Travel Day 1106 – Koh Phangan to Koh Tao, THAILAND
After settling-in so nicely on Koh Phangan, I really wasn’t sure any more if wanted to move on, but since Koh Tao had been my original destination, I felt obliged to at least have a look and see how different the other island…
Busy Beach on Koh Tao in Thailand
Since I finally managed to sleep-in a little bit, I was really only able to use the morning for some breakfast in my hammock, packing my bag and saying good-bye to the beach. After that, I was already off to the pier in Thong Sala, where I had arrived only two days ago. Luckily we went quite early and so I had enough time to buy some snacks for the two-hour boat ride and I could eat some nice lunch right at the peer from one of the many street vendors…
This 12.30pm ferry was supposed to be the cheapest one and it actually was, but after having spent another 350 baht, I really felt that this short island visit was technically way beyond reasoning and my usual budget. But being not really spoiled with options, the only possible thing to do was making a mental note that Thailand really wasn’t that cheap of a country as I seemed to remember. But maybe my perception had just changed over the years and coming to Thailand from India or Nepal certainly didn’t help to appreciate the prices here either…
Busier Beach on Koh Tao Island
Anyway, the boat ride itself was pretty uneventful and I was only really surprised by the vast masses of tourists that were cramped on these little boats. I really couldn’t imagine where all these holiday makers came from, but after all, I had to admit that I found myself probably in the epicenter of global tourism. It was still hard to believe that so many people came to Thailand in the middle of the rainy season, where one would normally expect empty hotels and discounted rates everywhere…
How far off my hopes were I came to realize once we reached Koh Tao and I started walking towards the main town Ban Hat Sai Ri. First of all the whole area had a shocking kind of Mallorca, Cancun or Kuta on Bali kind of feel to it. There were hotels, restaurants and beach bars literally everywhere and a lot of them were actually really sophisticated and expensive looking. And while I appreciated the pedestrian walking zone parallel to the shore line, I did not really appreciate the prices that people were asking for a room to stay…
Busiest Beach on Koh Tao in Thailand
So I ended up rather frustrated walking around for the most part of the afternoon, only to find a somewhat affordable place to stay. Finally I had settled for the last simple room, right at the main street, away from the beach and for the same price as the fancy room I used to stay at in Bangkok. The prices for food were obviously also a lot higher here than anywhere else and I really started to regret my decision to come to Koh Tao. My later walk along the beach which was packed with people didn’t really help to change my mind either…
Only by the end of the day, when I finally found a somewhat quiet spot in the sand and I could go for a swim in the extremely clear water, things started to look better again. Everyone in Thailand had always told me that Koh Tao was such a great place to visit and I had to admit that it was, but it was probably better enjoyed if one appreciated a party atmosphere, fancy restaurants and could afford to stay in one of the beautiful hotels along the sea…
Find all Koh Tao Photos here.
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