Chilling in Hot and Humid Koh Tao

After Koh Samui we took a ferry to Koh Tao. Koh Tao is known for its amazing dive/snorkeling sites and has a more quiet atmosphere than Koh Samui.

Ocean Front Living

We stayed at a small hotel called Clear View Resort with a bungalow right on the ocean (ours was the one on the lower left). The sunsets were amazing. It also was located just south of Sairee Beach where there are good restaurants and nightlife.

SCUBA Diving

The next day we went scuba diving with SCUBA Shack to Aow Luek Bay. There is limited docking space on the main pier so all the SCUBA boats tie together. We had to walk precariously off the pier and across one dive boat to get to our boat. The diving was great and we saw some wildlife we have never seen before; some neon, bluespotted ribbontail rays were a highlight. The winds picked up while we were out so we went to an alternate harbor to disembark. We had to take a small boat from our dive boat and walk on a rickety dock to get back to shore. Our guide said “welcome to diving in Thailand!” We found that the pricing per dive is less than half the price of other places we have dove, and the companies are professionally run with great dive masters.

Cooking with Joy

We took a class called Cooking with Joy. Joy taught us to make a few super yummy Thai dishes at her lovely home with an amazing view. She is also a very interesting person who gave us insights into the local culture and life on Koh Tao. You can take her classes over a video conference in the USA, we would highly recommend it.

Boat Trip Around Koh Tao

We also took a boat trip (We Travel) around Koh Tao that included a hike to Koh Nang Yuan Viewpoint and a few snorkel stops around the island.

The boat had a crazy fast two story slide off the back that was really fun.

Final Night – Fire Show

Our last night we wandered up Sairee Beach and found a fire show. We also got a drink in a bucket to share. The group did an amazing performance and we both got to try as well. It is not as dangerous as it looks, but we really appreciate how challenging it is to do it well.

Onward

After visiting Koh Tao we flew to Bangkok. There we stayed overnight and then flew out the next day to Kathmandu. Unfortunately we did not get to see much in Bangkok since our flight from Koh Samui was delayed and we had an early start the next day. We just have to come back! In Kathmandu we are preparing to hike the Annapurna Circuit, a 16 day trek. Our next blog will be a couple weeks out.