It is our last full day in Koh Tao and we began with a lazy start to the day.  We had a bit of a late breakfast and spent a couple of hours talking it easy by the pool.  We are starting to rough out some ideas of what we are going to do with our time in Chiang Mai so poolside seemed like a good place to do that.

As they often do our plans here have changed a bit – our travel buddy Erica has decided that she wants to stay longer in Koh Tao to take in the island vibe and to do some rock climbing.  It does not come as a huge surprise to us as everyone has different things that they gravitate to, but we had thought it would be a bit farther into the trip before she ‘ditched the olds’ 😉 All is not lost though and we are not fully relegated to the ‘boring people’ designation because we have added a new person to our traveling group.  There is an Irish chap named Thomas that is staying at the same hotel as us, and he and Erica had started chatting a couple of days back.  While sitting about we started talking about traveling, photography and the typical topic of where everyone was going next came up.  Thomas was thinking about going to another island but had not made any firm plans, and when we started talking about Chiang Mai he got quite interested in the place.  He booked a ticket straight away, and wants to take in some of the sights with us up north.  It is always fun to meet interesting people and seeing the sights with friends just adds to the adventure, so like we did last year with Jackie, Bruce and Stephanie we have banded together for a few days before Thomas heads back to Ireland.

We the day now half gone Mrs. Columbus and I decide that we should take the rest of the afternoon and go for a walk/hike up to a viewpoint that is noted on the map.  The island is not that big, and we can see the place where the viewpoint is from our hotel so it does not look like it is all that far, and according to the people at the hotel it is about a couple hour walk, so off we go to conquer the wilds.

As often happens when we go out exploring we find that we have overlooked some details or need to deal with the unexpected, this trip is no exception.  The first thing we did not really spend much time thinking about is how high up the viewpoint is.  After setting out on the walk we look on the map and see that the vertical rise is about 350 meters (about 1200 feet), which would not be so bad if it was gradual over a distance, but the jungle does not build things that way, and the road ahead is uphill, uphill, uphill, and to really make you feel the burn throw in some downhill so that you can walk back uphill again before the next rise.  Mother Nature throws in her bit as well because it is hot, humid, and because the road goes through the jungle, you can’t even catch a breeze 🙁

However this is not our first rodeo and we like a challenge so we press ever forward on our way to the top.  There are a few times when I wonder if we should not just walk back to town and rent a quad for this, but we push through to the end knowing that the reward at the end will offset the effort.  Finally we make it to the top and from here we can see almost the entire island and the view is spectacular.  We sit on top of a big boulder at the edge of the viewpoint and take in the breeze and the vista for a few minutes enjoying the surroundings before starting the trek back down to the beach.

The good news is that the downhill is much easier than the uphill and aside from having to stop for the occasional snake crossing the road we make pretty good time and are back in town in time for a refreshing dip in the pool before meeting up with Erica for dinner and to say farewell before we head off in the morning.

We have our travel arrangements sorted out for the next leg of our journey up to Chiang Mai – this was not that easy as the internet here in Koh Tao is I think supported by some rusty tin cans and some string to the next island over, which has it’s own set of tin cans and string…..

With that out of the way, we are just making decisions about what to do with the rest of our time in Koh Tao as we go along.  This morning after a late breakfast and some Skype time with Rachael we decided to get the water taxi to take us over to Koh Nangyuan.

Koh Nangyuan is a pair of limestone outcroppings that are connected together by a sandbar just a few hundred yards off the north-west tip of Koh Tao.  There is a dive site just off the west side of the island, and the snorkeling is said to be pretty good, so along with the beach between the two rises the place is fairly popular with day trippers.  Going on a day trip involves sticking to a schedule and traveling in a pack with a bunch of other tourists, so we chose to pay a couple hundred baht each to jump in a longtail boat and cross and return at our leisure.

