With all the winds and rain coconuts are being harvested daily. Here Ni-Ni’s colleague was chopping them with an axe and wrenching them open, presumably to be used for cooking or eating straight away.

Day 14

I didn’t get up until midday after a terrible night’s sleep. Heat, sunburn, shoulder pain and stomach ache! So at 8am when I’d finally found a comfy position I slept like a baby! I chilled out in the day at the bars and beaches. My arm had swollen up from a mossie bite, though the Sea Breeze guy suggested it could be a millipede as they’re poisonous.As scorpions can get inside my mossie net, who knows what else can! It hadn’t turned any weird colour so I thought it would probably be alright though it itched like hell.

This is how forearms are supposed to look like, right?

Last night the Brits had told me about the Ang Thong national marine park at Koh Samui, the next island down. Ang Thong is a collection of paradise islands. Their photos from the visit were amazing so I decided to head there after Koh Tao. From what they said, I wouldn’t be able to climb to the highest viewpoints because of the climbing involved but a boat tour would still be good. Tomorrow I decided to go to the other side of the island to check out Hin Wong Bay where the snorkelling is supposed to be excellent. The weather was very windy and cloudy and it rained for much of the afternoon.

I was having big problems with taking photos now as it was hurting my shoulder a lot. Probably overused it with all the snorkelling. I needed to cut down a lot or I was going to cause more damage. Annoying!

As dusk came, the winds and rain picked up. Big waves hit the beach and were crashing into the boulders sending spray everywhere.

So much for the paradise turquoise sea. Pfft. This is the downside of coming in low season!

Don’t stand here unless you want a coconut crown

I spent the evening at Sea Breeze playing draughts with the Germans and chatting to Ni-Ni again. Paper and pen is great for making conversations possible across languages, you just draw what they don’t understand!

My arm was still swollen and itchy so the Germans kindly gave me some cream for it. I had to leg it across the beach at high tide at midnight to get back to my side of the bay – timing my runs to avoid getting wet feet!

You have to cross the beach by the rocks over on the right… check out the waves smashing the rocks in the center. Not a night for drunken swimming!