Ko Tao – Wow!
(ok, I’ll stop with the cheesey rhyming subject titles, but that one was too temptingly obvious)
Have spent the last 5 days on the most beautiful island of Ko Tao, just north of Ko Phangan. I’ve met so many lovely people (all about half my age – kids on their gap year before they start uni…), but its been really good fun so far. I was planning on spending about 3 nights here, but I think its going to be more like 2 weeks…
Jodie and I got the ferry over together – she was keen on diving and the weather was so rubbish in Ko Phangan(and I was promised it would stay rainy for another 3 days), so I decided to go with her. Of course when I woke up in the morning, it was the most blisteringly hot day with not a cloud in the sky. Ah well.
On the ferry we met a Canadian girl called Maaike and we agreed to find accommodation together. Hmm- we are all on very different budgets… but: this is the new me so I didn’t make any noise when the two of them agreed to take a hut with no hot water and just mattresses on the floor. Well for 2 quid a night I can hardly complain! Had a wander around town during the day and flopped down to watch a movie and fire twirlers on the beach. (they must have given some guy a few ideas because he managed to set Jodie’s bag on fire. This was very late and he could hardly stand from too many buckets of alcohol lethal stuff)
The next day (29th- whatever day that was – I have no idea any more) was pretty uneventful, but we met up with Paul and Kerry-Anne who had come over from Ko Phangan the day before us. Such lovely lovely people – they’re here on holiday and so on a slightly more “fun” budget than Jodie and I so they invited us to join them the next day on a long tail boat they had hired to go around the island.
Up ridiculously early the next day (ok, well 9:30 IS early if you have been getting out of bed / off the mattress at noon every day) to meet Paul at the pier with the long tail. Went to a bautiful tiny island called Nang Yuang, Mango Bay and Hin Wong Bay. Saw some very cool fish, some not so cool: there are some very aggressive nasty bitey fish that suck really hard on your legs if you stay still for too long. Piranhas in Thailand? The last bay, Hin Wong was just desolate, with no one else around, just a few fishing boats. Really magical. Once we got dropped th boat back off, we went back to Paul an Kerry-Anne’s room (aah, to be here on pounds/euros and on holiday…) and then took them out for dinner to say thanks. More fire and singhas on the beach, although no one actually was set on fire this night. Maaike’s friend Ruth arrived and stayed with us too so there were now 4 of us sleeping in a 2 bed room. (pregnant pause)
Yesterday I took off on my own to do a bit of exploring. I reckoned I needed to do a bit of exercise after all the delicious food I’ve been gobbling, so chose a mountain bike. As I was walking to the bike rental place I did notice that no one rents bikes around here – everyone rents scooters. How lazy! I thought. Well an hour later, with sweat squirting from every pour and gaspingfor breath I took the bike back and swapped it for a scooter. Sadly the only one they had was bright pink with a basket in front. VERY uncool. Especially if you are also the only person on the whole island who wears a helmet (I am definately not a good scooter driver). After almost crashing into every stationary object in my path I got out of the town area and went up the mountain to find Mango Bay. On the way I passed a completely random little “refreshment stand” on the side of the road. They all waved and called out to me (how friendly) and I shouted “sawadee kah!” back to them. About 200m down the very steep hill to the bay, I realised that they must have been calling to me to stop and not go further (the pink bike, basket and helmet probably gave it away that I was not a competent driver), so I turned around an stopped there for a coke. There was a very cute little monkey that I made friends with, until I tried to open my bag and it went completely beserk and bit me! Quite hard, the little bastard! His teeth had been filed down, so it didn’t break the skin, but I will not be making friends with monkeys anymore. Lesson learnt!
Met up with a German couple, Anna and Tobi who had taken their quad bike down the same road and got stuck and after a nice chat with the people who ran the shop, we went off to Hin Wong bay together where we spent the day snorkelling and lying in the sun. It was even more beautiful than I had remembered it from yesterday and so I am going to go off and stay there tomorrow evening until… Sunday? Or perhaps longer? Who knows!
Came back to Sai Ree (the main town area where I’m staying) and met up wit Jodie to hold her hand while she got a bamboo tattoo on the back of her neck.
And then today I’ve really just been here, in the air conditioned www cafe next to a lovely open sewer (so typing as quickly as possible – forgive all the typos) and down at the pool, reading. I think it will be a tame night tonight (thank goodness), so probably a movie and some street food, then off to bed for an early start in the morning to Hin Wong Bay for some peace and quiet!
The road to Mango Bay!
