Island Life

So I ran full tilt out of the train station. It was 11.45pm, my boat was meant to leave at Midnight but the pier was at least a 10 minute drive away and I didn’t have a ticket. In my mind this was still do-able but in reality it was not. I spoke to some taxi drivers and who all agreed it wasn’t worth trying so I went to the travel agency women who were touting their tours to the people from the train. One lady said that all the boats had left at 11pm and the other one claimed there was no night boat at all. I was at a loss. What I didn’t want to do was get dropped at the pier to no boat, nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep.

So I relented, took a deep breath and got out my wallet. One of the ladies was offering a hostel deal with free transport to the pier and a cheap boat ticket at 7am tomorrow morning. This meant I wouldn’t be losing so much time just a little more money than expected.

I followed the rest of the people heading to a hostel for the night, threw myself on a bed and slept for about 4 hours until it was time to get up again.

At 6.30am the next morning I was on the boat waiting to set sail, or start the diesel engine. The boat was rammed and there weren’t any seats so people just sprawled on the deck leaving very little room for anyone else. Then I noticed a small door to the front of the boat with seats inside. I ventured in to find a lovely row of seats and heavenly air conditioning. Why aren’t more people in here? I wondered as I curled up upon 2 chairs and fell fast asleep. My mind and body were both exhausted from the last 24 hours of pure travel that nothing was going to keep me awake, not even the rough seas. However about 10 minutes into my snooze I was roughly shaken and asked to pay 30 baht. I couldn’t really get the gist of what the guy was trying to say and I presumed he was offering me a tour or accommodation on the island so I just shrugged him off and tried to go back to sleep. Only after the second time I was awoken did I make out that the 30 Baht was to stay in the air conditioned heaven and that the guy shaking me worked for the boat. I took offense to the charge and to the shaking so I gathered my things and moved back on deck. The winds were getting up and the boat was reeling badly. Travellers in light baggy trousers clung to one another as they rocked forward and back with green faces. There wasn’t a square millimetre of space to sit now, I stood for a while staring out to sea but my bones were heavy and the listing was making even me start to feel queasy. I checked my watch, there was 3 hours to go. So I make the best decision of my life and walked back into the air conditioned room, paid my 30 baht and slept soundly the whole way to the island.

I had decided to stay on the south side of the island as it was meant to be the best area for snorkelling. However after I had made this decision I kept getting this nagging pang that the decision was the wrong one. Mainly because the small island just off-shore I wanted to visit was on the North West coast of Koh Tao and taxi boats were meant to be very expensive. Plus that was the only way to get to these bungalows so what would happen if I didn’t like them or they were fully booked? I’d have to jump into another taxi and fork out double the money to get back to where I’d started. I wasn’t entirely confident with my plan so as I jumped out of the boat I spotted another girl quizzically looking at the map and trying to avoid the touts. I swiftly made a beeline for her. She said her plan was just to walk up the beach and choose the place she liked the look of most. The north end of the strip was called Sairee Beach and meant to be the quieter and cheaper side of things. I agreed that this was a good plan and should we share a taxi to save our shoulders and legs initially. She agreed.

Her name is Maira from the Netherlands and she is awesome. 

We set off through the confused backpack laden crowds towards the road. On route we also picked up Vlad, an old Russian guy who also was headed in our direction. So we three hopped on to the back of a taxi and headed North. The taxi’s on the island are 4x4 pick up trucks with bench seating on either side in the back for people to clamber in with their luggage and then hold on for dear life. No back rests so it’s a matter of holding your balance and your nerve to avoid ending up in a bush when cornering.

After surviving the ride of death we trudged beach ward again and after an extensive search found Mama O’Chai’s Bungelows - Officially the cheapest beach-side accommodation on this side of the island. A little shabby but it added to the charm. For 600 Baht a night (12 quid) you got a beach front bungalow to yourself with your own terrace with bikini drying washing line, double bed, whirry fan and a cold sometimes warm shower. It was perfect!

The ocean on Koh Tao is so clear with that picture postcard green to blue fade that just makes you want to throw yourself in - Which we did.

At that moment I just wanted to stay here forever, I felt a peace descend into me and calm my soul. Life seemed so simple and happy if only you could sustain such a life. While floating in the calm waters ideas were thrown around regarding potential business ideas to do just that. Yoga retreat? Train to be a dive instructor? Open a café? Banana boat rides? It being low season the island was pretty quiet and a lot of restaurants had closed but I liked it that way. I think if everything had been open and the streets rammed with people it would lose some of its raw charm.

Maybe a fulfilling life away from London was possible after all?