4th Injury - 2 May 2008 (Friday)
This was the day we so looked forward to, chartered a speedboat to bring us to Phi Phi and some other places. Before i begin to rattle on, need to mention what we did after the rafting incident. We .JPG)
went back to our hotel at Patong beach and saw the lovely sea and its sporting activities. Couldnt resist but went on to try parasailing. Oh my... it was exhilarating....though a little costly at 700 baht for a big round. Still, we enjoyed so much that some even wanted to go for second round. But our fun was cut short when one of our staff fell from a height of about 2-3 metres, just as the parasail was about to land. From a distance, we saw her lying motionless. I ran with all my might and praying for no serious injury. I believed some other staff also 
ran. The thai people were the first to reach her and i could see her moving and slowly got out of the parachute. Checked for physical injury, except for some scratches on palm, she was altogether well after a horrid scare. The speedboat that pulled the parasail ran out of fuel, thereby resulting in her fall. Thank God for His mercies indeed.
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went back to our hotel at Patong beach and saw the lovely sea and its sporting activities. Couldnt resist but went on to try parasailing. Oh my... it was exhilarating....though a little costly at 700 baht for a big round. Still, we enjoyed so much that some even wanted to go for second round. But our fun was cut short when one of our staff fell from a height of about 2-3 metres, just as the parasail was about to land. From a distance, we saw her lying motionless. I ran with all my might and praying for no serious injury. I believed some other staff also 
ran. The thai people were the first to reach her and i could see her moving and slowly got out of the parachute. Checked for physical injury, except for some scratches on palm, she was altogether well after a horrid scare. The speedboat that pulled the parasail ran out of fuel, thereby resulting in her fall. Thank God for His mercies indeed..JPG)
OK... back to island expedition. We have booked with Geoff and Jenny in the Simbaseas Trip. They were great in making us feel comfortable.
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Geoff was worried as we had to rush back to Phuket island for a BBQ dinner at 6pm and so we set off at 8am early in the morning to complete our travel for that day. The first island we visited was Koh Khai Nai. It was there we put on snorkeling gear to try out before we did the real thingy on open sea. Geoff taught us how to snorkel and most of our staff did pretty well. Look at the fishes.....
Erh... i was stuggling to put on without water seeping into my goggles or sucking in water from the mouth piece...it was a complete failure. I tried a few and had to give up. When i almost found a suitable set, it was time for tea break and thereafter to leave the island for Phi Phi. Sigh... never.JPG)
mind, i will have more opportunities. Besides, i did once last year in Phuket and that was my first. It was quite pathetic coz the boat owner did not have a small mouthpiece for me then. All were so big that my lips couldnt seal over and drinking lots of sea water instead of breathing normally would be the scenario for me. Anyhow, managed to find a small set and the rest were history. Back to reality, as in this trip... we were served pastries, fruits and drinks on shore and it was really lovely time altogether. Nobody worried about weight issues and ate heartily :)
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mind, i will have more opportunities. Besides, i did once last year in Phuket and that was my first. It was quite pathetic coz the boat owner did not have a small mouthpiece for me then. All were so big that my lips couldnt seal over and drinking lots of sea water instead of breathing normally would be the scenario for me. Anyhow, managed to find a small set and the rest were history. Back to reality, as in this trip... we were served pastries, fruits and drinks on shore and it was really lovely time altogether. Nobody worried about weight issues and ate heartily :)Our next leg of journey took us to Phi Phi National Park. It was a time to relax by the beach and sea and especially for a handful who were sea-sick. My injury occured here... or should i say, accident??? I went to this public toilet like everyone else and just as i entered the toilet cubicle, i felt pain on my right shoulder... or was it left??? nah...not important. Anyhow, it was not mosquito bite kind of pain... it was really pain. Dr lowly checked on the bite wound and found it different. It was thought to be a bee sting..... first in my entire life!!!! I remembered Wei Jun who had a similar sting in North Thailand Mission trip and recalling that incident made my mishap bearable.... haha...
After a rest (some really slept on the mats while some went to swim), we left this island. Geoff wanted to leave the sick ones at this island so the rest of us could go snorkeling and picked them up later. After thinking through, the sick ones were brave and well enough and decided to follow us to open sea. They even went into the sea to snorkel..... haha.... look at us here....
The ocean underneath was just so magnificient and awesome... urchins, corals, many many fishes (of which i dont know the names).... but heh, i couldnt find any starfish after checking round the perimeter. Had a purple starfish during my last snorkeling trip and it was really fun holding on to it with close view (though i must say i wasnt the one to dive in and take it out.....lol).
The ocean underneath was just so magnificient and awesome... urchins, corals, many many fishes (of which i dont know the names).... but heh, i couldnt find any starfish after checking round the perimeter. Had a purple starfish during my last snorkeling trip and it was really fun holding on to it with close view (though i must say i wasnt the one to dive in and take it out.....lol).We had lunch at Phi Phi island and thereafter went for more snorkeling sessions and even visited a rather quiet island, named Rang Yai. It is famous for the pearl farm and MHC may consider having staff retreat here. A lovely place altogether, away from the busy Patong beach. Am thinking to myself, why not Church camp???? hmmm.....
Had one more injury before we ended the day. It was the constant rubbing of my spine against the body of the boat. Due to the weather, the sea was very rough in the morning. Everyone was screaming as we crashed onto the waves. I loved every minute of it and wished i was sitting out in the front....(permission wasnt granted by lowly :( ). Had to settle for back seat view of everyone and tried to enjoy every second of it nevertheless. Another wish though, to drive this speedboat. I tried once during my last trip and it was really really superb. Very easy to drive and wow..... thank God for that opportunity.. probably the only one ever. Geoff and his team, two thai guys were very hospitable. 
They prepared a lot of sandwiches, icy cold soft drinks and fruits. Seemed like no ending supply of food onboard. We were able to finish our island expedition and reached Phuket by 4pm. Hmmm....Geoff certainly knows Phuket and surrounding islands well enough to give us info about these islands. Wondered how much we all remembered at the end of it....
They prepared a lot of sandwiches, icy cold soft drinks and fruits. Seemed like no ending supply of food onboard. We were able to finish our island expedition and reached Phuket by 4pm. Hmmm....Geoff certainly knows Phuket and surrounding islands well enough to give us info about these islands. Wondered how much we all remembered at the end of it....Group picture with Geoff
All in all, thank God for a good trip. This was one trip that i sustained the most injuries but it was really really fun and I will return to Phuket... the 9th time.... To all who have read, thanks. Yawn.... signing off now. Good night. :)
