Koh Tao, Passion Ignited, Paradise Found

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Is there anyone, who at one time or another, didn't yearn to be on an exotic tropical island, about 8,000 miles from home, where the water is crystal clear, turquoise, and warm, the beaches are pure white like salt, and there are actually teak huts with thatched roofs, no glass in the windows and only the sound of gentle waves and jungle noises at night? When I booked the Sensi "Paradise" Resort, I didn't honestly EXPECT real paradise, but that is EXACTLY what we got. I won't even tell you how cheap. You will be so jealous.

Well, it gets better. Not only is the the prettiest island I have EVER seen in my life, but the little town is just adorable. There are enough streets to make it interesting for shopping, eating, nightlife, and enough local quirky color to make it really fun. There are almost no cars, except the ones to and from hotels, mostly mopeds, darting around everywhere. There are a lot of dive companies, as there really is no better diving anywhere. I read that in the month of May, the water is so clear that visibility is up to 130 feet! There are lots of travel companies, too, who arrange all the ferry rides. People are constantly coming in and out all the time for the diving schools.

Koh Tao is the smallest and definitely the most beautiful and charming of all the Samui archipelago, and I can understand how someone would want to come here and never leave. Both the local residents and hotel staff seemed especially kind, maybe because the community is so small. We felt at home instantly, and even more so when we realized that the two beach dogs we'd seen on our arrival had spent the night on the deck that surrounded our hut. We had been adopted. They went everywhere with us.

Dane and I both had a very strong desire to explore the coastline of the island which was do-able in a day. We really did NOT want another pre arranged tour and decided to go find ourselves someone with a long boat who could take just the two of us around the island. That's where "Ed" comes in.
Go to the next page with the heading, "Exploring Turtle Island and Ko Nang Yuan"

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Photos

Come, sail away!
A charming construction for a little shade on the beach.

View from our hut
The boulders and cliffs looked amazing against the sunset sky.

Where to start?
So beautiful, we couldn't take our eyes away.

Wonderful Flame Tree
Just outside our front door, one of these trees in full bloom.

Loved the deck
And there was a huge boulder to the right, almost half as big as the hut.

Can you imagine?
Two swings, hanging from a palm tree, just waiting for us to become children again.

Island Girl
I started wearing a sarong. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Beach Dawgs included
We woke up the next morning and two beach doggies had adopted us.

I LOVE boulders
I was in boulder heaven. The swimming pool was surrounded by them.

View from the upper pool
You could still see the ocean from the upper pool. Jungle setting all around.

Fish spit
Dane didn't seem to mind the fish spitting on his head.

Nice dive, honey
The water, in my opinion, was perfect, like a bath. We swam every day and loved it.

Take time
to smell the water lillies.

Bouganvillia camoflage
Look closely, I'm in there...

Great restaurant
The food was great, cheap and just a few steps from our hut

Rock hopping
Beautiful boulders along the beach create lots of tidepools for snorkeling.

No need for a boat
The water is shallow enough to just walk in and snorkel. Fish are abundant and colorful.

A SUN Umbrella
The weather was perfect, every single day.

Island Boy
One happy, happy, HAPPY husband. I wonder why?

Each and Every evening
The billowing clouds make the most splendid sunsets.