Koh Tao: Hell Yes to No
Especially during the day. Especially when there are many people. Snorkeling bores me quickly and I am not interested in surfing or diving. And sun bathing, man, that physically hurts.
And I never really like clubs.
So why going to Koh Tao, a small island (21 km2) in the northwest of Thailand, known for its diving spots/schools and beach party life, 8 hour bus ride and 2 hour ferry ride away from Bangkok?
To visit this charming bastard.
And by charming bastard I mean a dear friend. He used to work in my hometown for some years before deciding to go to Koh Tao to manage a hostel two years ago.
As we walked on the wooden pier groggily after long flights and bus and ferry ride, this crazy guy was shouting, jumping, and waving his welcome cardboard sign at the same time, then proceeded to run towards us and gave us aggressive hugs, and then produced three large bottles of beer from his oversize rattan bag and told us to shut up and drink on the spot. I think everyone in the 100-metre radius turned their heads to watch our glorious reunion.
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| Selamat *datang COK or Welcome FUCKERS |
Anyways.
If you like easy island/beach life, or you want to get your diving license, or you like to party but not in a super crazy huge crowd (like that full moon party in Koh Phangan), this island is definitely ideal. Life is convenient and relaxed, beaches are always within walking/short scooter ride distance, and it is easy to find diving/party buddies.
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| One of the beach bars in the evening |
Well for me personally, I would be completely confused about what to do in Koh Tao after a day if I did not have this friend who lives and works there and knows places that not everybody knows. My favorite place to be was actually his little cottage, with a pleasant little balcony overlooking the sea, where we spent several times cooking, talking about some existential shitstorms, or just chilling.
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| Chilling at the balcony |
Anyways here are what I think about the things you can do in Koh Tao, if you are not a beach person:
Hell Yes – Fraggle Rock View Point
This viewing point is not listed on any online Koh Tao guide as far as I know. It was an easy and quiet 30-45 minutes hike through a forest. There is a deserted restaurant half way. We went up there to watch the sunset, and it was not disappointing. We could see Koh Tao's busiest intersection and heard its muffled traffic from above, while the sky was slowly turning pink.
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| Sunset seen from Fraggle Rock viewing point |
Yes – Watching people cliff jumping - Tanote Bay
Yes this one can be included in beach activity. But it was fun watching the guys climbing up the scrappy rope to the top of the rock to do the 7 metre jump.
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| Tanote Bay on a cloudy day |
Yes - Eating at the foodcourt next to the big 7-Eleven
Because they have a wide range of cheap Thai food. And so damn good too.
No – Going to that small neighboring island
There is an even smaller island close to Koh Tao that can be reached with a 20-minute boat ride called Koh NangYuan, it looks nice from afar. But, man, this island is very crowded. There is a quite nice viewing point, but I couldn't really enjoy it as it was also packed to the point that we were queuing for taking a picture at the top.
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| From Koh NanYuan Viewing Point. Source |
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