Alina on an island

Koh Tao was the destination after the strange salad.

According to the plan, the bus runs until 8 a.m. and then arrives on the island. No idea how that works, but we'll see...

So I got on the bus at around 8pm and headed south. I was given a seat and put in a community full of Koh Tao travelers. The bus driver then came to us and said in English that the bus would stop at around 2:30 am. We should get off, get beds for 3 hours and then be picked up by another bus. I was like, okay, let's go.

The end of the story was that we sat in the bus until half past two, were woken up and let out at a cafe. There were a few armchairs and a really comfortable floor that was fantastic to stretch out on. At around half past four we were woken up again and picked up by a shuttle bus that took us to a jetty where we waited another 1.5 hours for the ferry.

On the way I met a German woman from Regensburg who I got on well with. We chatted the whole boat ride, met other people and just had fun.

Arrived. Koh Tao lay before us.

There are looooooots of tourists here. I've read that before, but the internet says that there shouldn't be as many in mid/late May. Oh well, as a tourist I thought "perfect", as did many others. Anyway, the beauty of the island surprises me. The woman from Regensburg and I went for breakfast and then she had to leave. She had booked a diving course and had to be there at a certain time.

We said goodbye and I took my things and lay down on the beach. Later I wanted to get rid of my backpack and asked a couple of hostels how much an overnight stay would cost, but then decided to google it again. I found a shared dorm for 12 euros a night and booked for 2 nights.

Once again it was time to check in, pack things and look around. Koh Tao is definitely overcrowded, everything is geared towards tourism, beach bars and diving courses. And yet it is a beautiful place.

Well, I looked for a quiet place, went swimming in 29° warm water, sunbathed a bit, read an incredibly great book - here is a short recommendation "Wherever you are" and just followed my own lead :)))))9

On the second day I decided to go on a snorkelling tour. We were in a small group, we all got on well and there was a certain respect for the animals underwater. That was very, very impressive. However, you could tell the later it got, the more people came. People were calling out wildly for turtles that had been discovered. Unfortunately, I didn't like that. I kept trying to distance myself from groups and swam by myself or was surprised by people around me. Also to explain, I think the pictures with the baby shark and the turtle are really beautiful, but I neither asked for them nor did I notice them with the shark. With the turtle, the photographer inevitably swam in front of me when I discovered it. I am grateful for these photos and it is a great memory, but I am still critical.

However, my experience of seeing a shark had a veeeeeery impact on me. I used to watch underwater documentaries with my sister and sharks were the most exciting animals for us. It was unbelievable. A shark right in front of your own eyes. And suddenly there were two. Absolutely crazy.

The next day I decided to rent a scooter and explore the island on my own. The island itself is only 8 kilometers long, but relatively hilly in the north. Maybe I almost drove into the bushes a few times with the scooter and maybe I didn't want to tell anyone about it, but oh well... ;)

That same evening was also to be my last evening on the island. I was out and about for a long time and got to know a few people, tried to play billiards and, as always, lost badly. Since I had to check out of my hostel and had no clothes that smelled good, I took them to the laundry before my day on the scooter. I picked everything up and drove to new accommodation. I treated myself to a small bungalow on stilts in the very south of the island for 25 euros. There was a palm tree in front of the large window and the ocean behind it. A view like a painting.