An island interlude

Our southward journey is slow and plagued by mysterious delays.  And whoever said it was worth taking the daytime train so as to enjoy the view must really like to look at flat, wet farmland.  Ah well, for 300 baht each we can't expect much.  Including, apparently, for the train to be on time - our 10 hour journey stretches into almost 12 hours, and we arrive in Chumphon after midnight.  Along the way we are entertained by the ubiquitous food vendors, and one of our near neighbours who is travelling with a smallish dog.  This dog is the best traveller we've ever seen!  He shares a seat with his owner, is patient with other travellers who make a fuss out of him, and doesn't make one noise except a single woof which prompts his owner to take him to the bathroom!  He is treated to a tasty chicken dinner from one of the roaming vendors.

Dining a la locomotive

We meet a couple of South Africans in the train's dining car but work out quite quickly that our standards of accommodation are wildly different, so we decline their offer to share a taxi to their resort.  It's just a short stroll into the town and it's not hard to find a hotel (although we do wake up the staff when we enter the lobby!).  We get a really large room with air conditioning and happily settle in to watch the news before retiring for the night.

Blogging juice

The next morning we endeavour to buy ferry tickets to Ko Tao (ko = island).  Tourist information directs us to a private office on the main street, which we soon identify as "Fame Tour" near the hotel we stayed in the previous night.  A lovely woman sells us tickets for the overnight ferry & explains that it was good that our train was late last night, as the Sunday night ferry is apparently really tiny whereas the one that runs during the week is spacious & comfortable (at least by comparison).  The office even has a shelf where we can leave our bags during the day, and our ticket includes the transfer to the ferry pier outside of Chumphon - so we can relax over a delicious breakfast of their homemade Italian bread. We planned to have a look around town during the day, but persistent rain sets in so we end up spending most of the day updating the blog, photos and other important internet activities.

We do duck out for an hour or so to explore the "night market" of street food.  Disappointingly it's mostly deep-fried, or standard fare such as pad thai.  Chris isn't feeling too great so he chooses the most familiar item, which resembles a very small pasty, whereas Lisa tries some fish balls and we both enjoy some tiny pancake-like items topped with shredded coconut.  We steer clear of the Angry Birds skewers  ;-)  We head back to our "home" in Chumphon, Fame Tours, to round out our dinner with some pasta, and before long it's time to jump in the back of a truck for the ride to the pier.

The ferry ticket office is tiny and is showing the usual Thai soap opera on a large TV.  A German woman who works for one of the dive schools appears with some brochures, and tries to convince everyone (especially Chris) to book a dive course in exchange for free accommodation; but he's not sure if he wants to dive yet, so he declines.  There's a small group of young women and a pair of British brothers waiting with us - seems like the ferry will be mostly freight.  But somehow by the time it pulls out, the sleeping room (which is pretty comfy, with rows of bunk beds) is quite full.  There's not much to do except drop off to sleep - except for one passenger who is clearly playing Bejeweled Blitz in the otherwise silent, dark room!

The ferry arrives at Ko Tao at about 5:30am as scheduled, but we know that it doesn't travel onwards from here so we can sleep a bit longer.  We awake to find that we and our British friends are the only passengers left aboard (they are still sound asleep).  It's nearly hockey o'clock so we pry ourselves out of bed and pop out on deck to watch the crew unloading some huge pallets of concrete blocks on to a small truck.  It's delicate work as they just fit on the truck and the pallets are not really well packed, but in the end most of the blocks make it unscathed.

We disembark and head for the Safety Stop pub, on the advice of the German dive school woman.  It should open at 7am but at 6:50 there are no signs of life.  We park ourselves on the picnic table outside and eat some weird sugar toast that we bought in Chumphon (looks better than it tastes).  At about 7:15, staff start to appear and set to work sweeping the front entrance, opening up doors etc.  But when we try to go in about 30 minutes later, they signal that they're "not ready".  We wait a further 10 minutes but now they refuse to turn on the TV for the hockey - apparently it can't be switched on until the manager/owner arrives...at 9am!  We defect to a bakery up the hill and they kindly try to find the game for us, but their sports coverage is limited and we resign ourselves to following it on the online "highlights ticker" (since NHL charges for actually watching live games online!).  This is OK but not as dynamic or exciting as watching the actual match, so after the end of the 2nd period (and our breakfast), Lisa goes exploring and somehow convinces the town's other sports pub to open up especially for us!  We watch the 3rd period in the dark, quiet bar; it's bad news for New Jersey but they put up a good fight.

