Back Home in Scotland =D

Well that’s me back home now, the journey from the island to where I stay in Scotland took almost three days but it was interesting to say the least. First time on a KLM flight and also the train journey was even better than the last time as there weren’t noisy kids this time. Also I had a stop over in Amsterdam and that was my first time in that airport. It was big but nothing special or that nice. Oh and what weather I came home to, gale force winds and constant rain every day, dam its miserable here. It’s so strange being back home but it is nice to have some of the luxuries that I missed such as  a decent bed, good tasting water and good tasting milk not forgetting a decent internet speed lol.

Well to all those in Scotland and those planning on visiting Scotland send me some messages so we can meet up, but just remember I don’t have a UK number ( I cancelled my old contract) but I check my online messages regularly so contact me there =D.

The image above was taken at Slains Castle over a year ago. The castle is about a 10 min drive from my house and is set just on the cliffs. It has an interesting history with regards to Dracula.

Underwater at Perhentian

Originally uploaded by waterdesiresfire

Not the most interesting videos but the person holding the camera only took a few videos and they weren’t that great but its still a small glimpse into what amazing sights we saw down there in the warm waters.

Look out it’s a shark!

My first time ever sighting a shark this afternoon and dam do they move fast, the shark was just over a metre long but as soon as we got close it shot off really fast. I think the only reason we managed to sneak up on it a bit was because it was purely by accident due to the first of the two dive sights in the afternoon having really poor visibility. I could barely see the diver in front of me and it was a pretty wild experience, I guess that’s what it’s like in Scotland all year round when you’re diving haha?

Well that was my last day here, this evening all I’ve got planned is another walk on the beach more food and tons of rest as all this diving is really tiring, especially considering how unfit and fat I’ve gotten since I moved to KL. The gym is a must once I get back to Scotland.

The image above was taken of myself with the false clown fish by the diver I paid to take pictures for me however the images bellow were all taken and edited by myself.

Qualified

Well after more training this morning and another open water dive at the smaller island I was qualified as a PADI Open Water Diver. The benefits of this mean that I can dive anywhere in the world alone or with friends except of course in the extreme places such as depth and cold for six months. After six months the same license still applies although its recommended after that I take a half day refresher course before diving.

The morning dive was as always fun and interesting looking at all the different fish and my instructer was really good that she enjoyed sitting down with me afterwards and helping me record the names of the fish by looking through the book. Definitely reminded me of years ago, when I used to keep tropical fish in two large aquariums, it was werid to be now swimming with the same types of fish and following their schools. The highlight of that dive was spotting a huge jelly fish which had many smaller fish following it.

In the afternoon I had my first dive as a qualified diver. The conditions were not great because of the current and the fact there were a lot of divers at that spot but we managed to avoid them for most of the dive. My highlight of the second dive had to be other than playing with the tiny glass shrip in the coral was seeing three sting ray. We saw two just resting under some large coral and dam they were big and then we also saw a smaller one skimming along the bottom because it was scared by the other divers.

In the evening I went for another walk along the beach taking some pictures and I was lucky enough that when I got to a beach with no people I came across two monitor lizards. Dam those things are scary haha. One lizards was about 2 feet long and the other was about 2 metres long I accidentally got spotted by them so I walked back to the previous beach and then back again and second time round I got a lot closer and even got a few pictures. What an evening and as usual a breath taking sun set.

The above image is of some Glass Shrip and they are on some soft coral sorry I don’t know what kind it is. The glass shrimp are so small less than an inch big and they enjoy cleaning our hands when we put them close

The above image is of the monitor lizard that I was able to get close, its about 2 metres long where as the smaller one I also saw was only a foot long.

Fun doesn’t stop

The end of another long day of dive school, dam I don’t think I could be more tired but still finding the energy to record just some of the day the morning was paper work and videos followed by a dive at another nearby house reef to practice some skills then go for a casual half hour dive around the area. After lunch it was off to Shark point where we practiced some skills and then once that was out of the way it was off for a long dive for almost an hour. Again I saw so many interesting different types of fish and coral. One of my fav’s was a MAP puffer which had a really strange face like an ant eater but it had a regular fish body. The most unique fish that we saw today had to be the Brocks Pipe Fish which was in amongst some long and thin corral that looked like white tree branches stuck into the sand. The fish in question blended in so well with them because it was the same colour and shape, it was about a foot long and only a centimetre wide and had a face just the same as a sea horse. The tides were changing a bit near the end which caused the sediment to be stirred up and brought a few streams of very cold water just to the water close to the bottom but we were already at a more shallow depth of about 6 metres so I only felt it on my hands but not the body.

