Island memories, a night without much sleep and an awesome market...

After my scuba diving adventures in Koh Tao it was finally time to move on, despite the fun I had of course. During my stay at the Diving School I also made the acquaintance of Dirk and Simon, two other diving students and magnicifent discussion partners! Simon actually wanted to leave Koh Tao on the very same day, so I decided to join him on the «Express Boat» to Chumphoon on the mainland, and from there the train back to Bangkok.

So first of all the «Express Boat» wasn't that «Express» at all. It was more like a cozy cutter that arrived in Koh Tao with a delay of about 1 hour (not bad at all for Thai circumstances, read further).  But the view from the boat was actually spectacular, you could see swarms of flying fishes dodging the course of ship! And of course there still was the sunset to look at, something you can't witness so easily in the alpine parts of Western Europe...

On the boat from Koh Tao to Chumphoon...

Chumphoon itself was quite an average Thai city with nothing groundbreaking to see, but there were still plenty of things to do for bridging the waiting time. So Simon and I went to eat an excellent dish at a local food stall (for a lousy 30 Baht) and later on emptied some trusty Changs in a Thai Rock Bar, followed by some rounds of billiard.

A few hours later in the Train Station we encountered our second hurdle so far - the train seemed to have a delay of 2 hours. Great, we're getting really good at waiting. To my big surprise the train station was still very active and crowded, even after midnight. At 1 AM there still were old ladies wandering around and selling fruits. Then at 2 AM more bad news struck us like a lightning - the train was delayed for another 2 hours. It's needless to say that all bars and venues were already closed at that time, so there was nothing left to us than sitting on a chair and listening to the jabbering of some drunken/stoned Israeli backpackers. Great.

We backpackers almost fell asleep when the train finally arrived at 4 AM, and besides of us and some funny stray dogs, the station was almost deserted. After I installed myself on my bunkbed I immediately fell asleep, and about 9 hours later I already woke up in Bangkok. That went fast!

The train station in Chumphoon

The awesome sleeper car...

 


In Bangkok it was time split ways with Simon who already was leaving for home. And to get a few more hours of sleep I decided to stay another night in Bangkok (as I still was literally destroyed due to that night in the train station)...  (-, – )…zzzZZZ

The day after I decided to do a day trip to Maeklong and Amphawa, about 70 km South West of Bangkok. Maeklong is a really small town with countless small shops and otherwise nothing much to see, but there was still the world famous Maeklong Market.

Some green stuff, anyone?

These guys will fulfill their purpose in a frying pan...

From fruits to eels there was literally everything to buy.

Not mantas, but Horseshoe crabs.

An excellent addition to any Thai Curry!

That's fine and good, but now what's so extraordinary about this market? Well see for yourself.

Well, at least that train wasn't late. :) After that inspiring spectacle I took a Songthaew to Amphawa, a town nearby. Songthaews are in fact the most preferred public transport option in Thailand, as it's cheap, fast and uncomplicated. A Songthaew is basically a covered pick up truck that drives a predefined route between several towns. As a bystanding pedestrian you can simply flag down a Songthaew and just hop on it. If you want the Songthaew to stop, you just signalize the driver to do so by pushing a button on the roof. After hopping off you simply pay the amount to the driver, and it usually costs near to nothing. That's how I like it!

The best way to get around - taking a Songthaew!

As for Amphawa, I was unfortunately one day too early to witness the famous Floating Market, so I missed quite an opportunity here. But still the town with its canal was a nice place to stay at and there were lots of other market stalls too. The highlight was by far a Night Cruise with a boat through the outskirts of Amphawa. The riversides and the nearby bushes are quite famous for being inhabited by lots of fireflies, and as we cruised by it almost looked like if some Thais installed thousands of christmas lights on these trees and bushes. Unfortunately it was too dark to take photos, but it was still nice to look at.

Amphawa, famous for its...

... floating market, which I unfortuantely missed.

 

After getting back to Bangkok I immediately caught the next train to Kanchanaburi, the location of the popular Bridge over the River Kwai...

