went into town today. it’s about a half hour walk down the hill to Kata Beach, i live in Kata town. first time i’ve even gotten to walk around there, because i’ve been so busy. first day off today too, since i’ve been here. feels great. been looking online for potential dive jobs and seeing what it’ll take to be able to work out here. 

it seems like Phi Phi Islands would be a good place for me. they are usually more willing to accept newly trained divemasters and instructors. whereas Phuket is really hard to land a job. i’m not sure how confident of my skills i am to try and work here. i think i need some more time in the water, more dives, more training, and more learning… it’s been so long i feel like i’m re-learning everything. also, i want to be able to work somewhere that i want to live. i really like phuket but i haven’t gotten to really explore it much yet. i hear Phi Phi has kids my age, fire spinning, hula hooping, and easier jobs. i was asking about Phi Phi the other day though and my instructors said that Phi Phi is where people go if they can’t hack it in Phuket. they said the divers there are terrible and the instruction is bad. so maybe i could change that, and be a good instructor! 

but i also want to work with people that take their jobs seriously. i also heard that it’s more expensive to live on Phi Phi but the jobs are easier to get… so i guess i’ll take what i can get. depending on how things go, when i’m done here, i’ll start traveling and stopping at different dive shops. even if i could get a liveaboard job or work at a dive shop as a shop girl at first, you have to start somewhere! 

today i walked into Kata Beach, shopped a bit, ate some food, then took a tuk tuk to Big Buddha, the biggest Buddha statue in Thailand. you have to dress modestly @ temples, even though its really hot. i saw a lot of tourists with open toe shoes, short shorts, skirts, cleavage, and bare arms. disgusted me actually. how do you not know to be respectful? or research before you go? 

they started building it on top of the hill after the December 2004 tsunami that devastated Phuket and surrounding areas like Phi Phi Islands. oh yea, Phi Phi is where the movie “The Beach” is filmed! another good reason to go there? hehe. it’s about 35 meters long and twice that high! you can see it from the harbor when we come in on the boat every day. that huge! i met a monk from Burma and talked to him for awhile. his name was Ashin. he told me that many of the workers are from Burma so he comes often to bring gifts and letters from their families.

i told him i’d been wanting to do a 10 day retreat at a monastery after i get done with my program and asked him where he recommended. he said Phi Phi (ironically the same monastery i was looking at this morning), AND the place i’m thinking of moving onto next. syncronicity? 

i paid 100 baht (4 dollars) for a piece of marble that will be put on the buddha once he is finished. it helps them pay for the construction.

my dinner afterwards, nice view eh?

very enlightening experience. the view is amazing, you can see Chalong and 2 other beaches from the top of the mountain, the highest point in Phuket. feeling great, relaxing day. now more studying…

beaming ❤