Exploring Koh Tao Part 2 ( Thailand 2017)

Day 7

In the same boat

This is our snorkelling day trip. We meet with our ‘guide’ at the resort by 10 am.

There are about 12 other people with us, which makes us a rather small group. The way I like it.

We are all given a life vest, some snorkelling gear and we’re off (1).

Our trip includes a tour of the island, with four stops along the way.

The boat is a double-decker. Since we’re a such a small group, there’s plenty of space for everyone.

Also, there’s a cute puppy (mentioned in all the reviews online) that craves some attention.

Surprisingly for a dog who lives near the ocean, he never went in the water once.

But when no one was around to pet him, he would just drive the boat.

Did a pretty good job at it, too.

Our first stop is at Shark Island (2), where we were supposed to see some sharks (small ones, don’t worry). It wasn’t the right season.

Then we stopped at Ao Leuk Bay (3), famous for its sea turtles. There wasn’t any.

Finally we stopped at Mango Bay (4). I was very disappointed to not see any swimming mango either…

Our guide – who could only speak some basic English - never dove with us.

He would stay on the boat and ring a bell after some time to tell us to swim back onboard.

However, I asked him to check my equipment every single time before I went into the water and I never had any issue with it.

So, we didn’t see any shark, turtle or mango.

It doesn’t mean that we didn’t meet plenty of other fish along the way. Mostly the same kind, though.

My camera isn’t waterproof and by now I have forgotten what they look like. However, on the next page are those I definitely encountered.

Lunch was basic (I got fried pork with garlic and pepper), but our guide provided us with free watermelon all day long.

It was the best way to keep everyone well hydrated. I ate a ton of it.

This is not Shark Bay, but with a rock shaped like that, they really missed on an opportunity‌

Our final stop is a private dive resort on the tiny island of Nangyuan (5).

It is made of three pieces of land, connected together by a massive sandbar.

We need to pay an entrance fee to step foot on the island , but it is definitely worth it.

However, when we arrive, our priority is to get away from the burning sun.

The only bar on the island is fairly pricy and overcrowded, and the sun is beating right on the beach.

Instead, I can see that the other side of the island is in the shade and I suggest we get there.

The other side of the island is surrounded by a wooden walkway - must be pretty dangerous in case of strong wind.

Lucky for us, the weather has been gorgeous all day.

Unfortunately, all places in the shade are occupied by private bungalows.

We’ve walked all the way to a dead end and now we have to get back. Quinn is coming back to the beach, but I’m not. Not just yet.

We just passed a sign for a viewpoint and I’d like to get up there if it doesn’t take too long.

When people are climbing down, I ask them about it. It’s no more than a 10min hike. Even in flip flops, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Out of the two hours we are allowed on the island, we’ve already wasted some good 45min just by walking on the wooden walkway and back.

I’m not going to lose anymore time by simply getting to some place else.

The path is steep, narrow and crowded, but it’s also paved – and ironically in the shade of the trees.

I walk much faster than most people and get to the top in less than 10 minutes.

However, the very top requires some rock climbing – which is pretty hard to do in sweaty, slippery flip flops

When I get to the top, I’m drowning in sweat and out of breath. Even for such a short hike. But if I’d never tried, I would have regretted forever.

The vista from the top is what dream postcards are made of. One of the most beautiful sceneries I have ever laid eyes on.

When I see all these boats packed full of tourists flocking to the island, I’m glad we didn’t choose this kind of cruise for the day.

‘I’m a customer. I payed big money to be here. Your rules don’t apply to me…‘

With its surrounding shallow reefs, where the water is calm and clear, Koh Nang Yuan is known to be one of the best snorkelling spots in Thailand.

I barely had 20 minutes left to enjoy it, but I’ve probably seen more fish here alone than during the rest of the day trip.

Simply amazing! Too bad we had to leave so soon.

When we got back on the boat, for some reason, everybody stayed on the lower deck.

They’ve been frying on the roof all afternoon, and now that the sun is getting low, they stay in the shade.

I don’t get it. Anyway, I have the whole upper deck for myself. This calls for a couple of pictures.

See the view from the boat and more on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgO0FVnsfnw

Back on the shore with a couple of souvenirs - despite our precautions, we both scored nasty sunburns.

We head back to the hotel for a cold shower and some skin-soothing gel. Good thing I bought one a few days ago just in case.

A toy store on the island. Notice how accurate the names are. ‘Space Wars’? Close enough, I guess.

A ‘Toy Story 4’ gun? Impressive, given that the movie hasn’t even come out yet.

It’s finally time to try Su Chili. Restrospectively, one of the best restaurants on the island.

