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 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.

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!