Ko Tao

We arrivd in Ko Tao after a short boat trip and were instantly amazed with how nice it looked. The islands were getting better and better as we moved along! Coming in on the boat we could see all the lovely beaches and the clarity of the wter was so nice. We arrived very early and our mission was to find somewhere to stay as we hadnt booked anything. Because we went to Ko Tao after the full moon party it was going to be hard to find somewhere as eveyone was doing the same thing. Everywhere we asked it was full, "rooms full" signs outside every hotel! Then we hit jackpot, we got chatting to a ovely thai lady who owns a bungalow resort and she told us some people were checking out soon so we grabbed the room and she said she would throw a few extra beds in for 200 baht. there were 6 of us at this point as some of the group headed over to Krabi. We all squeezed in, had only a fan but we were right next to the beach in a great location and for 4 quid we didnt care about the lack of air con, we're supposed to be backpackers after all!

After we checked in we went to a sea front bar and had breakfast looking out over the bech and sea, very nice. We then decided that we were going to get a longboat to take us around the island to different snorkel spots and the a small island called Nangyuna which is split into 3 bits of land all connected via sand banks. We managed to find a local guy who was willing to take us out for the day and wait for us in each spot which was perfect. We laoded up and set of clockwise round the island. The first stop was Hin Wong bay. We jumped out with our snorkel gear on and spent 30 mins swimming around with our heads under water checking out the marine life. It was amazing, i had only just started getting used to snorkeling in Ko Pha Ngan but got really into it when we hit Ko Tao. The water was so clear and the amount of fish etc compared to my first experience was 100x more! I started getting more comfortable and used to the breathing and soon became pretty good and diving down a few meters (waterproof camera in hand) to get some up close pics of the fish etc. Check out the pics!

Next stop we headed over to Mango bay, apprently the nicest on Ko tao. We did a little snorkeling but got carried away with throwing ourselves of the edge of the boat in stupid poses getting photos of our sillyness. Was good fun though and we all managed to pull some pro shapes before hitting the water. Our Driver got involved and thought we were pretty good at making fools of ourselvs too!

We wanted to spend a long time at Nangyuan island as there was a high hill to climb to get a good view of the island so we decided to head straight there next. to get round to the sand banks and the path up to the top you have to walk around the rock face on some rickity old bamboo walkway. We started the climb up to the top, steep steps with lots of bugs as we climbed through the woodland on the side of the hill made us move our asses pretty quickly to the top where it opened up. At the top are a few massive boulders taking you up to the highest point you can reach. getting up to the very top isnt that easy, you have to climb over and pull yourself up some pretty hardcore boulders but it had to be done. me and dan ditched the flip flops and left the others behind as we started our assent to the very top. I wont lie it hurt the feet a fair bit and it was pretty risky but when we got to the top the view was worth it. We could see all around us with nothing blocking our view, it was the best view ive had sine being away, check the pics for yourself. We then clambered back down to the first level of boulders and decided to talk the girls into coming up to the first level for a better view. We created some make shift human bridge withourselvs and one by one helps the girls across the gaps and pushed and pulled them up the ledges. After a while we managed to egt them all across, they were pretty gratefull but now came the task of getting them back down again. It tok a bit longer but using the same method we got them all down pretty quickly except gem, she decided to clamber across us in the most awkward way she could, crazy girl but gave us all a laugh watching her. We then headed back down and chilled on the sand banks and did a bit more snorkling (really getting into the snorkling now) until we had to head back to the jetty to get our long boat back to Sentosa beach where we were staying. that evening we went out for some fresh sea food at one of the restaurants along the beach. The food was gooood, cocktails were gooood and the atmosphere was great. We then took a walk through the streets of the Sentosa beach area, had a play on the beach swing and checked out we could do the following day. Me and sarah found a cool little bar tucked away on one fo the streets playing some chilled out music and serving cheap drinks so we stopped off for a quick drink and then carried on up the beach towrds some flames we saw. When we reached the flames we were happy to have found a fire show, 2 guys were using a variety of props, poi's, staffs and rope to give a pretty impressive show! We then headed back to the bungalow, played some guitar and had a reasonably early night.

The next day was our last in ko Tao as we needed to get a move on and head across Thailand to the west coast. We booked a night ferry to make the most of our time and also save dosh on accomodation. The night boat would take us back to the mainland, Surat Thani in 7 hours. Our last day we thought we'd try and rent some quad bikes and go and see some more of the south of the island but everywhere we went charged too much and to be honest the quad bikes looked a bit crap so it was probably for the best. Instead we chilled on the beach, swam in the sea and ate some more thai food. the evening came and we jumped in our taxi down to the pier and boarded our night boat. the night boat was an experience on its own, matresses layed out all over the floors and you pretty much just grabbed a space and got comfy ready for the 7 hour trip. We got there early enough to claim a decent spot and set up camp. I was expecting the worse but once we got going it was actually quite easy to fall asleep. Our plan when we arrived on the mainland was to head to Khao Sok, one of Thailand's national parks and said to be amazing. We didnt really know what we were doing so we were just going with the flow. All of us were becoming better and better at just sorting stuff out on the move and it was actually more fun not knowing what to expect, how you would get there or where you would be staying the next day. Next stop Khao Sok (hopefully).