Day 59 - Ko Tao
After the decadent lifestyle on Koh Phangan, we wanted to activate ourselves again in the diving mecca that is the island of Ko Tao.
Right when we landed on the island, we liked the atmosphere better than on Koh Phangan. It is a very hilly island with tons of palm trees. From above it is supposed to resemble a sunbathing turtle resting between two coral reefs. There for the name Ko Tao (Turtle island).
We asked around where the best snorkeling on the island was and we were recommended Tanote bay. So we took a taxi (a van where you sit in the back in the open air grabbing on the the sides not to fall out) on some muddy and extremely bumpy and steep roads that were not very well suited for driving. We got a bungalow 30 seconds from the water and got ready for a few intense days.
Instead, the bad weather hit. We have been incredibly fortunate weather wise so far on the trip, but now our luck changed. Thunderstorms created high waves which is not exactly optimal for snorkeling or sunbathing for that matter.
Instead we just relaxed in our hammock reading and waiting for the bad weather to pass. Luckily it did, and we finally got to go on a snorkeling trip.
The waves where still high in some places, so the sharks and the dolphins(!) in the area had moved away, so we had to snorkel at some smaller bays around the island instead of around a smaller island off the island called "Shark Island". Well in the water, we realized what all the fuss surrounding Ko Tao is coming from. The waters are by far the clearest we have seen, and you could see all the fish and coral in high detail. Most of the things we saw under water, we had seen before though, huge schools of fish, sea stars, big white clams, etc.
But on the last stop (a place called the Japanese Gardens), we bumped into a sting ray. It was quite the experience. It was brown with white dots, and it was swimming right next to us. It looked like a huge butterfly in slow motion under water. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have seen so far on the trip.
We were very happy that we got to experience a tiny sliver of the underwater world surrounding Ko Tao before we left, and now after almost 3 weeks on paradise islands, we are ready to head back in to the big city again. This time, the big city will be Bangkok.
Right when we landed on the island, we liked the atmosphere better than on Koh Phangan. It is a very hilly island with tons of palm trees. From above it is supposed to resemble a sunbathing turtle resting between two coral reefs. There for the name Ko Tao (Turtle island).
We asked around where the best snorkeling on the island was and we were recommended Tanote bay. So we took a taxi (a van where you sit in the back in the open air grabbing on the the sides not to fall out) on some muddy and extremely bumpy and steep roads that were not very well suited for driving. We got a bungalow 30 seconds from the water and got ready for a few intense days.
Instead, the bad weather hit. We have been incredibly fortunate weather wise so far on the trip, but now our luck changed. Thunderstorms created high waves which is not exactly optimal for snorkeling or sunbathing for that matter.
Instead we just relaxed in our hammock reading and waiting for the bad weather to pass. Luckily it did, and we finally got to go on a snorkeling trip.
The waves where still high in some places, so the sharks and the dolphins(!) in the area had moved away, so we had to snorkel at some smaller bays around the island instead of around a smaller island off the island called "Shark Island". Well in the water, we realized what all the fuss surrounding Ko Tao is coming from. The waters are by far the clearest we have seen, and you could see all the fish and coral in high detail. Most of the things we saw under water, we had seen before though, huge schools of fish, sea stars, big white clams, etc.
But on the last stop (a place called the Japanese Gardens), we bumped into a sting ray. It was quite the experience. It was brown with white dots, and it was swimming right next to us. It looked like a huge butterfly in slow motion under water. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have seen so far on the trip.
We were very happy that we got to experience a tiny sliver of the underwater world surrounding Ko Tao before we left, and now after almost 3 weeks on paradise islands, we are ready to head back in to the big city again. This time, the big city will be Bangkok.
Watch out for demonstrations in Bangkok!
Bangkok is in the headlines. Your present situation must be in such contract to the underwater world of Ko Tao.