river boat to the last post before the Taman Negara jungle and national park. The boat ride along the river flowing through the jungle was as cool as advertised. The village turned out as touristic as a place just can be with banana pancakes and internet cafes. At the boat I met a guy named Colin, who had came to the park with same intentions than me. We went for a few kilometers hike to the park just to check it out. It's like the most popular hiking routes in Norway: crowded, beaten, but beautiful. Suprisingly walking and constant sweating in the jungle fixed all the problems I had. I am living again, althought I was expecting reverse effect...

Tomorrow there are public holidays also in Malaysia and the park is going to be filled up with people. Only the most expensive resorts are not fully booked. It turned out that booking an overnight hiking trip would actually be cheaper than staying in the most expensive resorts, so we booked three days and two nights trip to "the inner jungle" as they advertise it. The trip includes food, guide and equipment. Price was something like 60 euros. For the first night we are going to stay overnight in a cave and the second one is spent in a hide by trying to spot some animals. It's gonna be good.

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Jungle Express

The allergic reaction relieved for a while just after I left the internet cafe in Kota Bharu. It happened just in few minutes. All the red spots were suddenly gone. An extreme reaction. Some of the spots came back today. Now I have a theory that sweating has something to do with this.

However, I staked for taking a train to Jeranut, which lies in the middle of Malaysian Peninsula close to the largest jungle in Malaysia. The train was a mail train. A real old timer crawling through the rain forested interior of the peninsula. Stopping at any smallest post in the middle of the jungle. I was able to follow the dense jungle flowing past the door opening I was sitting at. Small jungle posts filled with locals. The birds, trees and brown silty rivers. Conversations with locals travelling to small towns on the route. The noisy and rocking old train. A great experience.

Tomorrow, if my spots just grace, I will head into the biggest, oldest, crawliest and the most touristic: Taman Negara National Park. The grand tourist attraction of Malaysia. Hopefully I'll see more crawling animals, monkeys and birds than people. Entry to the park needs 3 hours jetty (a boat) trip along the river flowing through the jungle. It's supposed to be good...

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"The Islamic City"

Deep. That could be a word to describe my feelings while waking up on the second morning in Kota Bharu, Malaysia. I was soaked with sweat. I could not see with my left eye. When touching it, I realized that the skin around it was swollen. I was shaking from adrenaline. My arms were itchy and full of big red spots. I wanted to scream. I wanted to panic. I wanted to die.

Instead, I pulled my clothes on as fast as I could and run to the hospital few blocks away.

Lets go few days back in the time. The train trip through the southern provinces of Thailand had went smoothly. Only remarks of the supposed every day violence and restlessness, were the patrolling Thai soldiers with assault rifles. They were going around in the train and standing on stations. I did not have an urge to have a closer look at this potentially dangerous area and headed straight to the border. The border crossing was even smoother. No photos, no money needed. Just filling up a form and getting a stamp. 10 minutes and it was over.

I took a bus from the border to Kota Bharu. I had no idea, if I was supposed to give a seat for the women in the Islamic culture, so I did it just in case. After 45 minutes inside-the-bus standing with my backpacks road banderoles welcomed me to "the Islamic City". People were staring at me, but they smiled warmly. The town itself was a little cleaner than the towns I had seen in Thailand. Architecture looked like a typical British town with wide roads for cars and bad pedesterian streets. Street dogs were displaced by cats. Every woman had a scarf and some men a white hat. A prayer was singing from a minaret close by. The atmosphere was amazing.

Since I did not get rid of my diarrhea in Thailand, I decided to visit the local hospital in Malaysia, which was supposed to have higher standards. Maybe doctors here would know more. Many samples was taken from me. I would need to wait to hear about the results for three weeks. In the mean time, I was given an other antibiotic to eat. Great. This was just what I had feared. They always think that people want to stay where they are...Anyways, the public health care here is, indeed, public. I paid 3 euros for the meeting with (busy and uncaring) doctor. Expensive laboratory samples, cultures and medicines were included to the price. Locals are paying even less. Even the poorest can effort the visit to the hospital. An example when a religion has a positive effect on the community...A fortune that, for example capitalist parties in europezing Finland, are so eagerly giving up.

Apparently I was allergic to the antibiotics given to me. It was fucking scary, but if was only that, I am fine. It's not over yet, but there is still hope. It might have got better or maybe it's just the drugs given to me, I don't know yet...However, I got an other antibiotic, which is an anti-malaria drug at the same time. Possible side effects are 10 % risk to get sunburned easily, a small change that the condition will follow the rest of the life, depression and increased willingness committing a suicide says Sir Internet in co-operation with Mr. Google. Compared to the other anti-malaria drugs (exclude Malarone) these effects are mild, so I probably can cope with them...if I did not come back by June, I probably committed a suicide, deep in an unmapped jungle (smiley).

