Island Hopping-- First Stop Koh Tao!

Just as it started to downpour with rain, we took a long bus journey from Bangkok to Chumpon and then a boat to Koh Tao on the Gulf of Thailand where Des spent 4 months doing his dive masters several years ago. We arrived at the ferry around 5 am and watched the sunrise as we waited for our departure. Pulling up to Koh Tao (turtle island but sadly, no turtles were seen) we could see the fish through the crystal blue water. Des says it has changed loads and is much busier with now over 40 dive shops and loads of expansion with restaurants and guesthouses. Koh Tao is well known for the brilliant and cheap scuba diving and we both hoped to get a few dives in but the weather (and lack of visibility, apparently always an issue around the time of the full moon as the coral is spawning) made us refrain.

I thought it was a very charming, laid-back and beautiful place but it was quite a shock to be surrounded with mostly foreigners rather than locals for a change! We spent 3 or 4 days on Koh Tao exploring the island on scooter and snorkeling amidst the beautiful neon fish, sea cucumbers and other little creatures (got a few stings from tiny invisible jelly-fish--small but slightly painful!)We also traveled some very dodgy, bumpy and gravelly roads on scooter and went out to Shark Bay and Mango beach.

Digger that helped by pushing our scooter through the mud

Crashing waves on windy day

We got showered on a bit while we were there, but nothing compared to what we experienced on the South-West islands! We celebrated St. Patty's day in true green form after finding a little pub that served Bulmer's and had the gaelic football and hurling on!

We left the day of the full-moon and headed out to Koh Pangan where the original full-moon parties are held. The morning before we left I sliced by big toe open on cracked bamboo which was extremely painful and there was lots of blood. Des dragged me to the nurse where funnily enough he had a giant piece of glass removed from his foot years before. She healed my toe up with a big funny bandage and it is only really starting to heal now (nearly 3 weeks later).

After the visit to the nurse

Next Stop....Full Moon Party! x