Namhasin House, Koh Tao, Day 2

Did we really book our flights home yesterday or was the beer conjuring up dreams of doing it? A quick check of my e-mails shows the confirmation e-mails, but it doesn't feel as painful as it did immediately after. What does feel painful is the idea of another sleepless night in this ridiculously hot room. Our fan seems to also be the noisiest fan in the whole of Thailand as well, which really doesn't help as we both have a pretty sleepless night. The show must go on though and as we move hotels (air conditioning!!) tomorrow then we only have today to explore the Southern side of the island.
Our first stop is a small, family run shop to pick up some snorkels. One of the many wonders of Koh Tao is that from most beaches you can simply swim out and apparently see some great marine life. It is to one of the beaches we head to. Our host told us it is a 30 minute walk, but forget to mention the fact that it is mostly up very steep hills. We climb and climb on empty stomachs, hoping for breakfast by the sea, and Amy is not coping well. It is a very scenic and pretty walk, but by the time we reach a point where we can finally see the coast ahead of us, we are already drenched in sweat and pretty exhausted.
We seem to be at the top of the hill we have climbed, and finally get to walk down and get take in some really great viewpoints of the coast. Saideng beach is our first stop, and we find a rock to sit on and lay our t-shirts on to dry. It is another lovely beach, nestled away between rocks and unbelievably empty. Snorkels on, we head out into the lovely, clear water. The coral isn't great, and it mostly is dead and grey on the sea floor, but the fish are amazing. Some are very big, and there are loads of them swimming in large crowds all around us. We stay in the sea for a while, and watch as more and more seem to congregate underneath us.
Unfortunately, the only restaurant on the beach has astronomical fees, and we really need some food after a pretty energetic morning.
The only way is back, and we realise that the hill we walked down in high spirits on the way to the beach, is very steep. It is hard work to get back up, but the downhill part afterwards helps. We find a place called the natural high cafe, and it isn't called that for it's altitude if you know what I mean. We have a cheese toastie that takes around an hour to come and doesn't do much of a job in filling us up before heading to our next stop, the ominously named shark bay.
Shark bay has it's name for a reason. It is a popular snorkelling spot as there is a family of sharks that occupy the waters just off the beach. There are also two huge sea turtles that are apparently often sighted. I must admit I do have a slight fascination with sharks, in the way that I find so terrifying I can't help but watch videos of them. Quit like when people watch horror movies even though they know it is going to be a horrible experience and wish they never had afterwards. With this in mind, we both think snorkelling for sharks will be fun.
Amy has chosen today to wear in some flip flops, which soon give her blisters. A lovely French (maybe) chap offers her a lift down to the beach on his scooter, showing us a sneaky way to get onto it for free, missing the 100 baht fee the hotel that occupies the whole beachfront charges.
We walk through a bar, where we stop for a second dinner, before wading through shallow waters onto the side of the beach. It is a great place. Palm trees loom over a thin stretch of sand that is pretty busy with tourists. The company which owns the beach and charges people to come on have lovely beach front bungalows that sit in-between the trees and look very expensive.
We aren't here to sunbathe though, an we head out armed with nothing but a snorkel and a poor level of swimming ability, and hunt for sharks. It initially feels okay, and we get a sense of encouragement as we see some big fish swim under us. The problem comes when we go deep enough to see the sharks. Suddenly, the water looks darker and gets a lot colder. The exhilaration at the idea of seeing the gloomy shadow of a shark swim by in the distance soon turns into a slight dread at the thought of it. We look up and realise we are a long way from the beach, and a long way from any other humans. It soon feels very deep below us. We know they are only reef sharks and harmless to humans, but what if there cousins the great whites have come over for the holidays? These thoughts run through our mind as we swim back, dejected and slightly relieved at not spotting one of these creatures.
We sit in the shade of a palm tree and rest after what turned into a long swim back. I end up asleep while Amy reads a book. Drones fly overhead, controlled by people in the posh bungalows, and we soon decide to head back. It has been an exhausting day, and we head through the nice resort, hoping to find a route that makes our journey home shorter. Teaming up with four Spanish girls, we finally find an exit from the seemingly never ending lines of bungalows, and find a way out that cuts out a lot of the hills that we very much don't want to climb. It feels good to sneak through not paying, as the idea of a company putting a price on a stretch of sand annoys me.
We get back rather exhausted, and spend some time relaxing on the balcony. Our host has recommended a lovely restaurant, that we enjoy a very nice meal in before heading back to the room. We are hoping a melatonin will help us through the night, but it seems like it will be another long one in the heat of this room. The idea of an air conditioned room in a lovely hotel tomorrow helps though!Läs mer