When I got back because I had been studying hard and watching all the videos and doing the quizzes etc I was allowed to take the final exam even though I still have more dives to do. I am happy to say I only got a few questions wrong 2 of them due to stupid American wording the others well I shouldn’t of rushed the test. I got 88% right which was more than just a pass so I’m chuffed with that for sure haha.

The above image image is of the pipe fish, there were not many of them and they were so good at blending in with the coral. They have a really interesting face which is the same as a seahorse.

David Atamburgh Time

Today was definitely an eye opening experience with so much knowledge and beauty to take in I definitely felt like I was watching a Documentary. In the morning I had theory classes with my teacher and then after I completed them it was off to the sea for more training then a break because I was getting a migrane when we went deep because I had not drank enough water (typical me haha). After an hour we went back out and after some more training we did a 20 minute dive around the house reef. Diving around the reef was amazing and even though we were still relatively close to shore we still saw lots such as scribbled file fish, Gold-Saddle Rabbit Fish and harlequin Sweetlips.

Lunch time where I didn’t get great service thanks to a grump waiter but dam he was working hard so I didn’t complain. After lunch I got briefed on the following dive and then we took a boat to another island to go for an extended dive. That was definitely a lot more daunting having to remember everything that had been taught to me as well as enjoying it at the same time but after a few minutes and remembering to equalise my ears more often to prevent the migraines I was cool.  This dive was for 42 minutes this time around and there was another tourist with us who previously had done 208 dives however once he got back on the boat he stated with the biggest smile on his face that this was the most beautiful dive he had ever done. I could not agrue with him at all as we had seen so much. We saw three different types of Sting Ray’s, many schools of different fish big and small and one of the most fascinating things that we saw was a school of Humphead Parrrot Fish. Now I call them a school as I guess that’s what you call a group of fish but this wasn’t no ordinary school like a flock of birds, these fish were each over a metre long with huge heads and they were munching away at the corral. At first we only saw the one but after admiring it for 2 minutes we turned our heads the two of us and saw we were surrounded by almost 30 of them the visibility was dropping because of the mess they were making as they ate the corral and of course because of their crapping haha but dam what a site it was. The coral was magnificent to view everything you could imagine from Nature programs that was what I was swimming in and around and trying my hardest not to touch/damage any of it. I was really happy by the end of my dive as I really felt I had improved my buoyancy control through using only my breathing and avoiding using my BCD unless absolutely necessary.

I used to spend a lot of time and money keeping tropical fish in two large aquariums when I was younger and actually swimming through the same fish in the wild was really a dream come true.

Wow what a sight

Just back from dinner and had to write an update. After eating I thought I’d take a beer out and sit and watch the lightning on the beach. Dam I was glad that I did that as it was truly breath taking. As I lay on the deck chair and looked out at sea I could see that just above me was a perfect window to the stars, something which I’d not seen in a long time and then all around me was an awe inspiring light show. The show was so bright that it light up the whole area water beach and the small island across from us. The noise was only loud a few times although when it was it was ear shattering loud although when it wasn’t all I could see were millions of flashes of light and all I could hear was the water gently lapping against the shore line. Truly amazing.

What a journey!

Dam what a journey it was to get here although I guess that’s nothing compared to what it will take to get home from here.

To get here I took a train leaving KL at 830pm and it arrived at Tanah Merah Station the next day at 945am. It was a nice clean train and I had taken the sleeper so I had a nice bed compartment with curtains and a window. I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the standards which even included a clean sheet and pillow. Joke all you like  but that’s high by Malaysian standards haha. Once I arrived at the station I was picked up by a driver and drove me 1 hour to the Jetty after waiting for the boat for a while we then had a really smooth journey on a speed boat to the island it was nice as the place I was staying had its own boat so we there were only a few people.

After checking in and having my brunch I headed to the dive centre where I started my open water PADI course. It was really interesting learning about all the gear and watching the videos and doing the quizzes that plus the two short introductory dives really got me excited about doing more dives.

The Island is so nice with beautiful beaches, rainforest backdrops and wildlife  everywhere from the coral reefs on the door step to the monkeys, birds and squirrels that I saw on my evening stroll along the beach. I’m sure I’ve got a few nice images already as everywhere that I point my camera it looks like a postcard.

