Beach Bummin' It - Ko Tao & Ko Phangan, Thailand

After our whirl-wind travel through Spain and Egypt, and especially the not-so-fun day delay we had trying to get from Egypt to Thailand, all we wanted to do was collapse on the beach.  After arriving in Bangkok, standing between us and the beach were 3 sky train rides, a metro ride, a 5 hour wait at the train station, a 10 hour train ride, and overnight stay in Chumpon, and a 3 hour ferry ride the next day.  Sometimes travel is certainly not easy.  But we finally arrived to Ko Tao, a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand known for it’s scuba sites and certification.  As it was monsoon season, the southeastern beaches in Thailand were most ideal weather-wise.  After settling into a little concrete room on Sairee beach, the touristy section for lack of a better idea, we were ready to hit the beach!

 

Our time on Thailand’s beaches are more aptly described by what we didn’t do than what we did do.  We didn’t take many pictures (actually none the first two weeks), we didn’t visit any tourist sites, and we didn’t go on any hikes.  In fact, we didn’t do much at all the first few days except eat delicious Thai food, go to the beach, and read.  We did spend a lot of time staring at our oscillating Hatari fan wishing for it come our way and cool us off!   

 

One of the few things we did do was go on a snorkel trip around the island. Here is a picture of our boat and then the other boat we ended up having to tow when it broke down:

When we arrived to the beach, we were surprised that everyone seemed in their early 20s, single, really fit, and looking for a party.  Even though only perhaps 10 years separated us from them, we felt miles apart in life stage and quite old.  This was driven home by the girl next door holding post parties in her room at 5:00 am in the morning and by the continuous cigarette smoke drifting into our window from the folks smoking outside.  So even though we figured out the younguns were leftovers from the famous monthly full-moon parties on neighboring island Ko Phangan, we decided to pack up and hit a quieter section of the island .  Therefore, we headed to Tao Thong resort, a tiny place with bungalows facing the water.

 

Although the beaches were not the best at Tao Thong resort, you couldn’t beat the view from our room and we had a few pleasant days reading, snorkeling, and relaxing.  At night we went up to the Sky Bar to lose at playing pool with the locals.  Tom even watched the world cup final up there – from 1:30 am to 4:45 am in the morning!  Needless to say I had a nice snooze why he cheered on Netherlands (who lost).

 

Taking the longboat to Tao Thong:



The view of the "resort" from the water:



Some views from our room and of the bungalow we were in:

After so much time not doing anything, we decided to get a life and learn how to scuba dive.  Ko Tao is one of the cheapest places in the world to learn to dive and more people get certified here than anywhere else in the world.  So we signed up for a 4 day course with Buddha View and we had a great time learning to dive.  At first we were nervous about it but at the end of the course we decided scuba diving is easier and more relaxing than snorkeling. 

The view of Buddha Rock:

 

Relaxing after a tough day diving:

 

Unfortunately, Tom’s ear started bothering him and after being diagnosed with an ear infection, our scuba days were put on hold.  So we headed over to the next island, Ko Phangan, to well… do more of doing nothing.  The big development there was that we sprung for air conditioning, which was a luxury much appreciated after a few weeks sweltering without it, despite Hatari's best efforts.  As Tom’s ear did not feel better we had to rent a scooter to go to the hospital a couple of times.  I can be confident in saying that Ko Phangan's medical care may not be quite up to snuff so we decided that when we got to Bangkok, we'd be sure to see a "real" doctor.  While Tom recuperated and enjoyed the AC,  I did do one more dive to Sail Rock… and of course I was too lazy to take any pictures of it!   

 

Here are some pictures we did take on Ko Phangan:

 

We enjoyed our time on Thailand's beaches and it was a good opportunity to relax and recharge our traveling batteries a bit.  However, since Tom couldn't swim with his ear we decided it would behoove us to explore the interior of the country a bit before heading to Bangkok... and we'd learn maybe it would have been better to stay on the beach!

 

- Amber

 

 

Comments

[Scott Van Winkle]

These are some amazing photos and experiences. Hope your ear feels better soon, Tom. Do you mind if I add your blog to my "blogs I'm following" list on my blog? It's linked to in my header.

[True Religion Jeans]

No, problem. Sorry I didn't respond earlier. I was wondering what your views were, because I don't know anyone who practices this model or has any interest/knowledge in it, so I can't really ask what they think; and I appreciate you answering my questions. Like you said it would benefit me to have my own projector but it would be very costly and a hassle.

[Jungle Tours Thailand]

There are various activities that you can perform, like Hiking, Biking, Golf, Amusement Parks, Fishing, Wildlife Viewing, Shopping, Restaurants, Swimming, etc..