There are no pictures of this day, so you’ll need your imagination. It seems that no one really arises on Koh Samui before 10am, but we did manage to find one place that was setting up for business , so we went there and strategized about the day. Our initial intention was to stay on one of the two islands north of Koh Samui, but neither one seemed to have accommodations available. After discussing several options, we decided to go for it and see what we could find once we arrived. Our destination of choice was Koh Tao, which is quieter and primarily a setting for divers.
The first hurtle: which of the three piers had boats to Koh Tao? We learned that it was the same one where we had arrived. Biking the roads was not an option, and we only had a short time to travel the 20 or so kilometers. So, we found a mini-van taxi and the bikes rode on the top. Once at the pier, no one seemed to know about the ferry to Koh Tao, Luckily, there were two adjacent piers and people at the third one knew of a ferry to Koh Phangan, which connected to the one to Koh Tao. It was scheduled to leave in 10 minutes. We bought tickets, grabbed some nearby food, and waited. We were told that the boat was full but that we could get on if there were cancellations. Based on their organizational system, I have no idea how they would know if there were cancellations. After almost an hour of waiting, the ticket lady said “Boat late” – nice to know. Eventually it showed up and we got on. The bikes rode in the stern.
The voyage to Koh Phangan lasted about an hour or so. The connecting ferry was supposed to leave an hour after we arrived. Fortunately, it was held until we showed up. Caroline and I rode the bikes from our arrival pier to another one that was two piers over. The rest of the passengers rode in taxi trucks. We boarded the boat (bikes in the stern) and were on our way to Koh Tao directly. The first ferry ride was smooth because we were still rather close to land, but the second one got a bit choppy. Caroline didn’t seem to enjoy the ride quite so much, but we eventually arrived in Koh Tao. (Tao means turtle in Thai, by the way.)
Now the real challenge began. We arrived at 4pm. It gets dark at 6pm. Find a place to stay on a popular island where everyone says there are no rooms. On dubious advice from a woman near the pier, we took a pickup truck taxi to a place off the beaten track – mistake. At that point, we split up. Caroline and I checked for places near this remote site, while Chris went the other direction to the main beach area. The result of the hunt: Thomson – 1; Baabs – 0. Chris found us some bungalows at the end of the main beach, which is a very short walk from my bungalow door. Kudos to Mr. Thomson! Caroline and I (with the bikes) took another pickup truck taxi to our new home for the next several days and nights. Biking would be possible on this island, but not when it’s dark and you don’t have any idea where you are going.
Dinner and a walk on the beach, enjoying the warm Thai nights capped off a hectic and rather uncertain, but adventurous, day. I’ll post a few pictures of this idyllic location later today. It’s the type of place where many of the more remote resorts are only accessible by water taxi. If you have a vision of the quintessential tropical island in your head, this is probably it.
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