Monday, Jan 7, 2008

Well, it's been very hard to access internet on this leg of the journey and must apologize for the lack of updates lately.. they should all appear below!

Anyhow, today is our third and final day in Koh Tao--a very sad day for both of us.
Koh Tao has been a place of rest, new experiences, great friends and unforgettable memories.

Once we arrived via ferry from Koh Samui, with a short stop on Ko Phangan, Kristen and I hired a taxi and they delivered us to our great bungalow... right on the beach. After settling in, we walked down the beach which was amazing and facing due west. We had a beer and enjoyed the sunset.. the first beautiful one I have seen in while (this tended to be the norm here).


That night we met three girls from Argentina: Maria, Florencia, y Anna. We shared stories and met up later with other friends: Nicholas (Argentina, England, Italy) and Russell (Manchester). After, we all went out that night to a local bar, which was on the beach. Tons of dancing ensued and soon it was time to call it a night.

Kristen and I found a little surprise when we returned to the bungalow that night:

...it was the size of a large tea plate. And it was the creepiest, most huge, most dangerous looking thing I've seen on this trip; nothing in Australia could compare to this monster of a arachnid.

The next morning I met up with the girls from the night before and we took a day trip to an island off the north west coast of Koh Tao: Koh Nang Yuan.

This place was beautiful. It was a series of three small islands connected by thin beaches in the shape of a boomerang. After snorkling in the crystal clear water and after I tired myself from jumping over the rocks and jumping off of the into the ocean, Maria, Florencia and I ascended a steep and unstable wooden staircase to the view point from the southern-most island. The view was breathtaking and it took us a while to experience it. Of course I climbed to the highest peak and snapped away:

The waters were pristine, with the white sands accenting the reef from the shallow areas. The mountains scattered with smooth granite boulders.

5 hours later we touched back on Tao and ate dinner with the company of another perfectly painted sunset; I was getting spoiled.