Goodbye Koh Tao – Hello Chiang Mai!

I decided to not go through with my Divemaster on just about the day it was supposed to start. The question over whether I really wanted to pursue it or not niggled into my mind somewhere in Kuala Lumpur – probably while I was staring at the ceiling fan of my 6ft x 12ft cell. Did I really want to spend the next 2 months in a town with 2 roads and a dozen restaurants? Also there’s no surf. And let’s be honest, the Internet working 25% of the time is kind of a factor.

I really like this island – and if it had waves I would be staying here for a very long time. But it doesn’t. And if you’re not diving there is literally nothing to do besides eat, drink, and sit on the computer.

Which is pretty much what I’ve been doing the past 3 weeks while I pounded out my first iOS  game, Save Penguin!

It was a great experience – and game development is something that I may pursue more seriously. It combines a lot of what I love – story telling, powerful algorithms, art and emotion, and so much more. It’s one of the more multi-disciplinary areas I’ve explored and I’m interested in seeing if it’s something I could do for the long term.  But for now, I’m taking a few days off as I travel up to Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand!

I visited Chiang Mai a few years ago when Courtney and I travelled around Thailand. It’s a pretty large city but it feels a lot smaller than it is. The weather is a little cooler, the people are a little friendlier, and the air is a lot cleaner (than Bangkok, that is!).

Once I arrive I’ll be writing more frequently again – my month of 12-hour programming days is now over.

And I seriously cannot wait to go running!