The boat ride is about 10 minutes and we have our beach to beach service.  There is a small fee to enter the island (it is a reserve area) and the park workers at the entrance are also stripping tourists of their plastic water bottles as there is no plastic or cans allowed on the island.  Like we saw at Ang Thong this policy actually helps a lot as we don’t see as many of the discarded bottles, plastic bags, and take-out containers that we see in so many other places.

The island is basically 2 large limestone ‘islands’ that rise up a few hundred meters connected in the middle by a sandbar.  There are some bungalows on each of the islands so you must be able to rent them and stay overnight if you are so inclined. There is also a restaurant and a dive shop here to service the day trippers from Koh Tao and the people going to the dive site that is located just off the island.

There appears to be a wooden walkway that circles each of the islands, so Mrs. Columbus and I head off to do some exploring. In typical Thai fashion, many things are not built to the same set of standards that we would see back home, but that does not slow us down and we head off down the rickety walk around the larger island.  What does slow us down however is when enough sections of the trail have been washed out by the sea and the trail ends abruptly.  We try going the other direction in hopes that it is just a few sections that are out, but we meet with the same results.

The smaller island has a similar set of walkways and signs pointing to a viewpoint so we head off in that direction with hopes that the trail is better maintained. Things are looking up as the path is mostly intact even if it could use a bit of repair.  Ironically they suggest not sitting or leaning on the railing – in the sections that are still there it would certainly not hold much.

The walkway leads us around to a path that goes up to the viewpoint.  After lots of stairs, some narrow paths, and a bit of a rock scramble at the top we are rewarded with some fantastic views of the entire island and the sandbar.

After our descent from the viewpoint we have a couple of hours left to relax on the beach a bit and play in the sea.  This also gives me a chance to try out my new waterproof camera I brought along on this trip.  The snorkeling here is OK, but nothing spectacular, but I do manage to get a few fish photos and the camera works pretty good.

At about 3pm most of the day trip boats have packed up and left, and they start to put away much of the stuff on the island for the day.  Just as we arranged, at 4pm a taxi boat is ready to take us back to Koh Tao.  We get in a bit of pool time at the hotel before going out for dinner and then calling it an end to the night.  We have one day left here and are thinking about a hike up into the hills before we leave for Chiang Mai and the next step of the vacation.

We are well into ‘Thailand mode’ now – we are starting to forget what day it is and the pace of our agenda has slowed a lot.  We took the ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Tao a couple of days ago and have just been taking it easy since we got here.

Koh Tao is the smallest of the 3 islands in this island group, and is most well known for it’s scuba diving scene.  There are dozens of dive shops here and I suspect that the overwhelming majority of people that come here are divers or people who want to get certified.  It is not the #1 spot in Thailand for diving (that is supposedly the Similan Islands on the Andaman coast) but it is the busiest because many of the other areas will close during the low season due to the weather and to provide some time for the reefs to recover, and there are a number of dive sites here that are all fairly close together so easy for dive tours to get to.

The island also has a bit of a hippy / backpacker vibe pretty much everywhere – not like the party scene in some of the islands, but people definitely go out after their day’s activities and wander the few streets or hang out in a bar for a few drinks.

We spent the last couple of days just lounging by the pool and doing a bit of wandering around but nothing overly busy.  We did find a massage place right across the road from our hotel where the lady who I am sure is 50+ gave me one of the best Thai massages I have had, so I will certainly be going back for more before we leave here.

Just after dinner last night we were heading out to walk around and we had our first real rain so far. The sky opened up and it rained – hard rain – the road we were walking on goes down hill towards the beach and in a matter of minutes it went from perfectly dry to 2 inches of fast moving water.  Luckily we were just steps away from a covered doorway to hop into just as it started.  The rain lasted for about 15 minutes, and over the next hour or so there were a couple  more outbursts like that and then it was mostly over.  It rained some more during the night, but we were long asleep by then.

Koh Tao is not very big so we will probably do some exploring by foot today and tomorrow maybe up to a couple of the viewpoints and across to a small island just off the beach from where we are staying.

