A day of luxury...

There is one spa on Koh Tao, or so the government says...

Today I decided to treat myself and booked myself in for a spa package. Luxury at Thailand prices. Fabulous.

The transportation to this luxury though would make your hair stand on end. For Edmontonians, imagine going up 103 Street hill but that it's only one rough, unpaved narrow track. For non Edmontonians, it's steep. Bad hey, but that's not it. The 'taxi' is a pickup truck with two benches fitted into the flatbed, the bench being level with the edge of the truck and you are holding on for dear life. Everywhere in rural Thailand I have gone this is standard transport; in many cases, short of a motorcycle (no helmet of course) it is the only option. Anyhow, made it there and back safely so not to worry.

The hotel that the spa is in is at the top of the island, overlooking one of the bays - blue, blue water and white sandy beaches edged by coconut trees covering the rest of the hilly island. A beautiful setting.

It was all and all a very pampered day - aloe wrap (great for sunburn!), facial, and Thai massage. The place was empty too, low season. It felt so exclusive. Afterwards lunch at the hotel restaurant and then lounging by the hotel pool overlooking the ocean and the rest of the island. What a way to spend the day. So glad that I've ascended from the ranks of backpackers and can occasionally do something like this and not have to worry about every last baht (10 baht = 30 cents).

Only one more day to go before I start making my way back to Japan. Oh, I REALLY hope that it's warmed up there. I'm not sure if I can go back to cold and gray after this.