Friday, December 18, 2009

islomaniac - KOH TAO, thailand (part 3)

never forget koh tao

tis is just being not disciplined - my bad for taking awhile to continue on this topic. i think i need a whip to get me going with the must-do on time. hopefully i'm still able to reconnect the excitement and good feeling of my 'lost' trip.

as mentioned earlier (part 2) on the trip to koh tao, the island had yet been connected with proper roads. the main mode of transport there would definitely be a scooter or should i say a scrambler/ mountain bike (sorry not so much a two-wheeler enthusiast) due to the condition of the road.

as dbr was situated way up north of the island, away from the nearest beach/ town, a little walking was required. the nearest beach was Sairee Beach and it's approximately 15mins slow walk. err...under the scorching sun, it's like forever for me. as the road were cutting through hills, don't expect a straight flat road. it's uphill and downhill and quite a bit of curves. as mentioned, a good footwear would be advisable - be it even a slipper/ slip-on and trust me, you'll need the traction.


check out the greeneries that you'll see along the walking trip. and the road were so steep at some point that even 3-wheeled scooters had to be pushed if there's not enough power to climb.

being a not too renown resort-island, you've just got to take up some challenges to find something to do. activities are not ready for you - you've got to look for it. although there's taxi service on the island, but don't expect to flag it especially in the village road - because there won't be any. but if you're lucky, you'll chance upon friendly islanders on 4-wheeler that you can hitch a ride. my advise: hitch with care.
this was also the reason, renting a scooter (about 200BHT for 24hours but you need to surrender your passport or a 5000BHT deposit) for the trip would be great. renting a scooter was pretty neat because it's not only provide a good mode of transport, it also allows you to explore the island!


although there were beaches and attraction on almost the entire coasts of the island, it's almost impossible to get from one side of the island to the other by road (eg. from Sairee Beach to beach)- which there weren't any anyway.
there's off-road track though but it's definitely not one that can be conquered with a scooter. a mountain bike would be better but thank goodness the rented scooter was in pretty good condition and 'just' managed to take on the off-road challenge from Sairee Beach to Tanote Beach. i was so afraid that the scooter will get wreak with so much climbing - actually certain parts of the off-road, it was so steep and rocky that i need to get down to lighten the weight and ease the climb (really made me sound fat, myself)

all that climbing made it's worth when you get to see the beautiful beaches surrounding the island. check out beautiful Freedom Beach, which is definitely not accessible by any vehicle. the sands are white and the water is definitely clear..


after Freedom Beach, the terrain got worst but the scenery was priceless. at some point, you'll probably feel like giving up because the off-road just look impossible. but when you saw the local coming from the other direction with (also) a scooter, it just proved the ride have to go on.
like i emphasized again and again - it's really worth the bumpy ride.


i'm being a little lazy and probably not very motivated. but just want to keep this memory as long as i could so i'm gonna spread this to part 4 - something more than koh tao

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