Revisiting Koh Tao
Koh Tao, Thailand, 2013-05-28 06:38 by Laerke
The blue ocean shimmer in the late afternoon sun and a couple of butterflies dances around themselves sitting ever so briefly on the bright pink bougainvillea. I’m taking in this gorgeous view from our little wooden balcony in front of the pretty rustic bungalow we have rented for a few days. The scene is Sai Daeng Beach and the island is Koh Tao. And I’m in love!


The view from our bungalow

It has only been about 20 days since I left Koh tao, till I’m back here now on this lovely, little rock in the bay of Thailand. If that isn’t love I don’t know what is :) Koh Tao is the smallest of the three main islands in the bay, its bigger siblings Ko Phangan and Koh Samui lie a couple of hours further southeast. Depending on where we are on the island we can see Koh Phangan and Ang Thong National park – distant and misty poking out of the blue ocean.
First thing we did once we got off the ferry was at find a scooter, scooter rental here is pretty cheap and if you take it for a whole week they will take a few extra baht off the price to sweeten the deal.


We find that riding a scoter is a great way to get around the island, however there are some crazy steep roads so it is best to be really careful and if you are two on one scooter (like us) get one that has enough power to get you both up those steep hills! I talk from experience when I say that it kind of sucks to be walking up those near vertical sections in the heat – but hey who’s complaining walking under the blue sky and rustling palm trees on a beautiful tropical island :)


Instead of me just trailing behind the scooter we decided on doing a proper walk - up to a viewpoint, the John-Suwan viewpoint apparently called so because it had been discovered by two guys named John and Suwan. It was a really pretty walk through huge boulders and towering palm trees, and then it was up and up – climbing over boulders and squeezing though cliff sides before emerging at the top to take in the absolutely gorgeous view - a perfect panoramic view of the whole of Chalok Baan Kao and Thian Og bays all at once. From this point on the southern tip of the island, it seems as if you can see all the way to the hilly north. I went a little snap-crazy trying to capture the spectacular scenery and the shallow coral reef easily seen through the crystal clear water below.