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Other entries in Koh Tao

Island Life

Koh Tao, as described by our travel book, is a beautiful, deserted, paradise so far untouched by the major tourist industry that otherwise envelops Thailand. copyright 2005. well, someone slipped up because this place was anything but isolated. apparently the word is out and it seems the entire mainland population is coming to cash in.

but first things first. lets talk about 6 hour overnight ferry rides. we got into chumphon around 1015 pm and thought we had until midnight to get to our boat thus giving us time to eat, stretch, relax, and then board a ship bound for the island. but when we got off the train, a woman approached and seemed to be in somewhat of a rush. apparently the midnight boat was equitable to crossing the sizeable channel on a giant tortoise. we must take the 11 pm ferry because it was much better and besides, this one had floor mats for sleeping. so we were taxied over there in the back of a pick-up truck but after we told her we were in need of food, we stopped at a 7-11 (we discovered in Thailand these easier to find than chopsticks) but found a street vendor outside selling bowls of noodle soup with sliced pork. using our newfound travel agent as a translator, we procured three bowls of the soup, sans broth, and had them wrapped up individually in butcher paper. while waiting for our food to be prepared and packaged, i was tapped on the arm by a seated Thai and while i didnt understand what he was saying, i clearly understood his gesture to offer me a cooked shrimp treat. he continued to hand me shrimps so as to feed david and marcela also and i bowed my head slightly and said thanks but something in his eyes told me he didnt totally understand my response so i had to shrug my shoulders and turn away with our now finished late dinner. we got to the docks and completed our deal with our helpful new friend and then were herded onto the rickety boat. it was packed full not only with passengers but also cargo bound for the small island 6 hours away. we crossed a wooden plank to get on board then climbed some aged steps into a poorly lit and slightly stuffy cramped cabin. there were maybe 30 people packed into this classroom sized area. some were already asleep, or feigning sleep, and there was little room to spread a mat. we were however able to secure an area right next to the stack of mats and after making our elegant beds for the evening, we dined on our brothless soup salad and then collapsed onto the paper thin mats for one of most comfortable and rest-filled nights of sleep in my life. if i could take that dingy and stained plastic mat with me and pull up those wooden floor boards to give me the opportunity to have a night of sleep that good again, i would, but they have these crazy rules against that here and besides, i wouldnt want to deprive another person of such a wonderful experience. we arrived to the island around 5 am and found that nothing was open. we had only the names of a few good sounding hotels (no such luck to find a backpacker hostel on this resort island) and when we were dropped off near the location, we found nothing helpful and could see no other options because it was still dark. so we took our stuff to a nearby beach and sat around until sunrise. with the sun encouraging us, we trekked a km or so over to an area described to contain one of thailands best and most isolated beaches. we got there and the hotel was nowhere in sight so we called using marcelas american cell phone and discovered a suprisingly alert for 6 am woman on the other end telling us the hotel we were looking for no longer exists. at this point we were happy to take anyhting so we stumbled down a nearby paved road to a resort we expected to be way out of our price range but were thrilled to discover a reasonable rate considering its location directly next to the beach. we were showed to our rooms and immediately fell asleep. seems like a running theme here.

Our plan for Koh Tao was to do common island things like go to the beach, swim of course, do some scuba diving, perhaps go fishing, eat some tropical foods, and if we were lucky, do something uniquely Thai. after our aearly morning nap, we jumped into the water next to our hotel and because it was an enclosed bay and shallow to boot, the water was extremely warm. im talking about bathtub warm, it was hot at times. we played around for a while in the water then explored our options on the island. the very helpful and bilingual front desk man told of the scuba shop attached to the resort and of a fishing trip he knew of that was good and inexpensive. marcela wasnt certified so she would have to take an introductory course the next day and then all three of us could dive the following day after that. so the next day david and i planned to take a fishing trip and marcela would train. in the evenings as well as the early mornings, we discovered that the dogs on the island have one of the best lives imaginable. if anyone has ever fantasized about being a dog, this is where you want to be one. they are active for only a few hours a day (when its not too hot), live on the beach, play in the surf, are fed well (all thai food scraps, not bad i think. i mean, id eat it), and have a constant source of companions to play with, both human and dog alike. we did our part to keep them entertained and grew jealous of their easy lives.

in the morning, david and i woke up early to make the boat and marcela had until 10 to sleep before her scuba lesson started. david and i were transported over to the main strip on the island and met with some other people who were heading out that day. but happily, when we got to the boat, we found that most of the people meating that morning were going out to snorkle and there were only going to be 5 people (not including the 2 crew) on the fishing vessel. we started out and eventually made it to what looked like a randomly selected spot in the middle of the sea. after a while i started to feel queesy because of the constant rocking and swaying of the boat. and when they brought out freshly fried fish for our pre-lunch snack, i lost it. what was funny about it, if you can find something funny about throwing up--and i can--is that while i was bent over the side of the small boat convulsing and making unpleasant sounding sounds, everyone else on the boat was sitting placidly munching on their fried fish. no one made any acknowledgement of the scene i was making and when i returned from seasickland, not a word was said. and then i immediately devoured my piece of fish. besides the lunch, the view, and the boatride, fishing was a bit of a waste. we spent probably 6-7 hours out at sea and only one fish was brought in. of course we got several bites, or we thought we felt bites, and the crew was almost constantly pulling in fish from their trolling lines out the back of the boat but the 5 farang caught almost nothing. so all i brought back from the day was a decent sunburn. oh, and as a consolation prize, the two friendly crew members provided us with a bag full of what they had been catching all day, some sort of small, skinny tuna. so we didnt leave empty handed, just sad that what we expected to be lots of fun was pretty boring and uneventful. but fishing provides for a certain amount of peace as one has much time to think and meditate. it wasnt a wasted day, just a disappointing one.

but the next day was great because we went out for two dives. this island is known for its diving and abundance of marine life. marcela had brought us some underwater cameras for this opportunity so we made use of them. there were lots of cool fish to look at and even some dangerous ones. this region is inhabited by some trigger fish who are quite protective of their territory and will often chase anyone or anything that comes near them all the way to the surface, biting them the entire way. these fish are not small, probably about the size of a medium sized pig. apparently while down there, a trigger fish came up and started biting at my fins but i felt nothing. my dive master was pulling me in one direction while this was allegedly happening so i figured there was a reason, i just didnt know it until we were able to talk about it on the boat. the great barrier reef had more fish to look at and was warmer water, but this was cheaper and took less time to get to our dive site, so each had its aspects. but in the end, diving is about being able to breathe underwater and see what you normally cannot, so for me, any diving is good diving.

now we are actually going to separate as david goes north back to bangkok to meet up with his parents who are on a brief asia tour. marcela and i are going to Khao Sok, a national park known for its beauty and animal life. we will all meet up back in bangkok on the 11th i believe.

ps

for some entertaining stories that dont include me, check out davids journal (the link is on my main page). he had one more night on the island and apparently got himself into some sticky situations involving some probable prostitutes, swedish girls wanting pierced body parts, and of course, some intense games of connect four.

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