Koh Tao

We arrived in Koh Tao on a mission: to find a cheap, clean bungalow with a hammock and a view near a bit of a nightlife scene. Mission impossible? Never. However, it took some perseverance and sleuthing skills.

On arriving into the Mae Haad harbour by ferry from Koh Phagnan, we took a truck taxi into the south of the Island, to June Juea Beach. It was small and cute with just a few resorts, and our bungalow had a killer view – up a killer set of stairs.

The beach seemed a little too deserted and isolated for our tastes, so after settling in we went for an exploration walk up and over the hill to the next bay to see if there were more bars and restaurants to visit at night. Our prayers were answered – Chalok Baan Kao was a picturesque beach with everything we had hoped for. Ringed by large gray boulders, soft white sand and aquamarine waters, it also had more people with cool little places to hang out.

Ben spotted a perfect bungalow with a large patio, hammock and an amazing view of the bay, and after confirming with the owners at Taraporn Restaurant that it was available, we headed back to our beach with plans of moving there the next day. That night we chilled out at our secluded spot, with a drink at the funky little bar on the sand.

The next day we made the final hike down the steep stairs to our bungalow (thank goodness!) and headed over the hill to our new abode. There we spent the next few days fully enjoying the hammock on our patio and relaxing on the beach.

We would venture into the small town for our meals, and hang out at one of the very cool beach bars, Babaloo, at night. The owners put a very creative effort into the hangout area, with funny details like a microwave fish bowl and glow-in-the-dark décor. We spent a night there giggling away while exploring all the funny little features.

Every night one of the locals working at the bar would put on a fire show – it seems like all Thai are really good at playing with fire!

After three days of bliss, we packed up and headed north to Sairee Beach for the next phase of our Koh Tao adventure: Patricia’s parents, Paulo and Lucila, were arriving for two weeks of Thailand fun!!

We arrived at our home away from home for the next nine days, Coral Grand Resort, and were shown to a great bungalow right on the beach - pure luxury. Thanks Mama and Papa Branco!! As we settled in to wait for the arrival of our sponsors we received word that their luggage got left behind in Tokyo and they would be waiting in Bangkok for one more day. We made the best of our entrapment in paradise and when they arrived the next day we greeted them with much excitement and enthusiasm!! It was so nice to be with family again, we enjoyed every minute of it, with lots of fun and laughter.

We spent the time with a mix of activity and relaxation. We got our first day started off right with a yoga class at Shambala, a pretty little studio with excellent instructors. We ended up going there almost every morning, enjoying the feeling of getting back in touch with our flexible side.

Paulo’s goal was to complete his Advanced Open Water Diver course and he invited us to join him in the underwater adventure. We went to various dive sights, including a shipwreck as part of our deep dive experience.

After completing our course (yay!!!) Paulo treated us to a fun dive, which also happened to be his 100th dive – congratulations, dad!!!! If we keep up this pace of dive instruction we’ll likely end up as super secret underwater ninjas or perhaps grow a set of gills.

It was an incredible experience to share with him, and we look forward to many more amazing dives in the future.

If you are wondering what Lucila was doing with her time while we were on the two day course, no worries – she got into full relaxation mode with reading, yoga and daily massages – one day even two hours in a row!! We love Thailand prices. Patricia joined Lucila whenever there was no scuba diving and achieved complete bliss with one hour oil massages to the sound of the waves, the feel of the ocean breeze, and a nice cup of tea afterwards while looking out over the view.

Not surprisingly, the massage ladies were very sad to say goodbye to Lucila at the end of the trip, who had become a regular customer during our stay.

One day we put on our walking shoes and hiked from Sairee beach along the coast, with the final destination of Chalok Baan Kao, where we had stayed previously. It was a beautiful walk, over boardwalks and through resorts, with gorgeous views of the water. We made frequent stops for lunch, pictures and swimming breaks.

Another day we took a taxi across the island into the picturesque Tanote bay, with a beautiful beach for swimming, surrounded by boulders, and a cute restaurant complete with little ducklings wandering about. Never grow up little ducklings - you’ll end up on a plate!

Meals were always a fun affair, and one of our favourites for lunch and coffee was a laid back restaurant by our bungalow where we…well…laid back. The comfy pillows encouraged a resting pose, and we spent hours just sitting back and catching up with good chats.

For snacks we would have our favourite treat, barbequed corn from a friendly little Thai man who would grill it right up on the beach on his portable grill. We got to like his smiling face so much that by the end we would order food even without being hungry!

The Thai people on the islands were all incredibly friendly, and with a “Sabai dee ka” and little salute with hands in prayer pose, we felt very welcome indeed. As the end of our time on the islands drew near, we made sure to enjoy every single second of the beautiful weather, beaches and restaurants.

All the rich, spicy food may not have been too good on our stomachs, as by the end we all got a little sick, but thankfully after a day of taking it easy we were back on our feet and ready to head to Bangkok for four days of big city fun.

Bangkok, get ready, here comes the Branco-Mills family!!