Koh Tao

OK, I was to meet Mark and Lisa at 0500 at the Lompraya travel place, but they were NO SHOWS! To get to Koh Tao, it will be a 6 or 7 hours bus ride, then a 1 1/2 hour ferry. The bus was nice and air-conditioned and the ferry was actually a high speed catamaran. CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE PIER TO THE FERRY AT CHUMPHON?!!!! We all know by now that I did not travel light. I get out to the pier and it has to be at least a quarter of a mile long! I decided as people were rushing to the boat, no need in complaining or bitching about it, just jump on it. So I am rolling along with my roll suitcase, my backpack, my carry all bag and my huge toiletry bag. Thank goodness for Western men, this German guy offered to carry my 10kilo toiletry bag. He said this bag is as heavy as my backpack! We just laughed as we hurried to the ferry.

I was soooo excited as I saw us moving into that crystal clear blue water. The wide-eye anticipation of what is to come. What will I see when I arrive at Koh Tao? Well the first thing I can tell you is FANS!!!!!!

What can I say about Koh Tao? Koh means island and Tao means turtle, so I am on "turtle island". I have fans waiting when I arrive, so I say hello and keep rolling on. Big Blue is where I am staying. It's a bit rustic, keeping in mind most divers are men, who won't care about decor, or geckos crawling around your room.

I came to Koh Tao to be in the sun and get rid of a cold. I really had not planned on coming to any beaches in Thailand, but I did make an unofficial inquiry about SCUBA. I have been a diver for a couple of years with only a SCUBA diver certification. I knew I loved it, I just needed a place that I could hole up and learn to do it. And I believe Koh Tao is the place. I just need dive 3 and 4 for completion. I don't want just the regular certification, I really want to learn what I am doing and be able to grab a buddy and go out on my own.

I will do my dives later but for now it is great to jump into the ocean and swim around in crystal clear water. There is so much to see just snorkeling I can only imagine when I dive these spots.