Our game plan for today is a day trip via boat out to the Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine Reserve which means group of islands of the golden bowl – historically the surrounding waters have provided an abundance of fish and other resources, thus the golden bowl, but since about 1980 the entire area has become a protected reserve area and there is no commercial development allowed and no fishing or harvesting of any resources within the reserve.

The reserve covers about 25,000 acres (100 square km) and consists of 42 separate islands in the Gulf of Thailand.  The islands vary in size from about 20 acres to over 5000 acres for a few of the larger ones, and there are no permanent residents on any of the islands aside from about 20-30 park rangers who monitor for poachers and illegal fishing, etc.  There are no hotels on the island but the parks department has 5 small cabins that tourists can rent by the night at the park headquarters and there is a limited amount of camping in tents allowed as well, but the amenities are fairly limited – there is no power after 9pm and only a small restaurant that closes at 8pm – so that helps to keep the area in a relatively natural state.

We are booked onto a group tour on a large boat that holds around 60 people and the trip from Koh Samui takes about 90 minutes before we get to our first stop.  Our early start means that the morning haze has not yet burned off so we are able to stake out some space on the upper deck of the boat and take in the fresh breeze without being beaten down by the hot sun.  Quite a pleasant way to start the day.

Our first stop is at  Koh Mae Ko where we will do some kayaking along the coast.  Erica and I get stuck with rowing duty and Mrs. Columbus appears to have turned herself into Miss Daisy for a leisurely trip along the shoreline! Erica and I quickly master the paddling though and chuckle a bit at some of the less co-ordinated boats/crews around us 🙂 The kayaking lasts about 30-40 minutes and we pass by a few isolated beaches and some stunning rock formations. The tide is out so there are places where we can actually go under the rocks where the sea has eroded away the limestone base of the cliffs above creating sort of a tunnel effect and just before our last stop there is a small cave that we can row part way into that is only accesible when the tide is out.

In the center of the island is a large lake that is actually connected to the sea via a small underwater tunnel that connects back to the cave we went in, so the lake is actually filled with salt water and was eroded out of the center of the island by centuries of mother nature at her finest.  When we get out of our kayaks at the last beach we are able to hike up over the ridge that surrounds the lake for some spectacular views and then down inside towards the lagoon.  After a few minutes of exploring the scenery it is back to the beach and out to the large boat we came in on to move through the park to our next destination.

During the travel from the first stop to the next, lunch is served aboard the boat and we have a nice meal of massaman curry, rice, vegetables, and fresh fruit while watching the scenery roll by.

The second stop on our day trip is at Koh Wua Talap, another of the larger islands in the group, and where the park headquarters is located.  The boat is going to stop here for a couple of hours and we are given a number of choices on how to spend the time. We can swim at the beach, do more kayaking, just relax either on the island or the boat, or there are a couple of hikes we can do on the island.  There is a cave on this island that contains stalagmites and stalactites that seems interesting, but the one that catches our interest is the hike up to one of the limestone peaks that offers a rewarding view of most of the marine park.

The trail is about 500m long which does not seem all that far, but the vertical rise is about 240m, and the trail is rated as ‘difficult’ so not your sunday stroll around Cottage Lake. Mrs. Columbus and I have done a few of these hikes in SE Asia before so we decide to give it a go.  I am clearly not getting any younger because my desire to do a rock scramble like the young people is just not there, and the 15lb or so that is my bag full of camera gear and such starts to feel like about 150lb as the climb goes on, but we are determined to carry on, and as we start to run into more people that only went part way and turned back, the desire to finish increases.

