The Turtle Island of Koh Tao

Adorable backstreets in Koh Tao

Turtle island was every bit of the paradise island I was told it would be. It was the kind of place I could see myself staying in for a long, long time. What I loved the most was the laid back village feel the island had about it; a couple of chaotic main streets hiding numerous small side streets full of disorganised cuteness. The moment I went for a wonder about town I knew I was sold, everyone there looked so relaxed and happy. The number one activity the island offers is diving, so every other shop on the adorable narrow little side streets is a dive shop. The rest is a mix of boutique hotels, bungalows, bars, restaurants, and Internet cafes/travel agencies.

The food is to die for, I had some of the best meals of my trip so far. I don't know if it was the warm breeze from the sea and enjoying the meals on the beach that created the sensation of being in foodie-heaven; or the Parmesan garlic and tomato bruschetta. Or the grilled giant tiger garlic prawns. Or the mixed meat and veg BBQ kebab stick.

In addition to the food, a highlight of Koh Tao for me was snorkelling, especially on Koh Nang Yuan, an island located a 20 minute longtail taxi-boat ride away from Sairee Beach where we stayed. The visibility in the turquoise crystal clear waters is near perfect, and the underwater world is so fascinating I could spend hours lying face down in the water just observing the multicoloured fish and incredible reefs and elaborate coral formations. It's an incredible sensation to be surrounded by the friendly fish that interact with you as if you belonged there. One did bite me though; not cool bro, not cool.

Longtail boat - taxi on our way to Koh Nang Yuan to spend
the day with a lovely Swedish couple Emmelie and Johan

One of the many drinks on the beach at sunset

I really thought that at some point sooner rather than later I'd get very bored of not doing anything "productive," that at some point I would miss having a daily routine and a structure in my life again. Well, that point has certainly not arrived yet. It was surprisingly easy to fill up my days on Koh Tao, all seven of them, with nothing in particular whilst still feeling anything but bored. There were snorkelling trips, island hopping, getting absorbed into my book, talking to other travellers, drinking cocktails, walks on the beach, striking sunsets....

Zoom and enhance.

The perfect day for me was waking up late, lazy breakfast, a walk on the beach, sunbathing by the pool, lunch at a beach lounge restaurant, afternoon yoga, reading my book and having a tea at sunset - on the beach of course - and finishing the perfect day off with BBQ dinner watching a fire show. Being bored is not a worry of mine. Managing to ever successfully settle back into my London routine is.

Pete put up a happy birthday banner over our door
before I woke up on my birthday :)

Oh, and Happy birthday to me!
As a birthday surprise Pete had booked us a hotel / resort to celebrate my birthday in style. I think that over the last two months I've spent more time in hotel-resort type accommodation than I have in backpackers dorms.

I'm officially flashpacking.

Birthday Champagne

The room we had at Simple Life was stunning, it was huge and we had our own terrace - and what made it even better was the fact that the pool was just a few steps away from the front door, score! My actual birthday I spent by the pool sunbathing and drinking mind-blowingly expensive champagne. With my birthday being in January I have never before managed to do this, but it is clear to me it is the only acceptable way to celebrate.

Pete and I out celebrating my birthday, me proudly
parading around with my "Birthday Girl" badge