Koh Tao

There are three main islands off the east coast of southern Thailand, Koh Samui, Koh Phangnan and Koh Tao. I chose Koh Tao because after all the research, it was the only place that wasn’t described as a drunken, Dionysian, cesspool of debauchery. Koh Tao is named so for its turtle-shape and has yet to be as developed as other, more popular islands. Part of the reason for this underdevelopment is that it is the farthest from the mainland port city of Surat Thani and it takes a long time to reach. The particular ferry I took lasted 8 hours. The journey can be made in about 4-5 on the nice, luxury line ferry, but I was feeling adventurous… and the last one of those left before my flight landed. So I was stuck on the 8 hour ferry from hell. The ferry is a cargo ship that slowly chugs between the mainland and Koh Tao every night from 11pm to 7am. The upper deck of the ferry was divided right down the middle and passengers were entitled to a width of about 24 inches and a pillow of about 8 inches. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep at all and my face was a lovely shade of green as I arrived in Koh Tao.

Getting off the ferry, I was ambushed by taxi drivers all wanting to know where I needed to be taken. If I had done my research correctly, I could have walked to my hostel so I wearily waved them away… and then walked the wrong way. At about 7:45 in the morning, after backtracking and then finding that the hostel I did book was out of my price range, I settled on the one next door: the Blue Diamond Dive Resort. I found food, relaxed and settled into the next 11 days like I was born to sit on a beach.

The rest of the trip was filled with beach time. And then a little bit more beach time. The sand was almost white; the water was a clear turquoise; the sun was bright, but not too hot. This is my definition of paradise. The bungalow I was staying in was about a 30 second walk from the beach and the timing of my trip was perfectly situated at the end of the rainy season and before the busy tourist season. Perfection.

A few of the fun things I did on the island:

Snorkeling. I went snorkeling three times. Koh Tao is known for its clear reefs and deep water diving sites. It's a popular destination for travelers wanting to get their divers' certification. I, however, barely able to doggy paddle from A to B, forewent having meters and meters of water between me and open air. A lovely alternative is snorkeling, which I enjoyed thoroughly. The fish were gorgeous. Some were yellow, others were electric blue and some were both. I felt a bit like Dr. Seuss. Big fish, small fish, red fish, blue fish.

Water taxi. One of the days, I decided to take a boat taxi around the entire island to see what else there was. I had previously tried to bike around the island (it is that small) but there is not yet a paved road that goes all the way around. The bike trip ended quite quickly when it became unpleasantly clear to my hamstrings that the island wasn't flat. My hamstrings had a word with my lungs and the other organs you need when you exercise, and they decided that a better option is to pay someone to take you around the island in a boat. You know that I'm going to say it was beautiful, but I'll say it anyway. It was beautiful. So much of the island is undeveloped and there were only 2 or 3 more bays that had been built upon. I stopped about halfway around the island and snorkeled for a bit and had lunch. This particular bay had pure white sand and the most breathtaking flowers and trees. You know that God had a great day when He created this. It was probably the same day He invented football, escalators, peanut butter and the food delivery service.

Muay Thai boxing. Muay Thai kickboxing has a 400 year old tradition. It began as an unarmed combat method used by soldiers. It has become known as the "Art of Eight Limbs" because they can punch, elbow, knee and kick. I saw a poster on my first day on Koh Tao advertising an event that would be eight fights. It was in an open-air boxing stadium and nearly the whole island came to watch. The first fight was between a 10 and an 11 year old. Before the fights, each fighter performs his own ritual of bowing and walking around the ring. The fights themselves varied from young boys dancing around each other for 10 minutes to fully grown machines of muscle drawing blood and and bequeathing unconsciousness. It was an incredible experience.

As all times spent on beaches, sipping drinks with little umbrellas end, the date of my departure came too soon. The trip back to Bangkok for my flight home was uneventful and surprisingly quick. The 7 hour bus up to Bangkok was air-conditioned and they showed cinematic masterpieces such as The Prince of Persia and Salt. The best part of this leg of the trip is that the last 10 minutes of The Prince of Persia was in Russian.

Back in Bangkok, it was a quick taxi to the airport and then some sitting around until my 1am departure. I connected through Beijing and then was back in Seoul around 11am.

Similar to my time in Japan, I felt great relief when I returned to Seoul. Finally, back in a land where I could actually read the squiggles on buildings and signs, understand what people are saying, and for the first time in 20 days, I didn't have to wander around trying to sort out which bus to take! I got the bus back to my neighborhood, came home and took a nice, hot, long shower. I was so happy to be back in the land of kimchi, elbowing on the subways, and McDonald's delivery.