Koh Tao

Life is real rough here on Koh Tao. Ha! This island is beautiful! We came here so Jim could do his open water diving certification- which he is off finishing up today. Since I have an irrational fear of things touching me in the water- I have not ventured to go diving, but I did go abseiling and rock climbing yesterday instead with the only company on the island that does this- Good Times Adventures. The company does a ton of non-standard stuff around the island, it's owned by one guy Tim- was started by a group of them that worked together at another dive company on the island. They didn't like the way things were run everywhere else- same sites, same times, overcrowded, etc. So they opened up their own place- they don't dive at the same times as everyone else, they don't offer courses in diving- so it's just for fun, and they do the climbing and some other things as well. And their days always end with a cold beer. :)

So I booked the Up and Over day trip and it was great! The abseiling was awesome! 35 meters hanging in the air above the ground on just a rope- I love it! It's a slow week here- so it was just me and the guide, Slade, for the morning- which was spent abseiling off of 2 boulders down in to the jungle below. I didn't get pics of this- I should have but probably would've dropped my camera so it's probably better I didn't. The first abseil was about 20 meters, and was spent launching myself off the rock and letting out my rope to drop down. The second abseil was my favorite- I went by myself, and so Slade was at the bottom controlling the rope as a back-up and so as soon as I was hanging in the air, he'd have me let go of the rope and then he'd have control of it and so I got to free fall about 20 meters on the rope which was really fun. I also got to lay back and hang upside down to view the world from a different perspective. :) The afternoon was spent with a different guide, Andre- who is very funny- and I was joined by another guy- Matt from England- and we went climbing. I banged up my knees, my feet and fingers hurt, and my body aches- but it was awesome. I climbed 5 routes- ranging from about a 10-7 to a 10-9, faces and cracks, again not many pics- but oh well. The pic on here of me climbing was the last route of the day and it was tiresome and hard- I had to get to that position that I was at which is about 2 meters off the ground in about 3 moves- one of which is me sideways (both my hands were where my left foot is and my right foot was still where it was on the rock and i had to get my left foot up to where my hands were- very tiresome since it took me a dozen tries and falls.) Other pics are views from the top of the island where I was climbing at and the local weather forecast system at the scuba place Jim is taking lessons with.

Travel Tip # 9- The island is small- roads are crappy- taxi drivers are everywhere but I haven't used a single one except with the company up to the top of the mountain for climbing- which was a scary climb up- insane. Anyways, you can walk any distance from Mae Haad beach up to Sairee beach in about 20 minutes- it's not far. If you want to go elsewhere, you'll probably want to use a taxi. You can rent a motorbike if you want to- but be very careful on the steep slopes up any hill. Also, if you are coming up on a dog laying in the road- there is a 99% chance that he could care less and is not going to move, try honking, but be prepared to swerve around them.

Travel Tip #10- Pick up the Sabaji Jai booklet- its' floating around different places- has maps of the island and lots of info- this is where I found Good Times Adventures in- this book has lots of ethical/eco/responsible companies on the island listed in it. I got mine at the Cappuccino Bakery on the Main Road- very yummy frozen lattes here- get one!

Travel Tip #11- We stayed at Utopia Suites, which is about a 2 minute walk from the Pier on the south end of Mae Haad- great place- big room with A/C- Tick is the manager and she speaks English. The place wasn't busy when we checked in so she upgraded our room for free. There was lovely acoustic guitar and sax playing in the restaurant one evening and we opened up the windows to listen to the music waft up from downstairs. Also, the along the road to Utopia Suites are the best places to use the internet as it's cheapest here (1 baht/minute) everywhere else is 2 baht/minute. I recommend the one further down the road from the main road with the sign that says it's internet is via satellite- this place seems to have the most reliable and quick connection- and I've tried 4 places.

Travel Tip #12- We didn't go to the Full Moon Party (we got here right after it) but I did ask around about it. It's basically a big drunken (some drugs) party on a beach at a nearby island. It's very popular among younger crowds- but I've heard that the Black Moon party is much more what the Full Moon used to be like. I would check out the Black Moon party if we were here longer, but we won't get to it. I've been told by some people to be sure to make it to the Full Moon party to check out. So I guess it's really a preference thing. There is a Underwater Festival from March 21-23 (which we'll miss) that looks interesting if you are around for that. If you are coming during the Full Moon party- I'd book well in advance for a place to stay as they are very busy. If you come a few days after- places are much slower- Jim is having a private open water diving course right now.

Travel Tip #13- Eat at Zanzi Bar if you want an awesome and HUGE sandwich. They have a huge menu- and it's SOOO good! On the main road in the Sairee Beach area.

Travel Tip #14- Have a pancake at one of the stands pictured here- it's a dessert type thing- I had the one with Nutella and Banana- good stuff! Be warned- I'm sure that this is not the healthiest thing since I think it's fried in some kind of butter lard looking stuff. :) You can get a mixed fruit shake at several street stalls for about 40 baht- which is about a $1- a nice and refreshing treat.

Travel Tip #15- we ate dinner at Baan Yai for dinner one night (along the road from the pier towards Utopia suites) this is in the lonely planet book- I had the Pad Sai Ewe (I think that's spelled wrong but it's close) and it was so good!

Travel Tip #16- The tourism industryon this island is pretty much here to cater to the diver- there has to be at least 25 places you can book with for diving, probably the same number for round the island boat tours, scuba trips, etc. They pretty much all offer the same kinds of things. I would pick one of the companies listed in Sabai Jai since they are more eco/ethically inclined- make sure that the company you go with has a good reputation- there are schools listed in Lonely Planet and Rough Guides that have been checked out. Also, if you are doing a dive course, you can typically get cheap accomodation with the school you book with- this might be very basic- ask them what it is. Also, there are very few bungalows that actually sit right on the beach and look out over it- most resorts have bungalows that go from the beach- inland at right angles, so they are very close to the beach- but chances of a beach view are more slim.