Koh Tao day 7

This is our last full day on Koh Tao and our time with the boys is coming to a close all too soon. We have all enjoyed it here; the relaxed atmosphere, just the right balance of commercialism and natural beauty at least here on Chalok Baan Koa Bay. The decision to move from Tanote Bay was definitely a good one. Unfortunately Matt ran out of money and didn’t get any diving but had a good time nonetheless. After lunch we catch the ferry back to Koh Samui to pick up our onward connections; the boys to Bangkok and us to Surat Thani and Malaysia. It’s a very different day to the one that greeted us three weeks ago. Gone are the monsoon winds, the grey skies and rough seas. In their place we have blue, almost cloudless skies, translucent azure waters and calm sea; even away from the coast the sea is like a mill pond. Arriving at Koh Samui we have a free transfer to our hotel courtesy of the ferry company, Seatran, and we are greeted by a melee of transit vans waiting to transport passengers to various parts of the island – but here the organisation nds as none of the 20 or so vans display destinations and there is a lot of shouting as we are led through van park to finss our waiting transport. We are spending our last night at Samui Pier Beach Resort less than a kilometre from the ferry port. The hotel is run by two Israelis who are as welcoming as on our stay a week ago. Of all the people on the islands, with the exception of the woman at The Kae Big Fish Restaurant, who was always jolly and smiling, the staff at Samui Pier have been the most welcoming and helpful. Unlike the Thais further north, particularly in Chiang Mai, we’ve found most Thais on these islands unsmiling and in some cases rather rude as if tourists are just a troublesome nuisance, which is surprising given that the Thai economy depends so heavily on tourism.. After dinner at a rather good Thai restaurant we head back, so that Matt at least can get an early night – the boys have an early start tomorrow.