However, I'll head off tomorrow. This was enough of Kota Bharu. A boring town to stay too long. Bottle of beer costs two times as much as a dinner in a restaurant. The lab results will be sent to me by email, so there is no point to wait. Maybe the jungles of Taman Negara are something more interesting. Hopefully my physique holds...

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Done it.

The DM day went as I supposed. The day was hectic, because of small gale that had harassed the island for past few days. Because the sea was rough, we had to leave from a pier 3 kilometers from Big Blue, arraging taxis caused some problem. However, diving was excellent. Good viz and nice group to lead. Everyone came back alive. Nothing major happened. The test was passed.

The challenge turned into a great confusion and eventually into a lost consiousness. It was very much fun, however. So I became part of "PADI family" as a Dive Master. Professional diving is hard drinking. Althought for me it was more about hard diving. During 9 weeeks of time I had time to dive 101 times and spend 3 days 3 hours and 32 minutes under water.

After finishing, it was about a time to move on.
I took a ferry to Chumpon. The trip was magical. I really enjoyed travelling again and realised that I haven't done it enough. Now I am waiting for train, which is supposed to take me to the dusty border town of Sungai Kolok (or something). It's only some kilometers from Kota Bharu. In there I'll dive in the middle of the islamic culture of Malaysia. The town is one of the most conservative areas in Malaysia and is supposed to be alcohol free! A holiday from beer does only good for me...In Kota Bharu some preparations for a jungle trip will be involved.

Good bye Koh Tao.

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Koh Tao

Tomorrow I will have my last day as a Dive Master in Training (or DMT). The last day, called the DM-day, consists of two different tests. First, in the morning, I am going to be a boat master taking the dive boat out and leading the whole diving show. It's part of what Dive Masters here are doing as their job. If I manage not to mess up too badly, I am going to face the last test: the Dive Master challenge. I am made to do stupid things in front of a crowd. From every trick, I have to drink shots of alcohol as a punishment. Probably everyone can guess, how it's supposed to end...

Now on the last evening before getting totally humiliated, it's a good time to sum up Koh Tao and the time I spent on the island.

Koh Tao is not very touristic island in Thailand standards, which doesn't mean that it would not be touristic in some other standards. The people on the island are somehow categorized to few groups. The falang (Thai name for western people) backpackers want to learn to dive because LP says that it should be done on Koh Tao, party and continue their trip to Cambodia. Many of them are diving and partying for weeks or even months. The dive maniacs have came far away, because they have heard that Koh Tao is the place to learn about diving. The paradise island for people who want to make diving as profession. Soon they will realize that whole diving scene on the island spins around the golden liquid called beer. It tastes good. So good that it must be drunk every night. There just isn't anything else to do than drinking beer or diving. Talking is important part of drinking. It's typically done in very difficult-to-understand Brittish English.

Thai people are earning far better than in the rural areas of North Thailand. Actually so well that it enables drinking every night. They have seen the falang and think that everyone is similar. Hate is burning under the smiling shell. It's their country, they have the rights, they think. Falang are giving them the income, but same time trying to rule their island. The Burmese are almost slaves. They are illegal immigrants and trying to keep low profile. However, this doesn't mean that they wouldn't find the money to soak their desperation to Chang beer. Also they are drinking almost every night.

Thus almost everyone who is living on the island longer time is an alcoholic. Everyone has their own cherished social ring. There is very little interaction outside the ring especially, if one doesn't like loud electronic music and beer every night. It's meaningless to assume that one would find loads of friends, if one doesn't want to drink every second night in the environment such as on Koh Tao. Others like it. They'll come back time after time and eventually become instructors. Others have seen something better. People are just different.

The dogs are like the people. They have their own friends and territories, which they are aggressively guarding from the other dogs. Dog fights are every day events. After the fights they are trying to find support from the people for their cause. Most of them are friendly for people, though.

Then there are the others. People who fall out from the categories. Awesome, helpful and friendly Thai people. Cool Japanese guys. Amazing falangs, instructors, dive masters, DMT's, fun divers and backpackers, who are just rocking out the scene. Those people I call as friends. I am glad that I met them.

Diving itself is very good. Hundreds of fish species from whale sharks to small damsel fishes, corals, sometimes great visibility, stunning diversity of life, but sometimes one can hear nothing underwater over the boat noise from 15 dive boats above. Slightly exaggerated sometimes there feels to be more divers in the water than fish. The one poor whale shark I was surrounded by more than 40 people. Diving is not secrete act as it is in the North. It's mass fun. You don't need to appreciate the nature. You can dive just to have a good reason for an other party in the evening.

