Snorkeling and Viewpoints

I was once again one of the first up today but that is all due to my own stupidity with thinking we were meeting an hour earlier than what we actually were, but better an hour early than late. For breakfast this morning I had some cereal that I had bought at the shop last night to save some money, so essentially breakfast in bed. After sitting around for a while, I walked down the road to meet everyone at the travel office where our taxi would be – once again it was a pick-up truck. I managed to sit in the front on a proper seat this time though with the A/C as I was conscientious, I would be spending all day in the sun, so was trying to limit my exposure as much as I could.

We arrived at the pier just gone 10am and began boarding our boat for the day; it was quite large with seats round the edge as well as in the middle and a sun deck on top along with a slide into the sea. The boat moved quite slowly especially in comparison to the catamaran. Our first stop was Shark Bay but thankfully, being on a boat meant we did not have to swim the 300m out to be with a chance of seeing the sharks, although no one managed to see any today, so it was worth coming yesterday. I did jump off the boat except this caused my mask to fill with water and fog up, so this may have also been an issue with me not seeing any sharks today; from here on I descended into the sea through the stairs at the back of the boat. I ended up having to help a couple of people back to the boat as they could not swim confidently, I would say there was about ¾ of the group that required life jackets which shocked me slightly. I am pleased I still go regular swimming back at home to keep my confidence up. Our next stop was Aow Leuk, this was very different from Shark Bay as the reefs and corals were still alive and thriving, here I saw many different types of fish including butterfly fish, garden eels, scorpion fish and sergeant majors. It was relatively shallow in some parts as well so you were able to get up really close to the coral reefs and have a proper look at them. After half hour we got back on the boat and waiting for us was some fresh pineapple and watermelon, I think I must have easily eaten close to a whole pineapple to myself and by the end, my tongue was tingling. We then set off once again looking back across the glistening crystal-clear water heading towards Hin Wong Bay. This was once again a very different ecosystem to the ones I have previously come across, this bay was mainly rocks and there were parts that were so dark, I could not see. I swam and swerved elegantly through the rocks, at times scraping my belly along them, as I looked at the different marine life often eating from the rocks. This part was a lot deeper (around 26m) than previous so you could really feel the temperature difference in the water, although it was still pleasant. When we got back on the boat, we were served some lunch which was rice, fried egg, and a small portion of chicken curry; this tasted lovely and I am glad it was not too much considering we still had 2 more sites to go to. We headed off towards our next destination and on this trip, I decided to sit

towards the side looking out over the ocean, it seemed surreal just seeing for miles of crystal sea, almost silver from the way the light reflected off it. We then came to Mango Bay, one of the most famous bays on Koh Tao for its natural coral gardens which comes with much natural beauty as well as perfect breeding ground for smaller fish. Many people travel from the other nearby islands to come to snorkel and dive at Mango Bay for its clear waters and many coral systems. Our final stop was to be Nang Yuan Island, a private island which has 3 islands interconnected by beaches. On this island there was also a viewpoint where we took some of the most picture-perfect photos I have ever seen. You were just looking out across the other island of Nang Yuan along with the white beach and crystal-clear waters either side, I am sure if you had a pair of binoculars you could have seen the fish moving in the waters. The climb up was fairly short but in no means easy, with steep stairs and narrow paths guiding you to the top. I am not sure of the distance we climbed but what I do know, is the view was worth it. You could not spend long at the top as in direct sunlight, you quickly heated up plus it was only a small viewpoint, yet hundreds try to come and see it each day. Me and Georgia headed back down to go and relax in the shallow waters to cool off from

our climb; here the sand was fine and you could bury your feet amongst it, feeling the cooler sand beneath you. We did not snorkel here as the water was so clear, you could see the fish swimming without even going under. We saw crabs, swordfish and seahorses amongst other species of small fish. We had an hour and half on this small island which went far too quick for my liking but equally, I was looking forward to a cold shower to remove all the salt that had accumulated on me through the many hours of being in the sea. Throughout the day, whilst in the sea, I had felt little pinches on my body as if something was biting me, I did look around assuming it was a fish, but nothing was near me so I ignored it, only on the boat back to shore did I discover that there is such a thing in the water as sea mosquitos…. I am now once again covered in bites, why would they not warn me about these?

The journey back did not take too long and we were back at the resort by 4.50pm. Me, Jack and Georgia had decided earlier that we were going to walk up to High Rock (Sunset View) and watch the sun go down before dinner, so we agreed to meet at 5.20pm giving me just enough time for a rinse off as well as take my hair out as most of the elastics had snapped today whilst in the sea, I guess as they had just dried out. By 5.20pm I was ready with water in my hand, covered in insect repellent and walking shoes on ready for the 45-minute trek up to the viewpoint for the sunset at 6.30pm. We came out of the resort and turned left heading up the hill along the road which was quite shallow to start with. The road was winding and before long this hill was no longer shallow, we even witnessed a motorbike not making it to the top due to it being so steep. Jack did not bring a water bottle but thankfully, I had two, so I gave one to him to ensure none of us would be dehydrated. We were already exhausted from the activities of the day but we had set our mind on something and we were going to do it. By the time I was halfway to the viewpoint I was dripping with sweat and my top was soaked. The path varied from shallow to very steep, from pavement to gravel; the gravel was difficult to walk on as we kept slipping back slightly as we tried to climb. We must have been around 1km from the viewpoint when my legs were shaking from the strain of the day and the climb, but together, we encouraged and pushed on. We saw no other person walking either up or down to this viewpoint, only riding motorbikes, I am sure we must be mad but it felt good to have accomplished something that few people do. We eventually made our way to the viewpoint and for entry, we either had to buy a drink or pay the entry fee, so we all opted for a bottle of cold water. It felt so good to gulp the water down, feeling the coldness running down my throat and through to my muscles, which were in desperate need of as much water as they could get. We clambered over to the High Rock and had made it with 10 minutes to spare till the sunset; we were able to marvel at the beauty of the island that we were staying on with all the west coast in its stunning form. The sunset was incredible, and the colours were beautiful as the bright orange sun sunk behind mainland Thailand in the distance. We all shared a bag of nuts to fuel us for the way back down before we managed to reach

the restaurant for dinner and I have never appreciated my preparations more than I did now.

We set off back down to the town and we made it in around 30 minutes; as the hills were so steep, you could not walk down them without nearly tumbling, so rather than fighting gravity, we joined it, running down together, losing control, laughing uncontrollably. I am so happy I have these two here with me to share this experience with.

We decided tonight that we deserved a restaurant meal, so we found a cheap restaurant and ordered off the special menu; a Margherita pizza each for me and Jack along with garlic bread and Georgia opted for a vegan pad Thai. We all thoroughly enjoyed our food and even though it was a sit-down meal, we still managed to do it for £7 or less each. By the time I had finished eating, I could already feel my eyelids dropping and my body craving the comfort of a bed to be able to take the strain from the day away. On this note, we all retreated to our bedrooms ready to recover for tomorrow and the adventures that await us.