So another short trip comes to an end. Spent a week in ko Tao at the end with Lea, where she learned to dive. I first went to Tao in 2000 with Neil and Pete, and then Neil and i learned to dive, while Pete made sandcastle movie sets. For some reason, 7 years in Tibet is the only one i can remember. Anyway, it was nice to go back, to see how a place like that had/has changed. The place we dived is still there, albeit bigger and slicker looking than before. The beach we stayed at is more developed, complete with own private pool villa resorts. The 7 years in Tibet beach has been built to, on and eventually over as resorts and guesthouses run out of ways to expand inland. The stilt restaurant is still there, but the rickety wooden pylons holding it up have been replaced by concrete. The roads are all paved now.
I expected my nostalgia to be pissed on by the pace and scale of development, but it wasn't. I knew it would be different, but i'm glad i went back. I think that is my interest in asia mostly satisfied, except perhaps Japan. There is meant to be some spectacular diving off Sabah in Malaysia as well, but i don't know if i'll make it.