From the original coconut and bamboo bungalows right on the beach for 30 Baht a day, to quite simple thatched houses, the native Phangan clans reacted swiftly to this incursion of strangers otherwise known as Farangs, by adapting .
In the early days getting to KoTao required a treacherous boat trip from near by islands or the main land, if and when the weather and seas permitted but the population of the island continued to grow firmly all the same, even when simple life was hard without much reward.
KoToa's status increased and speedily increased as it widely became known all over the world through adventurous visitors and international travellers.
This small island was still under Royal Patronage in the early days, but it did not put off these fortune seekers from staking their claim. The first generation of today's community started settling when they brought their families to Ko Tao and began to cultivate and harvest the rich soil and natural resources on offer. Although it still being under Royal Patronage, pieces of land were claimed, and cleared for coconut plantations. You can still see lots of verification of the huge plantations all over the island.
KoTao is surrounded by big sharks too, nice friendly ones fortunately.
Attracted by the wonderful coral reefs surrounding the island, and the growth in sport diving, quite a few companies have started diving businesses on Koh Tao, these companies in turn developed resorts for their customers, and over the years several of these resorts have become quite plush.
Koh Tao's weather is the whole year beautiful. Clear days and a nice sea breeze are the norm. For the purists, late December to the end of March is the perfect holiday island weather.
Occasionally progress can be a wonderful thing, it's a good thing KoTao has maintained its relaxed atmosphere, ]it is,it's] still nigh on impossible to find a crowded beach. |
