Native fishermen and farmers grasped that people from other places were expanding their island to provide the needs of all these new clients and they too instantly opened a businesses to satisfy the visitors demands.
Starting withing the original A-Frame coconut and bamboo bungalows on the beach for thrity Thai Baht a night, to very simple thatched houses, the local island families decided swiftly to this influx of strangers otherwise known as Farangs, by adapting .
At first this tiny island had no one living on it, frequented only by local fishermen from near by islands when looking for shelter during storms or when in need of fresh water and supplies.
Ko Tao is a tiny island, only 22 square kilometres and about half of that too rugged to attain. At first the island was not inhabited, visited only by fisherman from nearby islands when in search of a safe haven during heavy storms or when in need of fresh water and food. It seems strange that such a tourist paradise should have been in earlier times earmarked as a penal island. Strange, but true. From about 1933 until 1947 the island housed political prisoners. Being nearly seventy km from the mainland meant it was fairly escape proof! Alcatraz...piece of cake. Koh Tao is surrounded by lots of Whale sharks and Black Tip Sharks too.
They were the twin brothers Khun Oh and Khun Ueam who got to Ko Tao by boat from the next island of Koh Phangan, Koh Tao was still under Royal Patronage in those days but it did not stop these fortune seekers from claiming their stake of land.
These days, you can find everything from basic simple wooden huts with palm leaf roofs to elegant up-market villas with their very own private swimming pool.
In the late 1990's KoTao's first, and until recently, only road was laid, it runs North to South from the far side of Sairee to the southern settlement of Chalok Baan Kao.
A new road is being developed towards Tanote Bay, and when completed it will open up the other side of Koh Tao for better development, it is accessable with care at the moment with 4x4.
Attracted by the beautiful coral reefs surrounding KoTao, and the quick growth in sport diving, a number of companies have started diving businesses on the island, these companies in turn developed resorts for their customers, and over the years several of these resorts have become quite plush.
At first this tiny island had no one living on it, frequented only by local fishermen from near by islands when looking for shelter during storms or when in need of fresh water and supplies. |