Koh Tao

Bridget:

That next morning we boarded the ferry to head north to Koh Tao.  Here is a bit of scenery around the ferry pier:

That afternoon we docked in Koh Tao and headed to our resort.   The price of staying in this beautiful, beachside resort in Thailand was about the same you would pay at a 3-star hotel in States.  We spent the afternoon lounging by the gorgeous pool and then walking down the beach to grab some Thai food: 

The next morning we spent taking in the scenery around the much-more-low-key beach and hanging out in the water:

Despite the heat, that afternoon we decided to take a self-guided kayak tour around the coast.  Not too far from the hotel was a great little bay with excellent snorkeling.  We saw brightly colored fish, coral, sea cucumbers, and even an octopus (unfortunately not captured on camera). 

Since the resort was located on the south side of the island, we knew there had to be even more amazing views of the sunset on the west side, so we headed to the pier where we arrived the previous day.  Sure enough, we were in for a treat:

 Now I have seen some amazing sunrises and sunsets, but this one beat them all by far.  The shades of pink, purple, orange, and yellow were unbelievably breathtaking.  After eating some ridiculously spicy Thai food (note:  don’t ever order something off a menu the Thais label “spicy”), we walked the streets and finally found a place for me to get my Dr. Fish pedicure I had been so curious about.  For those unfamiliar with this phenomenon, it is basically a fish tank in which you submerge your feet and let the little fishies go to work, eating away the dead skin on your feet.  This is particularly interesting if you have extremely ticklish feet, like me.  I’ll be honest…it was pretty dang ticklish, but if you can make it past the first few minutes, then it becomes quite therapeutic, like little jolts of electricity shooting through your feet.  I lasted for about 30 minutes, and my feet were noticeably soft afterwards, but I think those little suckers would have to go at it for about an hour or more to take care of my pedicure-deprived feet.

For our final, full day in Koh Tao, we were feeling adventurous and booked a full-day ocean fishing trip through the resort.  Usually this sort of excursion would cost upwards of $600 for a few people, but once again the currency exchange rate played in our favor, costing us only $40 a person.  The best part was that it was only the three of us along with our guide, the boat captain, and a “first mate,” if you will.  Here is the day in pictures:

All in all, we caught grouper, snapper, and even a couple small king mackerel.  Upon returning to the resort, we were greeted with fresh coconut water:

The best part of the deal was that we were able to keep the fish we caught and took them to the resort kitchen, where they prepared the fish and had it ready in just a couple hours.  So, it went from this:

To this:

        

In one word:  DELICIOUS.   The snapper was marinated and steamed, some of the grouper was fried whole, and the rest was used in the TomYum soup.  To top it all off, this was the view from our table:

It’s amazing how far your money goes in some countries, such as Thailand.  I’m not sure if we got the royal treatment because of the money we spent or if that’s just how they treat their guests.  In any case, we had a great day, a fabulous meal, and an overall unforgettable experience.  Thank you, Koh Tao!

The next day we were forced to come back down to reality and make the long journey back to Bangkok and then eventually home. We exchanged goodbyes with Bryan at the Samui airport, then spent the next couple days making our way back to the Western hemisphere.

Next Stop: United States of America