Days 16, 17, 18:
There is not much to blog here except about the beauty of Ko Tao. After our 2 hour bumpy boat ride with uptight Austrians, we finally arrived at our destination.
Unfortunately, we were late again and Ko Tao Resort had already made its pick up. We secured a cab ride on the back of a pick up truck, the common form of taxis in Ko Tao, and drove through the dusty roads, even picking up a stray barefoot farang who had been there since January and was currently working at some local establishment.
We soon arrived at Ko Tao Resort and were immediately swept away to Paradise. We checked into our mountainside bungalow with no hot water, and changed into our suits for our first dip into the Gulf of Thailand.
The crystal water extended hundreds of meters out into the reef where sand bars dotted the landscape. People threw balls and Frisbees or just sat on the sand bar soaking up the sun and letting the warm salt water cascade over their shoulders. We chose to do the latter and stared out at the tropical island with trees and rock croppings all around us.
All the food at Ko Tao Resort was delicious and there menu extensive. All the other European farangs ate western food, but Sue and I dove into the Thai dishes, extra spicy please...phet phet. We dined on a whole red snapper one evening and a white snapper the following.
I decided to take in a half day scuba course and had a private instructor for the adventure. The experience was other worldly and after dealing with discomfort in the ear on my first decent, had a marvelous time. I had difficulty maintaining proper buoyancy and my instructor often corrected me by lifting my legs or gently pushing down on my air tank.
On the trip I met a couple Japanese brothers. One obtaining certification and the other an already certified open water diver. The dive company I learned was run by Japanese and we talked about our recent trip to Japan and ended up having dinner with them later that evening.
We also had an incredible Thai massage in an open air bungalow in a garden next to the beach where Sue had her neck cracked and regained mobility she hadn't had since she was 5 years old.
Ko Tao was an amazing location and super affordable once we were there. The resort was filled with an abundance of caring staff and had an infinity pool steps from the beach. Pleasant people, great food, sweet drinks, and heavenly environment made for an unforgettable experience.
Upon our sad departure, we had secured a ride on a high speed catamaran for about 500 baht cheeper then our mini speed boat. We were done with that ride. We arrived at the Ko Tao port and to an overwhelming amount of farangs all headed to various destinations by boat. We learned there is even a boat/bus ticket you can get from Bangkok to Ko Tao.
The catamaran was an air-conditioned, leather seat ride on a deck that held well over 100 people with loads of back packs and travel bags piled on top of each other in the front of the cabin. There was even a 'B' movie called Komodo vs. Cobra playing on various televisions throughout. It was a wild mix of crunchy people and other tourists all returning from a bit of paradise.
Of course we were late for our plane back to Bangkok, but our flight was delayed so there were no problems and we were able to relax a bit at the Ko Samui airport where they had a new outdoor shopping mall called Park Avenue Samui, lol.
Thai phrase of the day:
aroy maak: very delicious
There is not much to blog here except about the beauty of Ko Tao. After our 2 hour bumpy boat ride with uptight Austrians, we finally arrived at our destination.
Unfortunately, we were late again and Ko Tao Resort had already made its pick up. We secured a cab ride on the back of a pick up truck, the common form of taxis in Ko Tao, and drove through the dusty roads, even picking up a stray barefoot farang who had been there since January and was currently working at some local establishment.
We soon arrived at Ko Tao Resort and were immediately swept away to Paradise. We checked into our mountainside bungalow with no hot water, and changed into our suits for our first dip into the Gulf of Thailand.
The crystal water extended hundreds of meters out into the reef where sand bars dotted the landscape. People threw balls and Frisbees or just sat on the sand bar soaking up the sun and letting the warm salt water cascade over their shoulders. We chose to do the latter and stared out at the tropical island with trees and rock croppings all around us.
All the food at Ko Tao Resort was delicious and there menu extensive. All the other European farangs ate western food, but Sue and I dove into the Thai dishes, extra spicy please...phet phet. We dined on a whole red snapper one evening and a white snapper the following.
I decided to take in a half day scuba course and had a private instructor for the adventure. The experience was other worldly and after dealing with discomfort in the ear on my first decent, had a marvelous time. I had difficulty maintaining proper buoyancy and my instructor often corrected me by lifting my legs or gently pushing down on my air tank.
On the trip I met a couple Japanese brothers. One obtaining certification and the other an already certified open water diver. The dive company I learned was run by Japanese and we talked about our recent trip to Japan and ended up having dinner with them later that evening.
We also had an incredible Thai massage in an open air bungalow in a garden next to the beach where Sue had her neck cracked and regained mobility she hadn't had since she was 5 years old.
Ko Tao was an amazing location and super affordable once we were there. The resort was filled with an abundance of caring staff and had an infinity pool steps from the beach. Pleasant people, great food, sweet drinks, and heavenly environment made for an unforgettable experience.
Upon our sad departure, we had secured a ride on a high speed catamaran for about 500 baht cheeper then our mini speed boat. We were done with that ride. We arrived at the Ko Tao port and to an overwhelming amount of farangs all headed to various destinations by boat. We learned there is even a boat/bus ticket you can get from Bangkok to Ko Tao.
The catamaran was an air-conditioned, leather seat ride on a deck that held well over 100 people with loads of back packs and travel bags piled on top of each other in the front of the cabin. There was even a 'B' movie called Komodo vs. Cobra playing on various televisions throughout. It was a wild mix of crunchy people and other tourists all returning from a bit of paradise.
Of course we were late for our plane back to Bangkok, but our flight was delayed so there were no problems and we were able to relax a bit at the Ko Samui airport where they had a new outdoor shopping mall called Park Avenue Samui, lol.
Thai phrase of the day:
aroy maak: very delicious
2 comments:
Sounds like you're coming down the home stretch - I've just caught up, and am quite envious of all the food and beautiful locations you're experienced. Can't wait to get the live report when you get back. Love, Mom / Chris
Sean/Sue -
Hoping to see more about your travels soon. You are I am sure busy having a wonderful time. Cannot wait to see/talk to you both. I read about the unrest in Bangkok. I am sure you are far removed from it.
Much love.
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