Read More »

Scuba Diving in Koh Tao

Although visitors of this blog can more or less keep track of my current itinerary by looking at the Blogabond map above the title logo, it's still hard to make out the actual situation of the three islands I visited. Let's take a closer look at the group of islands:

As you can see, Koh Tao is really the smallest of the three main islands (note also the Ang Tong Marine National Park in the west I visited before). So while Koh Samui really was quite large and had lots to offer, why would Koh Tao attract my attention at all?

Well to be honest, I actually was quite dissappointed when I first arrived on Koh Tao. In only one day I already explored the whole island, furthermore there were no considerable culture sites like temples or historical areas. Rather everything is overbuilt with resorts and hotels. So with my empty bucket list on 'What to do in Koh Tao' I asked myself if that really was it already? A nice little island with nothing to do on it? I first considered to move on to Chumphoon (on the Thailand mainland) earlier than planned, but something kept me back.

Just when I arrived on the island I quickly noticed how many Scuba diving schools and associations were scattered throughout the island. Unlike Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, it seemed that everything in Koh Tao is marketed at diving. A little research on the internet revealed that in fact Koh Tao is quite a scuba diver's paradise and pretty much recommended for getting a diver's license. So after a brief moment of consideration I said to me 'Oh what the hell, I'm going to do this. What else is left to do on this island?' and shortly afterwards I was already taking diving classes.

Before going diving Open Water there's still training in the swimming pool...

Things got started really fast actually. After a few theoretical video lessons and some interesting reads on diving sicknesses we were already training our first Scuba skills in the school's swimming pool. I don't wanna know how many ongoing scuba divers left their piss in that pool, the visibility under the surface was just horrible. However, our group made an enourmous progress in a just short span of time, and even then the course didn't felt rushed at all. Everything was explained as clearly as possible and no question was left unanswered. So just after two days of training we were already ready for real Open Water Scuba diving!

Now things get serious!

Just like doing a driving test we students had to do some theoretical and practical exams, for example some emergency underwater skills like sharing air with each other or doing an emergency ascend. We were also teached to control our buoyancy with our own lungs or how to clear a flooded mask of water.

And again I'd like to stress out the professionality the diving instructors displayed. If we were doing something wrong, they immediately corrected us until we mastered it. They always took care of each one of us and told us exactly what to do.

But enough jabbering, you want to see how things look like 18 meters below the surface. Well watch this then, at best in fullscreen and in HD quality!

Hey, and now I can go diving everywhere around the world up to 18 metres of depth. I'm a certified Open Water Scuba Diver now, biatch. :D

Read More »

Island Hopping - Part 2

With the island of Koh Samui behind me (and with it buckets of good memories) I decided to head into the lion's den, Koh Phangan. I'd say that this island quite met my expectations, although it's only fair to say that I arrived exactly one day after the infamous Full Moon Party ended. Therefore I was lucky that most of the hardcore party visitors were intending to leave the island on that very day or simply were sobering up their massive hangover.

What immediately catched my attention was how much the Full Moon Parties actually affected the island and the local people. The first thing you actually see when arriving at the pier are funny signboards warning tourists about illegal drugs and scammers at such parties. It also seems like everything on the island is marketed at Full Moon Parties as well - literally everywhere there are promotional posters for all kinds of ominous parties. If it's not the Full Moon Party, there's still the Half Moon Party, Black Moon Party and many more. Just awful!

Let us all be modest tourises, right?

But it gets even better! Just when I just thought the whole drugs stereotypes of Koh Phangan perhaps could be a little exaggerated, I really got disabused. When I arrived at my hostel which I booked over Hostelworld, the hostel's owner was already waiting for me. So far so good.

But then I couldn't believe my eyes, that guy was actually smoking weed and was already so stoned, he didn't even remember how much a room costs for a night. I actually had to show him my online reservation several times until he finally agreed with me to some point. To make it even worse he almost forgot where he put my room key in his reception. Well, but apart from that the accommodation was OK I guess.

