We start our holiday in Koh Tao with a relaxed 9am wake-up call - we wouldn't want to miss breakfast! We're here for a few days so I decide to try out a bit of everything in the breakfast buffet, including fresh prepared fruits and gloopy "yoghurt" which feels like it's probably some form of disguised beancurd. There's also a full English selection with bacon, ham, sausages, and various egg concoctions, and some sweet options too - it's a very decent spread and we get a good start to the day.
After filling up, it's time to finally try out the water. We grab the hotel's beach towels, wrap ourselves in the colourful sarongs also helpfully provided (probably to try and shield staff from bikini-clad tourists) and head down to the little stretch of beach by the restaurant. There's a deck overlooking the water where we set up our stuff on colourful bean bags - we're the only ones there so we're spoilt for choice! It's high tide and there are a few swells but nothing much and the sand gently slopes down, allowing us to enter at our own pace. We're already a little late in the day and there's a bit of debris floating on the surface: leaves and bark from the nearby trees; the water is also slightly murky with sand stirred up by the waves so we probably won't see any fish today. The sea is a lovely temperature however and we get a nice little soak. With my goggles on I even manage to find remnants of a few giant shells, which I bring up for Ollie to admire before replacing them on the sea floor, but no sign of fish and I can't see enough to risk going closer to the nearby boulders. There's also a picturesque swing hanging from a coconut palm over the water, which we go to try out before drying ourselves off in the sun.
We head back to the room for a change of clothes - Ollie has researched another beach on the opposite side of the island, Chalok Baan Kai bay, which is apparently lovely. It's within reach on foot, just under three kilometres, and we feel confident we can walk there to try out a different swimming spot. But first, lunch! The island has a wealth of western food options catering to tourists and for a change we try out DA's sandwiches - half baguettes filled to the brim with Katsu chicken, avocado and lettuce which makes for very satisfying fare. We even get seats tucked away right next to a narrow canal running on to the beach, just under the shade of the shop's awning - it's midday and the sun is beating down on us. We can't wait for it to cool down if we want to get some more beach time in however, so we set off at peak temperature to get some walking in (yes, sometimes we don't make the smartest choices).
Our path takes us through the island's thoroughfare, lined with a variety of diving schools promising to make every tourist into an experienced deep-sea explorer in a few days. Not for us - we're both terrified of running out of air - but before leaving the hotel this morning we booked a snorkelling tour exploring a few spots around the island for tomorrow so we'll still get our share of the action. As we slowly wander on - as usual, I'm struggling with the temperature whereas Ollie is quite happy in the dry heat - the buildings morph into more shops, cafes and restaurants, an interesting mix catering both to locals with stalls selling fresh fish and fruits and to tourists with the ubiquitous elephant pants and tie-dye tops. We're struggling for shade as we are walking along the main road and pavements are optional here (as with most of the countries we've visited so far) and end up stopping in a deserted coffee shop halfway to cool down. We get some very nice frappes and a welcome rest in front of the fan the owners turn on for us - so far all of the interactions we've had with Thai people have displayed this hallmark kindness.
Finally, we make it to Chalok bay. It's a gorgeous strip of sand lined with pretty beach clubs, framed by two beautiful capes, one covered in trees and the other one ending in a picturesque scattering of precariously balanced boulders. It's a stunning view indeed which is best appreciated a little way away from the beach, in the water itself, as I discover once I go in after setting up camp in one of the beachfront cafes. The shallows seem to last forever and the sea is barely waist deep even twenty meters away from the shore. Unfortunately here too the sand has been completely stirred up and I can't see a thing although I do a few lengths along the beach to admire the view above the water. Coming back ashore, there's no showers but I get to wash off the salt in our cafe's infinity pool while checking out the beginnings of the sunset - luxury. Once dry, we head back down to the sand to get a better view - the bay is almost deserted and the serene atmosphere as we watch the sun slowly sink into the sea makes it a very unique moment.
On the way back towards our side of the island we stop at a tiny roadside cafe for some very nice local food - this time we were prepared and had repellent ready to ward of the hungry mosquitos. We even end up loaning our spray to the neighbouring tables who weren't expecting the assault - we could see the insects beelining for us the minute we sat down. That will be our good deed for the day and we head back to our hotel for an early night - we're hoping to find the famous party road tomorrow to celebrate Xmas eve in style!
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