With a big thank-you to the owner, Johnny, we set out to find somewhere to sleep.  A fat brochure entitled "Ko Tao Info" (courtesy of Fame Tours, of course) leads us to the Jansom Bungalows just outside of Mae Haad Town (where the pier is located).  We get a seaside bungalow complete with large deck & hammock for the amazing price of 500 baht/night.  It's simple and not in tiptop condition, but it's so great to have our own private space and the view of our rocky, small bay is sublime.  Plus the Thai managers/owners seem very sweet (along with their 4 small white dogs who follow them around while they work!).  It's sad to see that there are no other guests - this is the low season but the fancy resorts on either side are moderately busy, so we wonder how this place keeps going.  It wouldn't surprise us to find out that in the near future, they've sold out to one resort or the other.

Drug stash

The next couple of days are spent wandering slowly around our neighbouring bays, admiring the view from our deck, and doing a bit of snorkeling (including a trip to Jansom Bay, which is a private beach for people staying at the resort there...and also people staying at our cheap bungalows, score!).  Unfortunately Chris doesn't take to the latter which leaves him a bit bored; and he's also getting progressively more ill, to the point where he doesn't want to eat anything.  This is exacerbated by the fact that pretty much everywhere smells of fish sauce which is a bit nauseating under normal circumstances!  Finally we go to a small clinic in Mae Haad, where an elderly Thai lady prescribes a host of remedies for about 450 baht in total.  It seems reasonable, and we understand all of the medications except a mysterious white liquid called "Flying Rabbit"!

During our wandering days we stumble across the stunning and secluded new Pinnacle Resort (for our friends who appreciate luxury & privacy, we'd totally recommend this!), and have dinner one night at our neighbouring resort.  Lisa tries laab, a spicy minced meat salad – the menu describes this as lime & mild spices ha ha, her mouth is on fire and she can't actually finish it!  We're fast discovering that Thai food in Thailand doesn't bear much resemblance to the stuff we've tried in the pubs in London (that shouldn't really come as a surprise, but a lot of other cuisines served in London seem to be reasonably authentic).


After his visit to the "medicine woman", Chris spends a day resting at home while Lisa takes a long hike around the south & east of the island.  She hits Ao Leuk Bay for some snorkelling; it's a quiet spot, probably due in part to the crazily steep, potholed access road!  A Dutch guy offers her a lift on his motorcycle but frankly walking looks like the safer option.

As Lisa walks around she wonders why everyone else is on scooters & motorcycles.  They are so easy to rent here (and bicycles, almost impossible to find) but it is such a small place that they seem out of place.  People are travelling too quickly to appreciate the beauty & quiet of the island, and the amount of pollution produced is quite disturbing also.

Aptly named Seaview Resort

She climbs some steep steps to reach the view (and the restaurant) at Seaview Resort, where she meets Paa, a Thai cook. They actually spotted each other earlier in the day - Lisa noticed Paa because of her long dreadlocks, and she noticed Lisa because she was on foot (and wearing her distinctive hat!).  It turns out that Paa was travelling around the island in search of a motorbike which was stolen while it had been on loan to one of the resort's guests.  She explains that she asked the local police to help, but they were unwilling to do anything without payment!  This isn't the first time we've heard about police corruption in our travels, but it's still hard to digest when you grow up in a culture where the police are there to help & be trusted.  


Lisa & Paa have a long chat about Britain's Got Talent (which is showing on the restaurant's TV); Paa's French boyfriend; and the number of Laos natives who work on Ko Tao (Paa reckons 75%).  We exchange some language lessons - Paa learns how to say "I love you" in French and Lisa learns the Thai word for water (naam).  Apparently her Thai pronunciation is passable!


