Koh Tao, the turtle island

From Bangkok I catch a bus at 6 in the morning that takes me, over six hours of travelling, to the port of Chumpon, where I'll board the boat for the island of Koh Tao.

After barely two hours of travel I begin to make out the island: small, sheltered, green. Its waters are crystal clear and hint right away at the beauty of the place.

As soon as I step off the boat I'm greeted by a crowd of working motorbike taxis and touts drumming up customers for the resorts and the many dive schools on the island.

I manage to make my way through the crowd; the road in front of me is narrow and crowded, an uphill street full of internet cafés, restaurants, pizzerias and souvenir shops.

I rent a scooter and head for the guesthouse I had booked beforehand.

I settle in the Chalok Baan Kao area, a very quiet part of the island, at the J.P. Resort, where I'm given a lovely bungalow near the beach.

The island is paradise: small, sheltered, peaceful, washed by clear waters and covered in palms. The vegetation is lush.

Koh Tao is the smallest island of an archipelago; the two neighbouring islands, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, are bigger and more touristy... the turtle island, by contrast, is placid, time moves slowly, and despite the large number of tourist services it is still today a thoroughly relaxing place to spend a few days in peace, far from the chaos of the city or the bustle of the nearby islands.

South of the port are the two bays of Chalok Baan Kao and Thian Og Bay (or Shark Bay), where the waters are usually calm and the beaches are narrow strips of white sand, with flowering trees and coconut palms shading the shore; offshore, a tiny uninhabited island called Shark Island is visited by curious, intrepid tourists in search of harmless sharks (and there are plenty of them!).

Further east is the most beautiful beach of all, Aow Leuk, a marvellous inlet where, at the bottom of a slope, the flowered meadow gradually merges with the white sand until it is washed by transparent waters.

Today the beach can be reached by a dirt track, but until recently you could only get there by boat, which has helped keep the area protected.

Heading north you come to the more secluded bays of Tanote Bay and Mao Bay, still very wild but always beautiful and captivating, precisely because of their seemingly more inhospitable face.

On the far northern tip of the island lies Mango Bay, with just two resorts and a single restaurant; the tip can only be reached by boat and is a pocket-handkerchief of sand surrounded by rocks, the water clean and always calm...

On the opposite side, north of the port, lies the long beach of Sai Ree, covered with numerous leafy palms; it is the island's main tourist spot, where most visitors — especially the youngest — gather all year round, and where building development has been most evident in recent years.

Sai Ree Beach is one long succession of restaurants and bars, where from morning to night music and the smells of freshly cooked food drift through the air, pretty bungalows face the sea, and in the evening the many bars offer an evocative setting of soft lights, fire shows, mellow music and excellent fish dishes grilled on big barbecue racks.

During the day you can while away the time lazing on these beautiful beaches, ride around the island by scooter in search of the many viewpoints scattered here and there, hire one of the many old wooden boats (taxi boats) to visit the most hidden and wild stretches of coast, or take part in one of the many diving courses and enjoy one of the finest coral reefs in the world.

In front of Sai Ree Beach there's a stunning island, Nang Yuan Island, which is absolutely worth at least a visit during a stay on Koh Tao; it's two fairly small oases joined by a single strip of white sand, creating an evocative landscape unique of its kind.

I remain enchanted by this welcoming, wonderful land, struck by the lush vegetation and clean waters, relaxed by the mild climate and a warmth in the Thai people that never disappoints.

I know the island well; it's a recurring destination on my travels, the refuge, the corner where I hide and relax when I need to, the paradise I love to return to (if only in my mind) on rainy days.

Unfortunately, Koh Tao has changed a lot lately: once reserved and still little known, it now increasingly resembles its neighbours Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, more brazen and lively; invasive building keeps growing along the best-known beaches, such as Sai Ree, while the more secluded shores risk becoming the new stage for ambitious high-end tourist developments.

The hope is that the turtle island will preserve its appearance for as long as possible and remain a natural refuge from the noisy modernity that seems to reach even the most remote corners of this world.

Simona Salini

INTERESTING FACTS:

* To reach Koh Tao from Bangkok you just need to go to one of the many travel agencies in Bangkok; the ticket costs about 350 baht; * The boat trip from Chumpon to Koh Tao is often very rough, so it's a good idea to take a seasickness tablet; * An excellent option for staying on the island is the J.P.

Resort: the bungalows are close to the beach, clean and cheap, and the service is very good; * Another lovely spot is Aow Leuk, where a Thai family offers many bungalows at various prices; the Aow Leuk 2 restaurant serves excellent Thai dishes and the staff are extremely kind; * At Aow Leuk beach you're not allowed to bring fruit or food of any kind, and the staff are very strict about this; * There are many internet cafés on the island, and everywhere the price is 20 baht per minute; * For Italian food I recommend the pizzeria 'La Matta', along the road heading up from the port; the owner is a young guy from Milan, Emiliano, very friendly, who serves excellent pizzas and good Italian dishes at low prices; * For lovers of fresh fish, all the restaurants along the main road of Sai Ree Beach serve excellent dishes; you can choose your fresh fish before it's cooked and enjoy it by the sea (a

grilled fish costs about 250 baht); * Koh Tao offers the chance to relax in one of its many massage centres; the price is always around 300 baht an hour; * To go to Nang Yuan Island by taxi boat you pay about 400 baht (return), plus 100 baht to enter the island; after 5 pm boats can no longer dock at the port; * Prices on Nang Yuan Island are very high, but if that's no problem you can stay at the island's resort; * Getting around the island is possible by renting a scooter (150 baht a day), or by using the many taxis, but these are much more expensive;