Koh Tao (Thailand) – the snorkelling paradise

The trip from Bangkok to Koh Tao takes 11 hours, including waiting. We wait for an hour for our night bus at the station, without worrying too much however because it is raining and the delay is foreseeable. However, the organization is far from being their strong point. We have to harass several people to know which bus we take

The ticket we have is an all inclusive ticket: bus to Chumphorn + boat to Koh Tao. The bus leaves Bangkok at 8pm with only one rest stop at midnight. It’s very comfortable, quiet but it’s very cold (air conditioning in Asia is always a big problem). Luckily we took out our fleeces. At 4:30 am, a very unpleasant Thai voice wakes us up saying that those who go to Koh Tao must get off there, right now. Without JB, I would have missed this stop. We all pile up in the office of the boat company by realizing that the next boat leaves only at 7 am

Half dead, we try as hard as we can not to sleep and watch a bad movie on TV

The boat starts at 7am and will take 2h45 to arrive at Koh Tao. Everybody is so tired that sleep is there and nobody sees the time pass. It’s rather funny to see people’s faces when they don’t sleep much: dark circles get deeper, eyes get all red, buns form anyhow on those heads so pretty the day before

A gentleman comes by to see everyone and asks if we have booked a hotel. It is him who tells us that our hotel will come to pick us up for free. Good news!

Leaving the boat, we understand that hotels offering pick up like ours, send people to pick up the guests every time a boat arrives. And since they don’t know exactly what time they are arriving, they have to wait until all the guests get off the boat to leave. What a waste of energy!

Arrived at the hotel, we decide to take advantage immediately of the swimming pool, the beach and the Gulf of Thailand

However, we will discover a beach whose sand isn’t so fine. There are a lot of dead corals and small stones. Snorkelling is the most suitable activity. Unfortunately, I don’t like snorkelling. So I stay close to the shallow area, where you can observe some fish with the naked eye. From time to time, a flying fish makes a big jump and scares away the small fish near me

As for JB, he is doing very well, he even rents the flippers to go further. He will see bigger fish but nothing more

We eat at the hotel restaurant and swim again. I take advantage of the swimming pool which is very deep (2m95) – it is deep to facilitate the learning of diving

In spite of the beach being less paradisiacal than I thought, I am very happy to be in such a nice hotel with private beach, mosquito repellent windows and to enjoy a warm and abundant shower as I like. For 35€/night, we aren’t going to complain

I just note to add as a criterion for my next selection of hotels: “fine sand”, even if I have to walk a bit. And also “not too far away” so as not to depend only on the hotel’s restaurant

I find out by inquiring that there are other beaches on the island that are more compatible with swimming (no corals or stones, fine sand). We can take the paid shuttle from the hotel to go there tomorrow. Bonus: this beach is close to the city center, we will be able to eat in the street

JB loves this kind of idyllic setting and tells me that you can rent an apartment not too far from the beach for 120€/month. The dream!

Day 2: Chalok Baan Kao

We take the paid shuttle from the hotel to the beach of Chalok Baan Kao where the water, transparent, does not exceed the knee

This beach corresponds much more to my idea of Thai beaches. You can sit for hours on the sandy strips in the middle, where the water only reaches your ankles. The sand is a little bit strewn with pebbles and stones, you have to be careful where you put your feet but it’s the ideal beach for little ones (and adults). This beach is nevertheless not very suitable for European style tanning because there are a lot of ants. It is better to lie down in the water and tan

By the beach, there is a plant very appreciated by butterflies. About fifty butterflies turn around this plant permanently. It is super pretty!

Massage stands border the beach, you can see 2 or 3 beds next to each other, no curtain, so if you get a massage, it’s in everyone’s eyes. Apparently it is the case on almost all beaches (and even hotels)

We are wondering if we want to book a few nights here. The opinions on Tripadvisor do not encourage us, the place is perhaps too touristic. Finally, it was a good plan to sleep in our super hotel and to come to this type of beach in mode “guest”

The many bars and restaurants along the beach are very good and cheap. One can almost lie down while looking at the ocean. JB doesn’t understand why I eat all the time, I explained the concept to him (Thai, Vietnamese… well Asian, have easily 6 meals a day, there are dishes created especially for snacking) but he thinks it’s bad for his health. I take advantage all the same that we have nothing to do at the beach to eat every two hours

We benefit from the presence of the civilization (our hotel is in a little eccentric place) to make some shopping, to make me cut my hair (very successful cut besides), and to buy tickets of boat for Koh Phangan

The owner of the travel agency is very nice, she just bought her bubble tea je-ne-sais-où. In spite of my 6 meals, I really want to buy her bubble tea in exchange for my boat reservation at her place lol

At 7 eleven (the supermarket), I find a lot of things in miniature or travel format. Everyone who travels in Asia knows that small format shampoos (1ml) are on sale everywhere. Well in Thailand, miniatures aren’t only used for shampoos but also for hair care, moisturizing cream, sunscreen..

The shuttle of the hotel comes to pick us up at 5:30 pm, we sit down at the back of the pick up as usual. On the way, we will cross many tourists in scooter, without shoes nor sandals, wearing just their bathing suit (and possibly a beach towel). The good life!

