islomaniac - KOH TAO, thailand (part 4)

the finale that i don't want to complete...
procrastinate and i'll never get things done. let's just finish off this part of my koh tao trip!

apart from a little island, there's more that one can explore. there's island hopping and one that no one should miss is the Nang Yuan Island. from Sairee Beach, simply take a taxi-boat ride (THB400-go and return for 2) and experience the sea breeze in your hair while local part-time fishermen rides the wave.

in less than 10mins, step right on the planks of Nang Yuan island. being a protected and 'privatised' island, you would need to pay THB100/person to enter the island.

my advise: try to allocate at least 5-6 hours to explore the island as there's scuba-diving, snorkelling and exploring the bouldered-island that you can do there.

Nang Yuan is made out of 3-mini islands. docked at the 1st island and walk on planks that surround the perimeter of the island to get to the next island. while walking on the planks, i saw tons and tons of died corals being washed up the boulders or accumulated near the stilts of the planks. it just start to proof that this island is so well protected that the growth of corals were in huge number.

taking a turn, and the 2nd island was visible - that's where all the excitement begin - the link between the 1st and 2nd island was actually a shallow white sand trail!

in the morning, when there's a high tide, you would need to take off your shoe and cross the trail with waves splashing up to your knees. it was really a beautiful sight although my sole hurts stepping into the sand filled with corals - painful but worth it.

stepping on the 2nd island of Nang Yuan is like reaching another part of the world. totally different with the crowd (mainly comprises of japanese, koreans and chinese) and the neat arrangement of sun-chairs with umbrellas for shade. everything is organised and some of the staff wore uniforms. very much like a private resort - which is one.

scuba diving gears and equipments are available for rent, just remember to bring more cash (THB). i did my first snorkelling and found out that probably i'm phobia to the sea (for the fact that i'm a competitive swimmer back in school),

or probably the underwater seabed at Nang Yuan is just too clear and beautiful - the sea bed was covered with white sands and boulders/ stone as big as a table filled with colourful corals swinging with the current. just do a float and look at the surface of the water, i can already see fishes swimming in front of my goggles.

for Nang Yuan, my advise: if you're lazy, pretty loaded and just need to relax, book your accommodation in the resort in Nang Yuan island itself. you can have the white sandy beach and protected sea life for the entire trip.

if not, then just do 4-5hours stay on the island. you can get the friendly taxi-boat fisherman to come back for you at a specific time.

another advise: if you have those slip-in-flipper-shoe, wear them at Nang Yuan because the beach is filled with corals, unless you just like the prickling corals at the sole of your feet at every step. and do remember an underwater camera. it's a pity i didn't had one. a disposable one would be good enough if you're in for snorkelling.

the trip back was equally astounding, for me, for sure. the sea went from high tide to low tide in the late afternoon. if i've the opportunity, i would love to do this a couple times more - going back and forth between the 2-islands.

even the corals wants me to stay, keep getting into my slipper and staying in there..

finally headed back to Sairee Beach and had a couple of beers and good local food to chill out and relax. along Sairee Beach, there's tons of food and beverages outlets that also co-run diving program/ services for divers. as mentioned in my earlier posting, when you're in koh tao, you definitely need to find your own program, be it to explore the island or to be with the beautiful sea and beach. head on down to Sairee Beach for a start to inspire and get yourself going.. 

everything fun must always come to an end - can someone convince me that i'm wrong on this statement?

yes, basically these are the zest of my virgin trip to koh tao. it's so virgin because i've tried so many new things there and i had lotsa fun and memories.

my advise: to visit koh tao at the start of the non-peak season if you're not in for hardcore diving. the rates everywhere; be it accommodation, transportation and rentals are more cheaper. go during the early month of november, because that's almost close to the monsoon season but not yet.

the trip for me was great because the rain only came on the departure day. good things happen and i appreciate that.

so tat's that for koh tao. it was quite a drag (i know) for putting this entire trip in 4 looooooong separated parts. but i think it's worth it. it had helped to sustained that sweet memories i had for the trip.

but it's time to let go and move on to more interesting and exciting finds..

never, never say good bye to koh tao...

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 1)

it's when you're lost, but you feel happy you are..

koh tao กาะเต่า, also know as Turtle Island, an island near the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand is probably the upcoming island-destination that you should consider.

unlike it's 'big brothers', koh samui and kho phangan, koh tao is an island of only 21km². with a population of 1382 recorded in 2006, you get the picture.

click here to read more on koh tao

getting to koh tao need a little more planning compared to koh samui or koh phangan as the island is only accessible by ferry and further up the gulf. there are only a few time slot available for ferry transfers per day,so making sure that the flight arrival coincide with a ferry departure time would be perfect.

otherwise, arrange to put up a night in one of many beautiful and cost efficient resorts in koh samui and take your time the next day for the ferry transfer!

took the later flight of the day so arrived in koh samui at around 10.30pm. thank goodness there were private taxi services available at the airport  (300-400THB). wasn't expecting anything but was surprised a nice clean suv turned up as a private taxi. headed towards chaweng bayview resort (cbr) which was about 500m away from the airport.

friendly local guy was waiting with a torch light at the lobby. check-in was just a signature and was lead to the villa room.

very quiet resort, probably it was the low-peak season. serene uphill landscape. well maintained greeneries. all rooms were unique.

almost all the rooms had 3/4 of the room surrounded with tall windows and glass door. you're indoor but you're surrounded with beautiful scenery that you would like to keep all curtains up.

breakfast at the pool area which was located at the highest point of the resort. simple american-breakfast but it was good since my stomach was filled with butterfly for the next destination.

for the ferry transfer, it was easy. most resorts can help to book the ferry ticket and even arrange for the transfer to the ferry terminal (550THB all inclusive, one-way).

as cbr was closer to the airport, it needs about 45min on-the-road ride to the speed boat terminal at mae nam pier. oh, for ferry transfer service, just go or request for lomprayah high speed ferries as the ticket fee includes one on-shore transfer on mini vans, which was pretty decent; air-conditioned with courteous and friendly driver.

this trip really requires a lot of walking so good walking shoes or footwear really make a difference.


*yawn*.i need a shut-eye. will continue in a while... (i hope)

next up: ferry transfer, sea breeze in the hair and the destination!