last visit. At that time, we left Bangkok later in the day and arrived in Chumphon in the afternoon. We spent one night in Chumphon and took the ferry across the next morning. Before getting on the ferry, it helps to check out the weather. In any case, you pray that the sea will be calm so that you won’t get seasick. During our last trip, the sea was so rough that I got terribly nauseous. For fear of making a mess, I kept a plastic bag close to my mouth for the next two hours and it became my best friend until we moored. This is a common phenomenon and it is not unusual for visitors to have to unexpectedly extend their stay for a few nights due to bad weather and patiently wait for calmer seas and for the ferries to start operating again. Unlike Phuket, Koh Tao is relatively a new travel destination, being discovered in the 1980s. Most of the hotels, tours and restaurants are run by Thai owners and long time expats living on the island. So far, there are no six star international hotel chains. However, there is a wide range of lodgings for visitors to choose from, starting from non-air conditioned guest houses at the rate of 300B a night to beachfront rooms at 18,000B a night. WiFi is available everywhere but we were surprised that there was no TV in our room. In general, the food in Koh Tao is good, readily available everywhere, and the prices are quite reasonable. Eateries offer Thai, Western, Italian, French cuisine, whatever you fancy. Shops offer tasty hamburgers and pizzas, a nice breakfast coffeeshop with great bread and pancakes. Sidewalk stalls offer rotis (Indian style flat bread) as well as crepes to tourists. Sandwiches are also sold at every corner. We saw some shops making their own buns. One shop owner told me the chocolate flavour was the most popular among visitors.
Snorkelers visiting the island usually join tours for the day to visit places like Shark Bay, Hin Wong Bay, Aow Muang and Koh Nang Yuan. Many hire a long tail boat for the day to take a private tour of the various spots. Once on the island, you walk a lot on hilly, not so smooth pathways. You can rent motorbikes to get around but be warned that the lanes are small and not well constructed. However, wherever you stay, it is most likely that there are restaurants and beaches are within walking distance. If all else fails, you can always resort to buy everything you need at the ever popular 7-Eleven which is doing brisk business all day and night. Take mosquito repellent. Good shoes. Enjoy the long drinks and fresh fruit as you watch the sunset.
EXPAT LIFE in Thailand
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