After leaving the Andaman coast, I’ve now crossed over to Ko Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. I did a couple of dives here aswell, and I suppose the gighlight was a pair of bluespotted ribbontail stingrays, as I didn’t see these in the Similans.
The next day I went for a different sort of experience, two and a half hours in the island’s top Spa

. For less than 40 US dollars, I was treated to a herbal steam bath, an aloe vera wrap, a facial treatment and a thai massage (my first, in fact). All of this in stunning surroundings at Jamakhiri Spa and Resort

. After a bonecrushing, shaky ride along the rutted track that passes for a secondary road here, I was well and truly pampered for the next few hours.
I’m still not sure how much I actually enjoyed it, especially the massage. I’m still working on the assumption that they get nicer the more you have. As stiff as I was, it was at times quite uncomfortable, which I take as a sign that I really needed it.
It certainly ended well, rounded off by a few cold beers and good conversation with some fellow spa guests.
Then later in the night (or early in the morning, I suppose: 03:45), heavenly bliss was replaced by hellish fury. A huge thunderstorm descended on Ko Tao, lasting well into the morning, with flashes of lightning, rolling thunder and rain pouring down in seemingly unending streams. All great fun until check-out time arrives. By then, the rain had subsided, and it was possible to move between various sheltered spots without getting myself or my stuff too wet. Still, it’s quite a sending off this island is giving me as I head for Bangkok again.