Day 23: Koh Tao

Today we went from the hotel to the long-distance bus station, where we had to wait for about an hour until all the other passengers arrived. For me, every journey is a little adventure in itself. Starting with the uncertainty of whether everything will work as booked, to the journey itself, where you explore the country from a different perspective. Fortunately, everything has worked out so far and I arrived in Koh Tao around half past seven in the evening. 

After a quick hostel change, as my booked hostel had no more available rooms, I could finally enjoy the evening. This was accomplished with a peace-offering beer at the original accommodation and super friendly staff who invited me to raw shrimp and billiards.

In the next few days, I had planned to relax and not have a big itinerary. Because on Koh Tao, I am also accompanied by two school friends. So on the first day, we only drove around the island with a scooter and looked at beaches from a distance. Unfortunately, the island has become so touristy that you have to pay an entrance fee for many beaches. Officially, the income is for the maintenance of the roads, but you can tell that this is just an excuse, as the roads are mostly not well maintained. 

Nevertheless, today I managed to drive with my scooter over the really steep mountains to the east side of the island, to a beautiful beach with many snorkeling spots. I didn't have to pay anything for the beach, as the woman at the entrance was taking a nap. The entrance consisted of only a bench with an inconspicuous table in front of it. 

After the beach, we went to a quieter beach near my friends' hostel. The beach is made up of a huge bay, which was only about 1.5 meters deep. So we walked the entire bay, and then we had to rest, read, and sleep. In the evening, we went to eat at the smallest restaurant in Koh Tao. It only had space for 10 guests and impressed with its family atmosphere and delicious food. 

Tomorrow, I might go watch the sunrise, let's see what the atmosphere is like at 6 in the morning. The Mango Beach naturally convinces with its name, which I will explore tomorrow. 

Unfortunately, I am currently having problems connecting the external keyboard to the iPad, so the text is not formatted correctly at the moment. I will try to fix this problem.