There are a few viewpoints along the way that each offer their own impressive view of the bay below and the island clusters, and also a much need point to stop for a breather and hopefully some shade from the hot sun.  At about 2/3 of the way to the top a couple of the guides from the boat come scrambling along barely breaking a sweat and one of them is even in bare feet!  I am sweating enough that I look like I have just stepped out of the shower and I think to myself that perhaps it would feel better if I was to swing my what now feels like 1500lb bag at one of them! Before I reach the top, the guides have reached the summit, collected a bunch of empty water bottles that have been left behind by tourists and are making their way back down – so now barefoot, and hands full they are still making it look like a walk in the park – I guess that is the benefit of doing this every day vs once a year.  It is nice however to see that they really care about keeping the park pristine and natural – it is sad to see that many of the tourists think of places like this as just a spot to have a look around and dump their garbage for someone else to worry about.

We finally reach the top viewpoint and the reward justifies the effort.  The views from here are breathtaking and the pictures will only do it limited justice.  There is a ‘bonus’ viewpoint another 10m away up a fairly vertical rock climb, and Erica and Mrs. Columbus take the plunge and go all the way to the very top, but I am satisfied to stay at the last ‘official’ point and capture some photos and video, so kudos to both of them.

Often with these climbs the going down can be tricker than the going up.  While not as physically demanding, the downhill momentum coupled with sometimes slippery rocks, and finding the right footholds means you need to pay attention.  Given the rough terrain I am certain there have been many twisted ankles, cuts and other bruises by people making the descent, and as I am making my way down I wonder how exactly they get people out of here if they get hurt.  There is no sort of helicopter rescue team or anything out here, so I can only imagine that some agile Thai people would have to carry you out.  Thankfully that is not any of us and I make it down to the bottom with enough time for a quick, refreshing dip in the ocean to cool off before it is time to get back on the boat.

It is the end of the day for us now and all that is left is the 90 minute return trip to Koh Samui where we started. Erica has gotten herself a fair bit of sun today, and is starting to look more pinkish-red like myself, and of course Mrs. Columbus is looking almost like a Thai local by now.

After getting back for a quick shower to wash away the sea salt, and the layers of sweat we wander off to a small restaurant where the locals go for some dinner and then Mrs. Columbus and I are ready to call it an end to a great day.  Erica is not yet done though, and has arranged to meet up with some people she met on the boat for some night club action.  Hopefully she will not be too foggy tomorrow for the ferry ride to Koh Tao 😉

After a leisurely start this morning and a bit of time to clean up some emails, we decided to make our way over to Chewang Beach – one of the busier beaches on Koh Samui.  The sun was out with just a little light cloud, so we decided to walk across from our spot on Big Buddha Beach.  The trip across the top corner of the island was about 6km so we figured it would be a nice walk to build up to a massage that would surely follow.  I think Erica was a bit skeptical at first, but she stayed with us and after about an hour we arrived at the other beach.

It was a bit hotter along the walk than I thought it would be as I figured we might catch a breeze as we crossed the ridge separating the two beaches, but there were enough buildings and trees that there was only us sweaty people.  So directly after arriving at the beach we dipped our feet in the surf, and then sat down at a beachside restaurant for a cold refreshment.

Conveniently located right next door to the beach restaurant was a bunch of ladies doing massage right on the beach.  Deciding that we had indeed well earned our turn, we popped over right after re-hydrating for a little pampering.  It is really hard to beat massage on the beach, with the open air sala, the sea air, and the sound of the surf it is very relaxing, and to top it off the massage ladies really knew their stuff – one of the best massages I have had in a while!

After all that we just walked down the beach enjoying the surroundings and doing a bit of people watching.  Towards the far end of the beach Erica and I decided that we had earned ourselves another refreshment, so we sat at a beach bar with bean-bag chairs on the beach and enjoyed a beer while gazing out at the ocean.

Finally it was time to head back, and Mrs. Columbus and I decided that because the sun was setting and the temperature had dropped a bit we were going to make the trek and walk back so Erica hopped onto a motorcycle taxi and zipped away – saving about an hour off her return trip 🙂

A bit of street food on the walk back and we are fed and watered for the evening.  We are taking a day trip to Ang Thong Marine Reserve tomorrow, so by the time we get back to the hotel it was perfect timing to get cleaned up and into bed in preparation for an early morning.