Koh Tao, Thailand

We left Cambodia in style, boarding a small turbo-prop at the Siem Reap airport bound for the shabby Don Meoung airport in Bangkok, where we transferred to a nicer plane to the shabby coastal town of Chumphon. We arrived well after dark and had to march around this rough and ready port town's red light district to find a room for the night. A quick but tasty meal of pad thai at the night market put us in good spirits before retiring for the night. It wasn't until much later that Liz realized what all these ladies were doing hanging out on the street at night. She thought they were just "talking." It's an easy mistake to make as a LOT of that does go on here and these ladies were not dressed like your typical western hooker.

The next morning we were crammed on a truck with a load of people that had arrived on the overnight train from Bangkok and were transferred to the ferry dock. The boat was already littered with other backpackers who had arrived earlier from other overnight trips and were catching up on sleep stolen by uncomfortable means of transport.

One of the many hundreds of unoccupied islands in the Bay of Thailand that we passed in the ferry crossing from Chumphon to Koh Tao. Good for swallows to nest on because of the cliffs and caves, but no good for people because of the lack of beach.

Our luggage on deck, where the smokers all hang out. The ones that were awake, that is.

Our first sight of the island of Koh Tao. Two hours on a high speed ferry lets us know that we are a long way from shore.

No, that is not a UFO, only Bowen's Frisbee captured at just the right moment. Every evening we enjoyed the beach at sunset, and the tides meant that we often did it in ankle-deep, bathtub-warm water.

A view of our digs from the water. The trees provided very welcome shade against the afternoon sun.

A lucky capture of the image of the elusive "sunset starfish".

This is the beginner's tree on which to learn how to climb a coco.

Ride 'em cowboy! Bowen shows that he is no mere beginner. In this photo it is clear to see that his nuts have already dropped.

Bowen and Liz show how to walk the beaches of Koh Tao. Yes, it really was as beautiful as it looks.

Did we mention yet that the sunsets here are incredible? Even though it is the same glowing orb sinking below the same horizon wherever we go, this never gets tiresome. Liz was the photographer on this one.

Here's how the ugly tourists do it on Koh Tao - one bucket of drinks at a time. Basically you buy a drink kit that can be conveniently carted around in it's own pail. The pail can be put to other uses once you are done drinking.

We rented motorbikes and toured the island. This was one of the other fantastic beaches that we were able to hike into. They have a sensible "no plastics" policy on many of the beaches, which goes a long way to keeping their greatest natural resource a lot cleaner than the rest of South East Asia.

A panorama of one of the beach bays with some of the resort bungalows you can rent.

Beach boulders outside one of our favourite breakfast haunts.

Now before you start thinking that this place was paradise, the weather was not always perfect. Actually, the overcast and occasional rainfall was welcome as it cut the terrific heat.

Liz demonstrates how clear the water was at the beach. She likes this perspective because the diffraction caused by the water makes her feet appear smaller.

Typical Thai boat. The long tail motor is tarped against the rain.

There is a whole 'mother world under the sand, full of worms and snails and shellfish. What sort of creature can pass this much sand through itself? I don't really want to know, in case it is something I enjoy eating.

Koh Tao is a worldwide top diving destination. This is an exceedingly common sight on the beach.

One of the brief but intense rain storms that blew over the island while we were there. lots of thunder and lighting and sheets of rain.

The view down one of the steep descents to a seaside beach village. That is Shark Island in the background, which is not so named because it looks like a shark, but rather because of what is under the water.

Our bungalow was right next door to a massage business, where the Thai women knew what they were doing. Here the masseuse is leaning in to Liz' back with her elbow. It was nice to be able to have a massage and then stumble next door in time for a sundown drink.

Liz and Bowen showing that there is more than one way to climb a coco tree.

Here is the photo that will be on Remy's desk at work. Liz hangs ten on one of the  bent coco trees. It was actually much higher than it appears.

Bowen and Remy making the commute to our snorkeling spot. Can you believe we had to get our feet wet?

Some of the rental accommodation available on Koh Tao. These ones have lousy beach.