Yeah. You read it correct. I had a good time, but after all, the Turtle wasn't for me. We were too different. It's time to move on.

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A month till

After the wet day, Songkran turned into a misty night with very few memories and fairly loud electonic music. The next day was kind of rough with more than an hour under water because of some obligatory Dive Master skill circuit thing, which by a change was just arranged after the party. I blamed the Thais. They started it.

Only 35 days and I am supposed to be sitting in a plane to London and eventually back cold home. Weird to think about it. Weirdest of all, I am looking forward to it. Finland, Tromso and finally good old Svalbard. The summer is going to be awesome...and yes, for the first time, I am feeling home sick.

However, it's too early to give up now. There are still many things to do and see. Because it seemed that I still had some money left, I decided to spend them to diving. I fixed the plan a bit and ordered plane tickets to a Malaysian province, Sabah, which is located close to the equator on the island of Borneo. Wild and full of tropical diseases. The ultimate destination for many old time explorer, settler, missionary and merchant. Consisting of high lights such as: Pulau Sipidan; one of the top dive sites in the world, Mount Kinabalu; 4100 meters high mountain climbable in three days, World famous bat caves, relatively big slices of remaining rain forest and more.

I'll head there after visiting Taman Negara, the oldest rainforest on earth, which is located to Malaysian peninsula. A day or two of trecking there. Departure from Koh Tao will be on 24th. I guess I should start eating malaria medicication already now...

It starts to be summer in here. Easily +35 in shadow during the day. Sometimes even more. The situation starts to get hazardous. Many of my friends have been knocked down to the hospital, because they have got a tiny scratch, which has got infected just in hours. After a day a surgery have been needed to fix the situation. Fairly scary and unexpected problem. I am trying to protect myself from scratches by every mean (even gave away my motor bike), but it's only a matter of time...Didn't have these problems back home...

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War!

Thailand is in war. It has nothing to do with the rumors telling that live rounds are shot in Bangkok. News are not good, but those fights have been fought over three years. It's all about politics. All about, who should rule the country. The country is ruled from Bangkok. Fights are hopefully staying there.

No, it's about Songran. New year in Thailand. It's a mayhem. Everyone from a teenager to oldest grandfather are drunk throwing water over anyone, who walks past. Tourists, especially Brits, are taking over the possibility to annoy people and shooting water over everyone with water guns. The town is in war. It's impossible to go anywhere without getting wet. We need more beer...

Photos and not-so-drunk text later.

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A new morning

Photo: Big Blue Tech

The day I arrived Koh Tao, I went to see a doctor. Although I felt already much better than earlier, it felt like a good idea. Maybe I was just paranoid with tropical diseases. The doctor, a middle aged Thai gentleman was talking English in a typical Thai-way. The accent I have found extremely difficult to understand, because they tend to "eat" half of the letters. After some communication difficulties and polite laughs, I was taken a blood sample and given some medication. Of course, the doctor wanted me to stay over night. It was all about private health care and ways to make money. I declined to offer determinedly. Sleeping is much cheaper in own bungalow.

The next morning was psychedelic. Suddenly I was just living again. The first time for days. It reminded me the scene in the Finnish The Unknown Soldier movie, where the Soviet Union chases the gun fire and the war just suddenly ends. Soldiers are crawling out of their trenches looking very confused. Finlandia is ringing on background. Anyways, I headed to the doctor to hear about for my blood sample. The result was nothing. Everything was all right. No malaria, no bacterias, no increased lymphocyte values. According to the sample, I was perfectly healthy. The disease had probably been a virus, the doctor reasoned. The doctor asked me to rest for two days. Then I would be free to do what ever I wanted.

I read the message: diving tomorrow!

That was because, in the next day there was a long waited trip to a wreck. An old Japanese transport vessel was lying on the sea bottom some kilometers off the coast in the depth of 50 meters. Diving would be something we did not experience every day at the Dive Master course. Deep enough to make it deco-diving. For those, who want to make it deeper and harder. Just perfect rest for the restless. Just that kind of diving I was seeing nightmares about two years ago.

Although the visibility dropped down to less than 2 meters at the depth of 35 meters, the trip was awesome. Murky water, crawly animals, the old wreck and the nitrogen narcosis made up just a perfect atmosphere for wreck diving. A great experience, although I have experienced better wreck dives in the Northern Norway...That's because Northern Norway is amongst the best places in the world for wreck diving.

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