Ko Tao - Paradise!

OK, I'm feeling a bit better today, but more on that in the next post. I didn't get a chance to really document Ko Tao that much so here goes. It's paradise. Really. The island is small, super clean, great places to eat, drink and chill, and hasn't crumbled yet under development like so many other islands in Thailand. 10 years ago it wasn't even a blip on the traveler's radar and now it's a thriving dive center, probably the best in all SE Asia. I'm curious as to see how it will change in the next 10 years. My dive instructor has been on the island for 2 years already and he was telling me about how much it's grown in just that period of time so I hope whoever is in charge doesn't let development get to crazy because it's really someplace special.

It's only 21 square meters so you can get a handle on things in a day. At the end of my stay I was giving people advice on where to go and what to do! The main focus is diving, with over 50 dive centers on the island and it's probably the cheapest place to take courses. On my last day I decided to get a scooter for the day and try to get to some of the higer points to get some pics. There are hardly any 4 wheel vehicles on the island so most people use motobikes to get around. Big mistake. It was terrifying to drive! I wasn't used to the bike and almost wrecked a few times due to the sand on the roads so back to the shop I went and turned it in. No need to temp fate. Plus, 2 friends of mine had bad experiences (Jaime and Mel) so I think I made the right decision.

There was an Aussie Pub (Chopper's) that was always pretty lively and played the Six Nations matches (which were at night - hallelujah!) so I met a lot of people there, notably a groups of English girls and Irish boys that were so entertaining. The bars don't get too rowdy, unless the English start singing, but things can get quite hopping if you go to a bigger resort bar. Mostly though, it's pretty laid back. After the bars we came across a local Thai man with a food cart making pancakes for the drunks so I ordered a tuna, cheese, egg and onion pancake with chili sauce and it was delicious! The pancakes are more like thin flatbread and not the sweet variety were are used to in the Western world. Another favorite is banana and Nutella.

One thing I look forward to doing at night is eating dinner and watching a movie. A lot of restaurants will show movies at night so you can relax and watch a movie instead of/or before going out. It's brilliant and they often play bootleg copies which I think is funny, especially when the copyright warning comes on the screen. I'm beginning to look forward to doing that as a way to unwind after a long day on the beach. Don't hate.