Thailand is a country blessed like few others with an abundance of great beaches. There are literally hundreds of islands and maybe thousands of beaches to choose from in the Kingdom of Thailand. Why is that then that I keep going back to the one small island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand?
Such is human nature I guess. We find a place that we consider paradise and we are apt to keep going back to the same place. We daren’t risk going to a new place in case it doesn’t live up to the high expectations set by our favorite place. The best I do is to stay on a different beach each time I go to Koh Tao. I’ve stayed at Mae Haad, Sairee, Chalok Baan Kao, Tanote Bay, Mango Bay and Koh Nang Yuan. The latter is composed of three small islands joined by a sand bank. This sand bank is probably my favorite spot in all of Thailand. The sand is immaculate, the water calm and clear and the sky a perfect shade of blue. I love swimming in the sea and spotting the fish.
Koh Tao has the best of both worlds – it has pristine beaches, unspoilt natural scenery as well as some great night life. Most nights of the week there is a party happening on Sairee Beach or at the popular The Castle on the Chalok Baan Kao road. I stay up all night, make friends, drink buckets and stumble happily along the beach back to my bungalow where I blissfully sleep off the alcohol.
And finally, when the mood takes me I book up a dive trip. I try to get to a new dive site each time I go to Koh Tao. Each dive I am rewarded by spotting a new fish or sometimes even a whale shark or turtle.
I really don’t think I’m going to get around to visiting Koh Samui, Phuket or the other countless islands that Thailand has to offer.
I never thought of landing a security guard job when I was growing up. Children don’t normally say that they want to be a security guard when they’re asked what they want to be when they grow up. It’s usually something along the lines of being a policeman, a pilot, a firefighter, or other similarly exciting jobs.