Quinn gets seafood mixed with rice and basil leaves, and a coconut.

I go for something more filling – a whole fish steamed with veggies.

I think it’s a dish that is supposed to be shared, but I could eat a horse.

At least, a sea horse. They’re smaller...

I manage to eat the whole fish by myself and I still have some space for dessert.

I get mango and sticky rice (one of my favorite Thai desserts). I had been looking for it since we set foot on the island.

The rice is creamy and the mango melts in your mouth. Perfect. But ironically, I was so full by the end that I couldn’t even finish it‌

After our meal, we walk along the beach for some well-deserved digestion and get a bunch of souvenirs.

Tomorrow is our last day on Koh Tao (our ferry leaves at 3pm). Is there anything special we can still do?

I’m thinking about waking up early to watch the sunrise. Oh, who am I kidding? We can barely walk and our skin is burning hot.

There’s no way I’ll manage to wake up before dawn.

Just in case, I look up the time of sunrise for tomorrow : 6.45am. It’s not that early. I can make it. But then, it hit me: - if Sairee Beach is the perfect spot for watching the sunset, it means that the sun rises from the complete opposite side of the island. Oops‌

Day 8

Every cloud has a silver lining

I’d like to say that I woke up at 6am by sheer strong will. But the fact is that it was too hard to keep liying down because of the sunburns…

I’ve read of the perfect viewpoint on the other side of the island and hoped I could get there on time to watch the sunrise.

When I leave the hotel, it’s still pitch black and there’s almost no one around yet. I follow the main road for 20 min till I get to the pier.

There, I use my best bargaining skills to get a taxi driver to bring me to the viewpoint.

We agree that he would wait for me for 30min and then drive me back.

He drives me to a tiny hotel at the top of a hill. By the time I get there, I’m expecting to see crowds of people already bathing in the sun.

But there’s no one else besides me. Not even the sun. Actually, today is unusually cloudy…

Typical... I checked the time of sunrise, found the best viewpoint on the island and managed to get there early enough.

But I never looked at the weather forecast. And wouldn’t you know, they’re even expecting rain around the time we get on the ferry - I’m so looking forward to it already…

Too bad I chose the wrong day to see the sunrise. Yet, the view alone was worth it.

I did manage to get a glimpse of the sun for a few minutes.

But the clouds came back right away with a vengeance.

Oh well, my 30minutes are up. There’s not much point in staying any longer.

So, we drive back to the pier.

Back on the pier, it must be around 8am.

Tourists are having coffee at the bar and the locals are busy loading and unloading shipments.

I walk around for a while to take some pictures. I got up that early, I should benefit from it as much as I can.

I knew there were pirates in Southern Thailand, but I expected them more‌ threatening-looking.

Now, that’s a guy I wouldn’t mess around with…

When I’m done, the best French bakery on the island has just opened.

I get some pastries to surprise Quinn with breakfast in bed.

It’s almost 9am now and look who finally decided to show up.

This morning, I walked on the main road to get to the pier.

But now that the sun is up, I’d rather enjoy the beach one last time.

Especially, because I can have it all for myself.

I think these are giant cages to catch customers who try to sneak out without paying the bills.

On the island, folks tell the story of a cursed fisherman who died tragically by choking on a frozen fish stick.

Now, the boat of this wretched soul appears sometimes after the full moon, with a tight noose, to remind weary travellers of his woeful fate.

Back at the hotel, we take time to pack our bags and leave them at the reception. A taxi will pick us up at 1pm.

We still have time for a drink, lunch and browse the shops for more souvenirs.

For lunch, we come back to Su Chili.

Quinn gets some Tom Kha (Chicken Coconut Soup).

I just need a couple of spring rolls and a large lemon juice.

I’m still full from last night‌

By 1pm, we get caught in rain showers – as it had been forecast.

It’s still raining here and there when our ferry shows up.

But this is a comfortable triple-deck speedboat and, inside, you barely feel the boat rocking at all.

After a long speedboat+bus combo, we arrive in Chumphon at 6pm. Our train leaves in three hours.

The bus has left us right in front of the train station. All we have to do now is have dinner and wait patiently.

Opposite from the station, there’s a fancy restaurant, but we walk down the street to find a smaller place that caters mainly to locals.

Also, the street is packed with food stalls.

They have quite some variety, from BBQ meat, to fresh fruits, popcorn and smoothies.

I get a bit of everything and we sit down at the station.

I’ve been up since dawn.

My legs are restless and I can’t wait to get some sleep.

I’m glad that our train arrived right on schedule this time.

This is the end of our trip in Koh Tao. Tomorrow, we’ll be back in Bangkok.

day7