I also I have to say that I’m also impressed with the small resort my chalet is so nice with tons of room big bed, air con, desk, wardrobe and big clean bathroom. I’m curious to hold old the place is as it looks fairly new.

Right off for dinner now before reading up on my diving manual again that I was given today.

The image above is of the resort where I stayed in the picture you can see the reception, bar and restaraunt, the dive centre was to the left of that building and the challets that I stayed in were to the right of it.

Home is Calling

Well as I’m sure you’re aware I’ve been searching hard for a job ever since I got back from Singapore. Every day I’ve been on the internet searching job sites applying for jobs and even searching for companies that I could contact directly and ask for a job.

I have been looking all over Asia but with the economy as it is right now I have not been so lucky as to find a new one.

I have thus decided to go back to Scotland to search for a job there and possibly even consider higher education. I do miss my country anyway, that’s for sure. Although, before going back to Scotland, while I still have a little money left (cough cough) and still a little time left on my Visa I’m off to Perhentian Island North of Malaysia to enjoy some more of Malaysia away from Kuala Lumpur and its rudeness and hectic  life.

The above image was taken at Newburgh beach, the beach is a 10 min walk from my house and it runs all the way to the city about 17 miles south of my village.

Weekend in Singapore!

Well that’s me just back from Singapore as many already know I went there by myself for the weekend. I had a pretty good time for sure although it completely drained me all that walking and *cough*, *cough*, drinking.

I went on the Friday on an Aeroline bus which was pretty dam nice. Very comfortable and even got a sandwich along the way plus 2 movies on the wide screen. Banter with the other passengers was good too when we got to the immigration. I got chatting to some KL students and also an entrepreneur woman who had written some very interesting books from what she told me were all about the culture of different countries.

When I finally got to the hostel where I was staying, nice place btw, I did my usual and as soon as my bags were down I went out walking to explore the area I was staying in. Was in a great location too right in Little India but also beside an interesting Chinese area that had a huge market, temples and much more such as a sculpture garden. I even stumbled upon the National Art Museum which was absoulutly huge and kept me fascinated for hours, lucky for me on a Friday its open till 9pm and is free only on that evening.

After going back to the hostel to refresh and checking my emails I went out for another long walk around the area. I then went to pub for a drink and they had a live band. Dam it was good to stand with a pint ( a real one that is, not the size of beers in Malaysia) and listen to live music. I first got chatting to some nice aussies, well the bar was packed with them kiwis and then I got chatting to some local folk. Dam nice folk and even invited me to a leaving doo of one of their friends the next night.

Saturday, woke up with a bit of a hangover, dam I’ve turned into a bit of a lightweight living in KL. I started the day with a nice bit of roti chani and milo ice followed by some 100 plus. Then it was off to the Red dot design museum where again I was really lucky and got free entry because they have a special crafts event in the gallery the first Weekend of every month.

As usual I don’t plan much when travelling alone and since the city art gallery was nearby I went to that next. It was pretty dam interesting too checking out all the exhibits about the city and what their future plans are also.

Next was the longest trek, off to see Changi Chapel and johor Battery WW2 Gun, it was really interesting learning more about the war and how the people were so poorly treated by the Japanese.

It was getting late by this point so I made my way back to the area I was staying and after I had another tasty Chinese dinner I freshened up and went to meet the guys for the party.

Party at the flat was random as hell but tons of fun, especially the random drinking games (check out my facebook). After which it was off to the night club, dam the place was huge and not too expensive compared to KL. I lost count how many different clubs there were in the building but the Movida club was definitely the best.

After a bit of a lie in, say about 4 hours sleep. I headed off to china town to explore the area. There was not a lot of time left so I just walked around the area a little and explored the Chinese Heritage Museum there. It was really interesting to learn about how the Chinese settled in the country and the living conditions to which they had to endure. It was then off home and after a only a little trouble at the border I was back in Malaysia and came home to Jamie eager to go out to celebrate our monthly anniversary. We went to a really nice restaurant and after some tasty food it was outside to their courtyard for some sheesha and beer before heading to a night club to finish off the night. It was really good sitting and chilling with Jamie and then going to a club for a change. Something we don’t do very often as Jamie isn’t one for drinking plus the price here in Kl is insane compared to the average wage.