Day 5 - Sunday 22 November 2015

Final score……..Whenever I start a new day I wonder what I will be able to write in my blog but today surely there will be nothing as I wait till afternoon for the ferry back to Chumphon. When I wake my first thoughts are to check the final score from last night’s game. It’s OK as Hereford progress to the next round with a score of 4 : 1. That’s no consolation to our goalkeeper who had gone nine games without conceding. As I look out of the window it’s been raining but I make the usual excursion to 7Eleven to bring back something to eat. But just as I order my provisions it starts to rain again. It’s quite a thunderstorm which results in a river flowing down to the road to the pier. I’m going nowhere for 15 minutes but it doesn’t matter. The rain has blocked the only thing I might have done this morning and that’s lazing around the beach area. The next four or five hours are going to be a real drag as I struggle to find some way to kill the time. I’m just not used to this.
Easter Island!.......With basically all day a dead rubber, I look for some closure on this tour, something that will sum it up in a simple way. Then when I chat with the owner of Utopia Guesthouse, I’m given a privileged view of things from the local perspective and it’s not a pretty picture at all. When you arrive at Koh Tao you are immediately bombarded with offers for taxis hotels and restaurants. While it seems to still be the norm in tourist areas of the south, the practice has largely disappeared elsewhere in Thailand. While these folk are just trying to make a living of course, I’m never comfortable till I get a quiet moment to at least get my bearings. I guess that’s experience talking as in my early days travelling I was often coerced into taking the wrong option. The lady explains that it is low season: She has in fact closed her restaurant now. It’s not until Christmas that business picks up again. From my observation of closed shops and restaurants with very few customers it’s clear most people are struggling with the cost of living. All perhaps except the dive centres and boat operators. I’m told of good times in the late 90’s but you now get the impression the island is becoming another Easter Island; a spent resource. If this sounds dramatic then you only have to look around you. You see decaying buildings, broken equipment, third world methods and a dying coral reef. The dive centres still thrive by utilising the more inaccessible locations nearby. In a nutshell then, Koh Tao has been overexploited in the past by those eager to make a quick buck. I stepped foot on the island as a tourist. I will be stepping of it as a conservationist. It’s time to head to the pier.

Koh Tao Departure……..As I wait at the pier there is no sign of the ferry boat. I understand that the Songserm service is not a round trip from Chomphon but an all day service to Koh Samui. Koh Tao is the halfway point. Therefore the boat will arrive from Koh Samui. Finally the boat appears around the headland now about 15 minutes late but the turnaround is quick; no need to wait for passengers. The weather today is cloudy with some bright spells but not like the last couple of days. In that I’m most grateful for that break in the weather at an unpredictable time of year. An hour into the trip, dark clouds appear again and another thunderstorm reduces visibility to a few hundred yards but it soon passes. However, the angry clouds never really disappear as the sun tries to force its way through. Then the familiar ring of islands appear and the distant coastline of Chumphon Province. As the ferry boat glides though the harbour mouth at Pak Nam Chumphon, it’s almost dark and the chance of another thunderstorm looms.

Anxious moments……..As the ferry boat nears the pier the passengers are making their way to the rear deck for disembarkation. The blackened sky now releases another deluge with a fierce wind blowing. It’s strong enough to blow the cap off a harbour official with it ending up in the drink. The boat makes the final maneuver to secure the stern then BANG! Something’s gone wrong and nobody really knows what’s going on. Passengers are told to get back in the cabin but there is no panic but I am anxious till I know what caused the problem. The ferry boat is cast adrift and eases to the opposite side of the estuary. There are a number of fishing boats waiting to enter the habour and the ferry waits for clear passage to attempt a second docking. This time all goes well but I’m still mystified as to what just happened. Katoon is totally unconcerned and chats away with a family from the island. Coincidentally that family runs the business that sold us the island tour and ferry tickets. If I could return to what I said about Koh Tao earlier this family illustrates part of the problem. The man is going to apply for his taxi license and test. You can’t blame him for wanting to increase his options but does the island really need another taxi? With the passengers now on land not so dry, the problem with the docking is explained to me. To start with it is common for vessels to park next to each other. You might have to climb over several boat decks to actually reach the pier. In this case there is a naval patrol boat parked there as is was when we departed for Koh Tao. The docking maneuver is the same for all vessels. You first need bring the bow close enough to throw and secure a rope in this case to the patrol craft. The captain can then bring the stern in using the engine and secure it. Finally the bow it winched in and secured by the crew. What happened is so easy to explain: The bow rope broke! With the excitement over we head to the parked car. I would be inclined to use the same resort as was used on the first night but Katoon has picked up some information on a resort not so far away. As we head back through the town and onto the carriageway 4119 leading to Chumphon a resort appears on the left after a couple of kilometers.

Pakamas Resort……..The Pakamas Resort appears comfortable and cheap: A very different proposition to those options on Koh Tao. It doesn’t have a fridge but there’s a restaurant just on the main road. Getting something for dinner now is a priority and I go for the Jim Jum (hot pot) for a change with a beer. I immediately feel the freedom of open space, not the claustrophobic conditions on the island. Finding this accommodation especially now after dark is a great relief and brings to an end this interesting part of the tour. Next Page.