We will spend a good part of the evening finding a hotel for our next destination: Koh Phangan, the island next door. Now that we know what we want (beautiful beach with fine sand but more or less deep, hotel with swimming pool, cheap), the task becomes much more difficult. We finally opt for a beach called “Haad Son”

Day 3: Snorkelling for JB

(this part is written by JB) After testing a little bit the snorkelling on the beach of our hotel, I decide to book a full day of snorkelling with the agency Oxygen Tour for 600 baht (15 euros). Anh will spend her day at the hotel, watching Game of Thrones, bathing, getting massages and being eaten by mosquitoes (note: we will understand later that they are actually spiders)

A pickup comes directly to pick me up and drop me off at the port of Koh Tao. I suspected it after having read the reviews on Tripadvisor: it is a little bit the tourist factory since we must be a good fifty to make this tour. I remember with nostalgia my half-day snorkelling trip to Key West (USA) last October: we were 6 + 3 crew members

It is nevertheless well organized, we are each given a bracelet with a letter and a number, it will be G13 for me. Distribution of masks and snorkels. Small surprise: no flippers, which is still a pity for a day of snorkelling. In the end it won’t bother me and won’t limit me in terms of exploration distance

It’s time for a day at sea where we will go around Koh Tao and make 4 stops to dive: Shark Bay, Aow Leuk, Hin Hong Bay, Mongo Bay. The weather is very nice and the landscapes are absolutely sumptuous. On the way, I discover with a certain jealousy many cab boat with 4 or 5 people inside who do snorkelling, much nicer than my big boat with more than 50 tourists. I then read on a blog that the cab boat day costs 2000 baht, if you are at least 3 or 4, it’s really worth the cost. On board, fruits are available: it’s very nice since I did a jog before leaving and I didn’t have breakfast

We make our first stop. Second little surprise: no safety briefing, no instructions on environmental protection (do not touch the corals for example), no life jacket, it’s open bar!

Those at the top of the boat can jump off a diving board, it’s impressive but it’s much more fun that way, I’m the second one in the water. I would then realize that you can ask for a life jacket but it’s really optional. Having begun to taste the pleasure of being light, I’ll do without it

I’m really new to snorkelling as this is only my second significant experience but I love it! The underwater world is like nothing you are used to see. The water is very good, the corals are beautiful, there are a lot of fish

Each stop lasts about 30 minutes. Each time you get back on the boat, an employee writes down the number of our bracelet to make sure we don’t forget anyone before leaving..

After the second stop, it’s time for lunch: rice + chicken + fried egg. We have the choice between “spicy” or “not spicy”. Obviously I choose “not spicy” before I change my mind when I hear the chef say it’s “very little spicy”. Error: it is of course much too spicy for me. After almost two months in India, Nepal and Thailand, how can I still be fooled?

One stop after the other, it is always a pleasure to jump in the water to discover the underwater wealth. Despite everything, I will not see any very spectacular fish (I had seen a barracuda in Key West). Little magic moment: I suddenly fall on a school of several hundreds (thousands?) of fish. Impressive!

I also take advantage of the day to improve my technique: swimming without getting too tired, going down in apnea and then emptying the water from the snorkel while exhaling, ..

After the 4 stops to dive, we will have a one and a half hour break on the paradise island Koh Nang Yuan. It is in fact not one, but 3 islands connected by a sand bank, it is splendid!

Unfortunately, Koh Nang Yuan is threatened because of… the disappearance of the sand! To try to limit the phenomenon, there is a fee to enter the island (100 bahts), it is forbidden to put a towel on the ground (one must use a deckchair), plastic bottles are forbidden, … Before leaving, you must even soak your feet in a basin to avoid leaving with sand stuck to your toes !

In spite of these precautions, it does not prevent some idiots from using their towel to lie on the beach and throwing their empty bottles around… We can’t even let them be presumed ignorant since the signs explaining the rules are visible everywhere and are translated into 6 languages! Unfortunately, mass tourism does not seem to be compatible with the preservation of the environment. We don’t have lessons to give because we are far from being a good example by flying around the world in a plane that generates a lot of CO2 ..

I take advantage of this moment on the island to go to the top and enjoy a breathtaking view, spectacular!

The day is over and it’s time to go home. Here again, it is well organized since drivers are waiting for us to take us back to our respective hotels. The letter on my wristband is the G, so I have to follow the driver with the G sign that will take me to my destination

When I come back home, I realize that I probably didn’t put enough sun cream on (besides it’s not easy to spread it on your back by yourself): I’m burned from the house, and it hurts! If you meet me in the next few days, don’t give me a friendly pat on the back!

Tips

• Find out about the beaches, their location, their specificity, their depth… Before choosing your hotel
• Remember to withdraw a lot of money before coming if you stay in a remote hotel, there will be no ATM next door
• Before taking a cab to the port, ask for information, your hotel may have a free pick up service
• Plan a lot of sunscreen and care in case of burns (not like JB)
• Avoid the sun between 10 am and 4:30 pm
• Type the name of the hotel + bedbugs in Google before choosing a hotel. Check the bed and the room even in a very expensive hotel