Koh Tao, Thailand - Diving Mecca of Thailand

We are very happy in Koh Tao, a cool, hip and a beautiful beach, much more our style. Even the Internet cafe right now has Jazz (Nina Simone) playing in the background while half the computers have cushions on the floor to "Surf and Chill".

I signed up for my Padi rescue course, with Scuba Junction, so I will be hitting the books tomorrow: first aid response. Of course I will be doing this in a cool hip bar on the beach... shame! The owner calls him self K so I have asked for my diving nickname to be K2, not sure if he approves. The island is full of dive schools though and everyone is hard at work with their noses in text books.

El liked this rock for its phalic nature!!



We have checked into a hotel with a massive AC room with a huge bed for a month, the daily rate is 20 pounds a night, but as we are renting it for so long it is cheaper than most of the smelly beach bungalows, bonus! We are on the bottom floor but they have promised to move us to the top floor with a balcony so we can lay out our hammock that we just bought and have a nice view of the sea. We've not got a kitchen but at least we've got an enormous fridge and a wardrobe with no hangers!

El is now a lady of leisure and is not sure if she wants to sit on the beach all day, start a reflexology company on the beach or volunteer in the local school, (I think that she should do a divemaster course as well, so we can get cheap diving for the rest of our life :-), selfish I know). She had high hopes of finding a daily yoga class and becoming the guru that she never managed to be in India but as with everything it depends on the cost of the classes.

We randomly bumped into Louisa and James who me met in Varkala, India on the ferry on the way over - small world hey - and had a few beers with them in the local "girly bar". We discovered today that the local beer, Chang, is not to be messed with and we both had a pathetic hangover day on the beach moaning about the fact we only had 4 each... might move on to other drinks methinks! Still it was great to catch up with some people we knew - it is the first time we've randomly bumped into someone we know on the trip.

JAMES & LOUISA

It really is quite beautiful here and not at all resorty so I am glad that we don't have to look at fat lobster tourists all day, on the flip side there is no shortage of "hard bodies" here so I may have to join the local gym if I don't want El straying, as she bronzes herself on the beach each day :-(