As a traveler, these are the types of experiences we grow to crave.

The Night Dive

I turned around in the water and saw my other two dive buddies, clearly thinking the same thing I was – I want to see the white glitter! Despite the fact that it was dark, and we had big square masks separating us, I could see the looks in their eyes.  Simultaneously, we all pointed our flashlights toward our chests, nearly extinguishing the lights, and started twirling, running our hands from side to side, and kicking around in the water, stirring up the plankton, which created a white glow. The bioluminescence was incredible, falling around us like white glitter, following our every move.

With every swish of the fin, we were putting on shows for each other. Somewhere a few meters away, our dive master realized we were squirreling around, mostly because he could no longer see us, and tapped his tank – the universal diving sign for “pay attention!” We giggled a bit into our breathing apparatuses.

Encountering Octopi

I had been jealous of some of the other dive groups, as they had seen an octopus or two during our dives in the Similans.  I had never seen one before and was dying to know what they looked like. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an uncharacteristically white sea creature.  Immediately, he started morphing like a chameleon to black, then to purple, before settling on a nice beige that would allow him to blend in with the rock. I finally understood what all the fuss was about.  The changing colors put any art I could create to shame.

The Cherry on Top: Manta Rays!

“You’ve got a better chance at winning the lottery than seeing one, but it just might be out there,” a dive master said during our final dive briefing. He was talking about the manta rays – something we had all hoped to see, but never took as a given. It was my final of 18 dives for the trip, and I had yet to see one.  I was hoping today might be the day, but my expectations were managed.

About 20 minutes into the dive, I heard frantic tapping – it could only mean something amazing was nearby, and some other divers had just seen it.  Hoping we weren’t too far away, I spun around several times, looking up, into the blue, just about everywhere all at once. Then, like a plane gliding overhead, it soared over us, flapping its giant wings like an angel of the sea. If it were possible to cheer under water, the ocean would have erupted in roars and shrieks of delight from several dozen divers.

There’s something truly amazing about viewing sea life on their own turf.  I was merely a spectator, along for the show, keeping my distance but admiring everything I saw, taking in every moment with gusto. As a traveler, the ocean is another part of the world that I want to see every inch of.  If you’re like me, the Similan and Surin islands are sure to impress.

*Special thanks to Wicked Diving in Khao Lak, a great choice for anyone looking for an awesome diving trip in Thailand’s Similan Islands. 

The post Scuba Diving the Similan Islands in Thailand appeared first on XpatMatt.

There’s something about the majesty of a glacier that you can’t quite get the full effect of from the ground level, separated by a fence and the cracking glacier a few meters away.

Sure, the vistas and viewpoints provide great photo opportunities, and the hike is quite rewarding, punctuated with cascading waterfalls and framed by gorgeous mountains.

But in order to really get up close with a glacier, to really appreciate and understand it, one has to touch it.  That’s where a helicopter tour comes in.  Of all the New Zealand glaciers, Franz Josef is one of the best to see in person, fly around, and land on.  Blades swirling, clouds parting, helicopter tours of Franz Josef Glacier provide viewing opportunities like this:

The best part of the experience is landing on top of the very glacier that otherwise can only be viewed from a distance at the ground level.  Walking carefully to avoid slippage, the feeling of standing on top of a glacier and taking in the full vista is astounding.

New Zealand truly is spectacular, as is getting to know a glacier up close and personally.  For snow lovers, this is yet another notch to add to the travel experience belt.

*Thanks to Fox & Franz Josef Heliservices for the opportunity to see the glacier up close and personal.

The post Helicoptering Over Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand appeared first on XpatMatt.

Sandwiched between the driver and a Cambodian woman, with more gear and three grown men in the back, I did my best not do bump the gearshift and send us into reverse.  As the driver sped down the wrong side of the street to avoid slower traffic in front of us, I silently thought to myself that if we were to crash, I would be the first out the windshield.  As we narrowly missed clipping another cab with nine passengers, I felt a little less fear about our six.

Two hours later we arrived in Kampot, ready to trek to Cambodia’s version of a Cenote – a never-before-dove cave.

First, we had to procure motorbikes.  Oh, and a guide.  That in itself took a few hours to sort out.  After all, we were on Cambodian time.  I hopped on behind Marcin, Dive Shop Cambodia’s resident dive master.

“Don’t kill us, Marcin,” I said to him as we started off.

He promised to do his best.

The trek started out innocently enough.  We rode through the town center and for the first time, I saw beautiful mountains in an otherwise flat Cambodia.  This must be the Bokhor Mountains I had heard so much about.

Suddenly, we veered off of the nice, paved road onto a sandy, wet excuse for a trail.

This was uncharted territory we were heading into, as evidenced by even our guide taking pictures of the trek with his phone.

We were going on nothing more than a rumor.  We were going on a hunch.

We drove through thick puddles of mud and every now and then, miniature bodies of water, surrounded by nothing but the occasional shack and the natural beauty that surrounds Kampot.  Whenever I felt the ride getting particularly bumpy, I let go of the back handles and held onto Marcin’s shoulder – capable moto driver that he was – my other hand always filming.  After all, I had to document this endeavor of sheer lunacy.

Once we got to the point that the road was no longer any semblance of a road, it was time to continue on foot.  This part of the trek involved pushing aside vines, letting the bare-foot and shirtless guide in front of us hack away vegetation with his machete, and generally climbing hand and foot over rocks.

Once we reached the waterfall, I finally understood the meaning of the saying “it’s the journey, not the destination.”

We had reached a beautiful apex, complete with trees growing out of rocks, and evidence that very few others had reached this point in the jungle.  After all, there was hardly a trail.

We were sad to realize there was no underwater cave.  There was no Cambodian version of a Cenote for us to dive.  It was a heartbreaking realization, but nonetheless, we trekked where few have boldly trekked before.  That, in itself, was adventure enough for me.

We may not have discovered Cambodia’s first cenote, but we had one hell of an adventure. Big thanks to Dive Shop Cambodia for taking me on a trek that very few others get to experience.  In any event, we made up for the lack of cenote diving by taking two amazing dives off of Koh Rong, an island close to Sihanoukville.

That night, I dined on my fried beef luc lac, feeling that I had earned it during my day’s work.

Though I know the Dive Shop Cambodia keeps the dream alive to find a cenote, I enjoyed my time simply hunting for one.  My fingers are crossed that one day, they are successful.

For a better idea of what the journey looked like, checkout  my video at the top of the page.

Lead image by EyeofJ

The post Cenote Hunting in Cambodia appeared first on XpatMatt.