Koh Tao (Turtle Island) is all completely different from the last time I was here. The main beach area has become a hugely developed shopping and eating complex. As soon as we arrived though, we hired a moped and went around the island looking for the quieter spots.. and we found some, but why is it that even those eejits who bring wheelie cases to sandy islands end up comfortably gliding from speed boat to ac room, I have to crawl through jungle and climb rocks to find a hut to sleep in? Even with a moped, on this island shaped like the back of a turtle's shell, I usually end up having to hike up and slide down the rocky dirt tracks.. as Angel zooms past on the bike shouting at me to think how hard my thighs will be!
The room we ended up in is right on top of the hill overlooking Tanote Bay. The view is incredible but the place is not actually officially open yet. It's a maze of interlinked pastel blue painted concrete platforms formed around granite boulders. Mmmmmmm! Think it's not been updated in about 20 years. It's even got a DJ booth and an open air dance floor and the paths through the jungly bits of garden conceal boxes with hidden speakers. A Thai brother and sister bought it two months ago from an old stoner called Mama Leila, who unfortunately had to sell it to pay her gambling debts.
It's a little bit like the money pit here. Feel a bit sorry for the new owners. We only stayed 3 nights and we had problems with the electricity which flickered all the time a la 70s disco, the water went off just as Angel had had a long call and blocked the loo up and again when he was in the shower. The amount of times I had to politely practise my rusty Thai on the balcony, while Angel was trying to hurry up in the bathroom... The upside is that the room is huge and the balcony has an amazing view of the bay in the distance - a great place for our nightly beer before heading out for dinner.
The restaurant isn't up and running yet, but they let us use their drinks fridge to keep our breakfast in. Since Mumbai, we've been having museli, fresh fruit and yoghurt every morning. We have a huge container of museli which we refill when we find it, and buy coffee yoghurt and fruit in the morning. - One concession to healthy eating and sticking to our budget!
Koh Tao is famous for it's diving. I think it's considered one of the best sites in Asia. The snorkelling is also amazing. We spent a couple of days riding from beach to beach to check out the marine life. Wow! What colours! In the end we decided against going to the full moon on Ko Pa Ngan (literally packed with people) and we're staying a bit longer here. We've both been to full moon a few times before and don't feel like bracing a scrum of at least 30,000! Last time Angel went, he lost his cousin Che, and didn't see him again till the next day. Instead, we had a dinner date with a lovely old couple from Canada! Passing up the opportunity to go to a 'Global Dance Festival' with 30,000 people to eat out with an elderly (albeit very entertaining) couple - I dunno, how things change!;)
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