But hey, Koh Phangan acutally has its good sides too! During my expeditions I discovered some really nice (and even deserted!) beaches, temples and landscapes.

Wat Khao Noi

Crystal blue water!

A carnivorous plant! You flies better watch out!

This place was actually deserted - not a single person within the next few kilometers!

Again a Chinese temple - I'm a big sucker for them!

In the Thansadej National Park

The HTMS Phangan, originally an American tank landing ship which was later commisioned into the Thai Navy. Before its 'exchange' it actually saw action at the Incheon Landing, at the Korean War in 1950.

But even then the island left a kind of an average impression to me. Inspite of all these party-free places I discovered on Koh Phangan, I still think Koh Samui offered much more in comparison. After all I only stayed only like 2 days on this into disrepute fallen island, and think that was more than enough. Ideal for party-lovers and potheads, but njet for me.

With Koh Tao, my next destination, I already was expecting something similar. But hell, I was wrong! Look forward to the next post involving my stay in the Big Blue Diving School!

Read More »

Island Hopping - Part 1

Some of you may know that the Gulf of Thailand / Siam is dominated by three major Thai islands, namely Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui (order from north to south). Especially Koh Phangan has earned its name for the so called Full Moon Parties, which are infamous for visitors being drugged and robbed big time. Or to put it in a nutshell, just imagine thousands of respectable westerners overcrowding a single beach in Koh Phangan for once in a month, while not only destroying their livers and brain cells, but also leaving one hell of a mess on the beach as well. Needless to say that I'm not keen on witnessing those party animals, I could visit a zoo just as well.

But hey, there's more to see than grounded party-tourists, so I decided to visit all these three islands anyways, starting with Koh Samui, the biggest one of that trio infernale. From Surat Thani in the mainland there are in fact quite a few ferry agencies who organize daily boat passages to those islands, the most iconic agency being Lomprayah. With a speedy catamaran the passage only took about 1 hour and besides the sea through a little window there was not really much to see. Oh yes, there were those noisy westerners heading to Koh Phangan, but they soon calmed down as the seasickness kicked in. How I loved the look on their faces. :D

The earlier mentioned Lomprayah catamaran

As for myself, I was lucky that I found a splendid bungalow on the island, for a lousy 300 Thai Baht a night. Now that's what I call a deal! The island itself offered quite some sightseeing, both on and off the tourist-beaten track. Let's take a look at some stuff I went to see:

Nathon, probably Samui's most important town

Hin Ta and Hin Yai - two rocks formed in a, err, certain shape. Google it.

Palms, palms everywhere.

Again up for some scooter action, high in the mountains.

The «Magic Garden», a kitschy exhibition of some stone sculptures chiseled by an eldery farmer

And surprise - more palms.

Mr. Durian - here we meet again!

Getting off-road is where the fun begins...

... and where secret places are revealed.

Wat Silangu

The higher you get in Koh Samui the better, believe me.

Wat Plai Laem, one of the better temples on Koh Samui!

But don't be dissapointed by thinking that there are no obscure places on Koh Samui, as the following one will blow you away...

Wat Khunaram - this one is really memorable! This here is actually a mumified monk who sits here dead for more than 30 years in a glass display.  During that time someone actually put him on these rad sunglasses. Excellent.

This signboard actually made me crack up - unlike that waterfall.

Quoting Axl Rose: Welcome to the Jungle!

Hainan temple in Nathon - I actually adore these Chinese-styled temples!

A few kilometers west of Koh Samui lays also a Maritime National Park called Ang Thong. I thought it would be worth to take a look a these group of islands along with a snorkel trip. In hindsight I'd better put on more sunblock on my back, as later you could peel of the skin like a bletted tangerine.

Koh Mae Ko, with its blue lagoon (lower right picture) inside the island

And what's better than a deep digestive nap before going Kayaking?

In the next part of the Island Hopping post I'll tell you more about my stay in Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Thanks for dropping by!

Read More »