Koh Phangnan took its toll and on December 27th Rich and me were off by boat to the island of Koh Tao, where I planned on taking my scuba diving certification. Before I had left Canada I thought that diving might get a pass, but after a stern lecture from my younger brother Fraser on its merits, I decided that it was worth a try.

We were placed in a group under the tutelage of Arnaud, an energetic French instructor with a propensity for chain smoking who ironically resembled a fish because of his bright bulging eyes. I have to admit that I was apprehensive about diving. I didn't think that there was anything natural about submersing yourself in 20-30 metres of water while relying on a bulky metal tank to keep you alive. However, most activities that provide the biggest rush usually run along these lines; putting yourself in a foreign environment while entrusting your survival to odd, often simple pieces of equipment.

Once I slipped below the surface my apprehensions drifted away. I am not going to say that I didn't have waves of panic from time to time, but these instances faded as I did more dives. The underwater world has to be the most peaceful environment I have been part of. The feeling of weightlessness I experienced made me feel as if I were in space. While every additional dive made me more comfortable, more observant, more aware of the fact that the world beneath the waves thoughout of sight and out of mind, is not a scary place but is full of such wonderful beauty and silence so different from the reality on the surface.

Ourdive course ended on New Years Eve. After allowing time for the nitrogen to leave our systems, Richard and me made out way to the beach to usher in 2008 and to celebrate our new status as kings of the Seven Seas. Numerous euphoric buckets were once again on the menu and by the time the New Year rolled around, festivities were in full swing and the dynamic duo were out of control.

Richard's wit and banter endeared him with the ladies, and after a number of buckets and twirls of the dance floor (the beach) exhibiting his Freddy Mercury hop andskip, Richard retired to our room to celebrate the New Years with a lucky lady. I agreed to let him have his privacy and indulged in more drinks, later retiring to alternate quarters.

It wasn't until early the next morning when we met up that we realized the true magnitude of what had unfolded. Richard realized that the young, innocent girl he had rendezvoused with the previous night had transformed into the thievingbitch from hell who had taken 8000 baht ($200) from his top drawer, the money he had put aside to pay for his PADI diving course. Spirits were dampered due to this unfortunate violation.

Soon after New Years I departed Koh Tao aboard a ferry in fierce swells. Krabi onthe opposite Andaman Coast was my destination, home of world-class rock climbing of Ton Sai and the Railay Peninsula. This area was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami, but in most cases it seems like life has returned to relative normalcy. As I write to you now I am sitting on Ton Sai Beach on my last day in the area. Tomorrow I depart and head west to Phuket, and then north to Burma to extend my VISA and then onto to Bangkok. I fly to Delhi on January 22nd. Happy New Year!