National Express. Tube. Plane. Taxi. Train. Taxi. Boat. Taxi! After travelling for 40 solid hours on public transport, we finally arrived in Koh Tao yesterday morning. The flight from London to Dubai was fine, but the 7 hour connection left us feeling tired, cranky, and more than a bit bored of the airline dvd selection. We landed in Bangkok in the evening, and were met with a blistering damp heat- summers are humid out here. We got a taxi to the train station, and settled outside a restaurant to enjoy the first pad thai noodles and chang beers of the holiday- however we had some unwelcome company in the form of cockroaches and ticket touts. We waited with trepidation and sweaty backs for the train to arrive, whisking us away from the sewer smells of busy smoggy Bangkok, to the laid back turtle dive paradise that is Koh Tao.
The train was fairly busy, and the air conditioning system was little more than ceiling fans on the roof of the train, but the 600km journey was fairly comfortable, even if the ticket men were very intimidating.
Seven hours later and we were on the final leg of the journey- the boat to Koh Tao. Once again I was reminded that there is a big difference between English Time and Thai Time- Our train was half an hour late, and the ferry took around twice as long to get to the island as was stated. There is a great laid back vibe here in Thailand- I wouldnt be surprised if the train driver stopped somewhere for a chat and a cigarette break...
The troubles with riots in Bangkok seem to be met with mixed views among travellers, I overheard people on the plane saying they were going straight to Khao San, others saying they wouldn't consider staying the night. We were in a taxi yesterday with a couple who's hotel had been attacked by redshirts- 'I't was great- the nicest people in Bangkok are the redshirts. They are the only ones not trying to scam us'. Quite.
Anyway, we are staying on a beach hut a few metres from the pure white sands of Sairee beach. The hut consists of little more than a matress, a table, a fan, and toilet-cum-shower, but it suits us. We went out for a little drinky last night, which, invariably, led to me and will dancing in a bar watching a couple of eight year olds doing some fire poi. As we walked back I found a rope swing above the sea- and with the confidence and grace only a few cocktails can instill in a person, swang myself above the water- only to fall with a thud to a hard sandy ground a second later. Will found it very funny, my leg did not.
Today was the first day of our Padi course- learning to scuba dive down to 18 metres. What the day actually consisted of however, was four hours in a classroom watching delightfully 80's videos and swotting up.
Me and Will haven't had a chance to tan yet- we are probably the palest people on the island (ginger people exempt, of course). But we have a few months of bronzing ahead of us yet...
Tonight we enjoyed a laid back night, thai curry, followed by thai massage, which was excruciating and invigorating. Will worried about having the more attractive lady massage him, but I think he preferred it in the end...
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