Lounging and Snorkeling in Koh Tao, Thailand

We have adapted to our beach lifestyle. It begins with morning cappucinos and croissants followed by a hike to our favorite snorkeling hideaway. By the end of the week I hope to be giving lessons on the reef.

I have befriended a local dive shop owner from Holland who helped replace a lost mask. My goal is to send him loads of new business as i am working from the inside. We spend one day on an eco friendly snorkeling tour boat with captain Phillip who runs AC Tours. IT was very informative and he also shared local pirate stories and a few other things you didn't want to hear, like sinking ships with guns.

We have been adopted by a small crew from Norway. They are younger than us but Fredrik sponsored my beers one day. The rest of the gang is Lena, Perry and Egle. We have spent evenings on the pier dining and drinking local beers with them and we hold down a good portion of the beach each day.

Each day i try to fill my pockets with floating plastic orr trash that is in the water. I think next time i will bring a bag to gather more trash. There is no enforcement to support the environment or those trying to independently organize clean up efforts. As everything is brought into the island, not everything makes it off. We are becoming more familiar to the 5500 locals and warmer faces greet us each day.

Chad wants me to write that he is having a hard time with the budget each day. Two coffees means no beer for the day. Accomodations here are cheap but drinks are from 2-$5 each, island prices. Tonight we are chasing a deal, all you can eat buffet at one of our favorite restaurants with a view of the bay and the Buddha rock.

We have gathered a group of new friends to join us for dinner. One couple from the Netherlands and definitely our Norwegian friends. They are good for a night of comedy.

Tomorrow I will follow a friend out to a further reef to dice down to see schools of barracuda. Today i was too exhausted after two one hour reef swims. Today I saw parrot fish, my first blowfish that blew up and swam away, butterfly fish and i was surrounded multiple times on hundreds of schooling multi colored fish. Yesterday on the snorkel tour we saw Black tip reef sharks, longer and bigger than me. You could tell they are very powerful, even though they are in a dormant state during the day. They kept to the bottom and we were 15 feet above. The live coral reefs are wonderful and are some of the best in the area.

We are not sure when we will leave the island, because every day is calmer and warmer and the water clarity just keeps getting better as we move into the dry season.

-by Chad