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

islomaniac - KOH TAO, thailand (part 2)

still lost, still happy..

koh tao wasn't the initial destination. it was nang yuan island that caught the attention. it is a small island that had been 'privatized', of course, for commercial tourism reason. it is also a protected island where regulations were tight on the protection of the corals and natural stuff on the island. and the most interesting and beautiful part of this island is how a group of 3 small islands were connected to form one island-destination that you should visit. read on...

(click here to read more about nang yuan island)

the ferry transfer from koh samui to koh tao took about an hour and half. in between the trip, there'll be one-stop at koh phangan, which is a renown island-destination for full-moon parties (woohoo...next one on Saturday 30 January 2010). the lomprayah high speed ferry offers a comfortable trip on the sea although i'm prone to sea-sick. there's an open-air deck which you can rest your feet on the plastic chairs available, enjoy the sea breeze and scenery throughout the entire ride. my advise: good to make a friend or two *wink*

a sneak peek at nang yuan island when the ferry stopped by the island to unload some wooden planks. just wondering what the wooden planks are for...

sometimes it's difficult to explain the feeling. jubilee? excited? satisfied? -saw something online or a picture and finally seeing the real thing.

as the ferry headed towards koh tao, it passed by the coast of the island and there it was - dusit buncha resort - beautifully built among the boulders along the coast of the island.

at the pier, it was a little chaotic as there were taxi drivers and locals promoting their transfer service.

as there is no resort transfer indicated in the booking made prior, had to get a taxi to the resort. i'm pretty much a 'woman' person - a local woman came up to me and started speaking in thai. she said i looked like a local...err is this bad or good? anyway, she offered her taxi service and having a soft-spot for women, agreed to her service (400THB) but honestly, there's no need to worry about touting. everyone offers almost the same price. when travelling, especially since there's language barrier, it's really difficult to avoid being charged extra for everything. my advise: just do some research prior, bargain if you're confident and adopt the 'give & take' mentality - you win some, you lose some.

the taxi ride on a 4-wheel drive only took about 15-20mins but as koh tao is not as developed, the roads were pretty bumpy with lots of up and downhills.

arriving at dbr was a little painful as there wasn't a nice facade or formal entrance. it was a rocky path followed by a horrible steep slope. basically i have to walk super slow and i'm glad i had my m track shoe if not i would have slip and gone rolling down - although i think that would be faster. but all that was worth it as the lobby was in-sight. it was a simple and yet welcoming lobby. the staff were really friendly and made guests feel at home. (dbr actually offers resort transfers on request. i only realised they had dropped me an email to check if i need the transfer when i was back. and it was really nice to know that dbr did send someone to wait at the pier that day)

was really tired after all the transfers from koh samui, but was delighted to see the seaview room. rustic but original - brings you back to nature. and true to what i know, the room was built among the boulders. check out the gigantic boulder in the bathroom!

more boulders from the balcony

since all sweaty from all the travelling, it was a perfect time to head for a dip in the pool and at the same time, check out the other part of the resort.
dbr is as true as it is based on my research. it's 'true' also because it brings you so close to nature, back to the truth of how life should be. the entire resort was built on, while preserving the natural landscape of the bouldered coast. definitely a test to architecture but definitely made it's worth.

the heart of the resort - beautiful settings with a clear view of the nang yuan island - a sight that you would love to wake up to every morning...

and the sun set view from the pool

it was a long day. ended with a simple meal and a couple of drinks. was looking forward to explore koh tao the next day.

next up: knowing koh tao, experiencing koh tao, never forget koh tao.