Yo from Ko Tao!

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If you want to learn to scuba dive then this is the place to come, the PADI certificate is cheap and divers from all over the world are attracted to the unterwater meccas that surround this rustic island. (I've been reading the tourist guide)

Of course we don't dive, but I'm loving snorkling and Sharon doesn't need to be told twice when sunbathing on the beach is concerned.

Ko tao is only 21 sqkm and has a few isolated bays where you can easily slip into the laidback lifestyle (it helps when there is not 24hr electricity in many places). We stayed in Hat Sai Ri, the largest and busiest area on the island, we needed internet as we had been out of touch for a while ( Don't want to scare my mum)

We travelled over with Gino and Emma, our new buddies, catching a ferry and watching the movie The Hills Have Eyes remake, not exactly family entertainment!! :-) I found a tout for our selected beach area and promised to view their place for a free lift. We all jumped in the back of his truck, 10 minutes later we are storing our stuff with him for free whilst we found something better up the street. We are becoming pros at this now :-)

Hat Sai Ri is cool, it has good nightlife, pubs showing the latest movies (Spiderman 3, Next and Shooter for example) beach bars, literally on the waters edge so at hightide you wade from one bar to the next! There is a wide range of restaurants where you can get pretty good western food, I had a homemade burger with mushrooms and blue cheese and chips, first non thai meal in ages, it was heaven :-) Of course we are still loving Thai food but occasionly you fancy a change. We also had some lovely bbq kebabs on the beach, big plates of meat, salad and baked potatos for 100bht, yummy!

It has been good to have someone to snorkle with as Sharon doesn't like going out of her depth or too far out. I've been out on my own a few times but it feels safer when theres two snorkels for the long tail boats to avoid :-) Ko Tao has lots of reefs to explore and with the clean water and high visibility its quite easy to spend literally hours in the water.



Thailand has plenty of fire shows on the beach in the evenings and on our travels we have seen plenty. We saw our best one, so far, here at the Lotus bar. The local fireman was very good but another traveller type dude appeared on the scene and next thing you know there was like a fire show duell! Each man displayed an amzing array of moves with the firesticks, balls and ropes to the beats of various tunes. They then started working together, juggling with the flames etc, it really was an amazing night. Shame I didn't take my camera that night but I did manage to get a few photos on another night.


We are heading back to Bangkok next for a few days then it's off to the UK.

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