Another great beach rewarded after a short hike. Bonus - topless sunbathers! The water was great, too.

Remy and Bowen pink-bellied after a slap fight in the water. That's how guys bond.

Still not tired of the sunsets here. The best time was after the sun was below the horizon and was lighting the clouds from underneath. It always pays to stick around for the credits!

We were glad we were not around when this one rolled into place. You can see where some jokers have place twigs on the right hand side, a la Wile E. Coyote, where they appear to be holding up the big boulder.

A view of Nangyuan Island, which is actually three islands all joined by a sand bar. We would be going there a couple of days later as part of a snorkeling trip.

A view of the ocean from the top of the island.

You can sit and have breakfast or a beer from places like this all over the island. The view is still pretty good, even without the hot chick.

One of the primary reasons we came to Koh Tao was in order for Remy to take a free dive course. For those unfamiliar with the term, free diving refers to underwater sports that are conducted without the aid of compressed air to breath. Remy connected with the Blue Immersion Free Dive School and was placed directly into the Level 2 course. As it was "low season", Remy was the only student in Level 2 and so had the instructor, Pavel, all to himself. Three days passed quickly, with theory and basic skills being done in the morning and dives in the afternoon. It does not sound difficult, just hold your breath and go as deep as you can, but there was lots to learn and skills to master. In the end, Remy held his breath for 3 minutes 50 seconds and managed his deepest dive to 25 meters. They say that people scuba dive to go  underwater and look around, while other people free dive to go underwater and look inside. It is very true, as in order to free dive successfully one has to overcome mostly obstacles of one's own devise. It was fun to be able to dive down and swim alongside scuba divers, too. It freaks them out to see people at those depths without tanks.

Remy with Pavel, his free dive instructor. Pavel is from the Czech Republic, but sensibly spends his winters on Koh Tao teaching free diving. He has a static breath hold time of over 7 minutes. Yes, we know how gay they both look in this photo, not that there is anything wrong with that.

Bowen with his early morning face on, waiting to go on a snorkelling trip. For coral and fish, Koh Tao was one of the best snorkeling locations we have been to. Bowen and Liz bought high quality masks here, which also added greatly to their enjoyment of the warm waters. Bowen is displaying some ability as a free diver, too.

Some of the island coastline taken from the snorkeling boat.

The colour of the waters we swam in was fantastic. Bowen practises his Navy SEAL covert boat entry technique.

On the boardwalk at Nangyuan Island. The sun is so intense here that it burns Remy's scalp right through his hair so he has to wear a do rag while swimming.

On the sand bar that connects the three islands of Nangyuan. From one spot, you can swim in three different bays.

One way to carry your towel to the beach. Prince Leia here offered to teach us how.

The viewpoint promises a lot, but we did not feel so young by the time we got to the top.

Family portrait selfie, just missing Hollis. 

Another perspective of the double beach at Nangyuan Island.

This was a very cool place with some great snorkeling. This is where Remy swam with the scuba divers. We had to be mindful of the triggerfish, which grow quite large here due to lack of hunting, as they aggressively defend their territory underwater when it is egg-laying time.

A view of the hill we climbed in the blazing heat for the selfie photo above.

It is really hard to pick a favourite sunset photo from this place!

One of the things we have really come to appreciate in the part of the world is the "NO SHOES" policy that applies even at the restaurants.

Our digs on board the overnight ferry from Koh To to Surat Thani to begin our return to Malaysia. The rumble of the engine and the gentle swaying on the calm seas with air conditioning that worked actually meant we had a pretty good night's sleep. The only downer was that someone took Bowen's ratty old flip flops. 

Koh Tao was a good antidote to the intense emotional experience that had been Cambodia. It was fun to be on an island with a bunch of young farangs, drinking and diving and roaring around on motorbikes. That being said, it is an artificial atmosphere, and the locals are pretty jaded by the drunken antics and the tomfoolery. We look forward to getting back off the party track and seeing another part of Malaysia, which we will do on the island of Langkawi.

~Remy