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~breathing out~ Wednesday, 14th February 2001 the first dive ~ of my life. it just happened. what a feeling. it took some minutes for my breathing to calm down, for my body to find its balance in this other world beneath the surface, until i finally started to float it's like a miracle. i never knew it was possible, to stream through water, free from weight, past coral reefs, past colored fish.
like flying it feels. like drifting along the ground of the ocean. all you need to navigate is your feet. and your breathe. inhale deeply, and you rise. exhale deeply, and you sink. i had no idea how long i can exhale. and the water! it is unbelievable clear here, thus making it possible to see eight to ten meters, even here, right at the island, in the "home reef", how this reef is called by Ralf, the diving instructor. for the first dive, it was just him and me. this afternoon, Gabi will join, the other member of our twin course. it was good that i staid another week. that i came here, to this island. first i thought of returning to Ko PhaNgan, but then i knew that the others were leaving soon. plus there is Ko Tao. the perfect place to dive. with great beaches. and wooden bungalows built into the hills, with an ocean view. it all feels like meant to be. the possibility to change tickets. Carol's suggestion to learn to dive. and the place for it, Ko Tao, just a ferry ticket away. i boarded the ferry without knowing where to stay in Ko Tao. sitting there, i heard a guy talk about diving. "You
know about diving in Ko Tao," I asked him.
and so i went. and got the last free bungalow. in the afternoon, i walked along the bay. visited the diving school. asked about courses. the answer: yes, there is a course, it just started, i can join right away. next lesson: in two hours. in the evening, dinner in the little restaurant. and for the first time, when i walked down the steps to entered the terrace, and saw all those strange faces, a feeling of unsureness. yet one of the travellers saw me arriving, and offered a seat at the table he sat. "I'm Jean," he said. "From France, but studying Chinese medicine in Beijing at the moment." later, Donella from Italy joined our table, and Jean told a story that seemed like the continuation of the Ko Pha Ngan lessons "When
you arrive in a new place, and you don't know anybody, then you need to take a
little time. When you look around, you will notice that some people will just
look away. And then there will be a person that looks at you, and smiles."
and
it is. as easy or as difficult as getting to this place. walking back to my bungakow,
i wished there would be some classes in school that teach exactly this lesson.
but then, it's different lessons for different people i guess. and the only teacher
who knows how and when to place the lessons: it is life. ~~~~~~ see
the travel pictures: magic | |||