Finally she continues on her way, and thinks she spots the trail to the "Two View" viewpoint.  There's no signpost but she decides to take her chances, and scrambles up the steep gravel trail.  It evens out (sort of) at the top and is a pleasantly quiet, traffic-free walk across the forested hills in the middle of the island.  She doesn't see a soul for at least 2 hours, which seems like a miracle.  It's low season on the island but since most of the roads & development are along the relatively flat coastline, you're never alone!  It's particularly noticeable when the ferries arrive at Mae Haad and the local businesses scramble for custom.  

Tanote Bay

She never does find the viewpoint, and eventually follows the trail downwards to the island's reservoir (disturbingly almost empty).  Now it seems clear where she is on the trail map, so she looks for a small trail towards Mao Bay, which seems to be one of the few bays without a hotel or resort.  After scrambling through the undergrowth (reckoning that this is probably NOT the trail, but it does look like somewhere that people have walked before!), she slips on some loose gravel and tumbles into a small fissure in the rocks.  Now she remembers why you should never hike alone...


A quick survey of the damage shows that all parts are still attached, but her knee is a bit of a bloody mess.  Of course, the first aid kit is safely at home in the bungalow.  A splash of water and some anti-bacterial hand cleanser (OW!), then a hobble back up to the small road she'd branched off of.  The seclusion which was so welcome an hour before is now a cause for concern.  But it's not long before she spots some local guys working in the forest (she decides not to ask them for help, as it's unlikely they speak English and also that they have bandages!), and shortly afterwards she comes to the main road.  The first cafe she passes is also a "rescue center" - perfect!  It takes a few minutes to get the attention of the card-playing first aiders, but when they spot the blood they spring into action and she's soon clean and patched.  Everyone is impressed that she's made such a mess of her leg without the aid of a motorcycle or scooter.  She also discovers that she was nowhere near the trail she was looking for, and in fact has rejoined the main road about 1/2 kilometer from the Seaview Resort.  She decides to take the fall as a message telling her to turn back before she got too lost  ;-)

Cocktail therapy

It's time for a cheese sandwich and a text to Chris to make plans for where we will meet, since it's clearly time for Lisa to stop walking today!  We decide to meet on Sairee Beach as planned - it's the opposite side of the island but there is a road leading there, so it should be no trouble.  After a slow hobble across the island, Lisa finds Chris in the (alleged) rock bar on the beach.  This part of the island is where a lot of the nightlife is focussed and the beach is packed with bars.  We enjoy some cocktails as the sun goes down, and the bar next door starts up an impressive light show!

Gravel-related injury

The injury puts paid to any snorkelling plans that Lisa had for the next few days, and with Chris still recovering we start to get a bit bored.  Lisa starts making plans to head to Ko Lanta, on the west side of Thailand in the Andaman Sea.  This is where the best snorkelling should be, but it's the wrong season (windy & rainy).  However there is an animal rescue center there, and since it's the low season they're happy to have some extra help even if it's just for a couple of weeks.  We're finding that it's great to have some purpose to our days (at least occasionally!) so this sounds very appealing to Lisa, who always prefers places in the off-season  =)


Chris has decided that he'd like to move closer to town once he's on his own (he doesn't want to travel until he's recovered) so Lisa heads into town on Saturday morning to look for a cheap room.  She makes a short list of 3 - a tiny, cell-like room (very cheap and central); a slightly larger room with a TV for entertainment (next door to the first option); or a cute bungalow on a friendly resort (slightly further from the center, and uphill, but convenient for the intriguing Baby Rasta bar).  The latter is the only one with wi-fi so Chris opts for this one, despite Lisa's warning about a truly HUGE gecko that she spotted when she viewed the cabin... weirdly, no one else ever sees this reptile...

Cheapest beer in 7-Eleven - do NOT try it, ick!

We shift Chris' stuff to the new place after bidding good-bye to our hosts and their tiny dog pack.  Then we mosey into town to find some food & drink.  We try the delicious-looking coffee shop on the corner, but they don't have an "air-conditioned upstairs" as advertised and their service is strangely reticent, so we leave after our (admittedly tasty) breakfast.  We head over to the Safety Stop later that day to catch the rugby matches, along with a few other ex-pats (who all seem to work for dive schools). 
  
After the 2nd match, it's time for Lisa to catch her night ferry, so she bids good-bye to Chris (who is still not sure where he'll go after Ko Tao!) and lugs her bag to the pier...