Palm Trees Over Pine Trees

Confused on where we are? I’m catching up on the black hole of content from May of 2016 to April of 2017, when I jumped forward to blog the summer of 2017 as it was happening. This is my last post from 2016 — blogging at lighting speed here, right? I can’t wait to turn my detailed notes and journals into more blog posts Thailand and Bali next. My apologies for any confusion with the timeline, and thanks for sticking with me.

By the way, craving some Southeast Asia adventure in your life? My Bali Blogging + Entrepreneurship retreat is still accepting applications and my Thailand Dive + Yoga retreat in August has spots remaining!

After our sister spa getaway in Koh Samui, Olivia and I were ready to face the full-on chaos of Koh Tao over the holidays. By now I’ve clocked four or five Christmases on my island home away from home — I can’t keep count — and I was thrilled to have my sister near for what we knew would be a tough holiday season.

We had a few days before the true Christmas madness kicked off, and I wanted to make the most of them. Olivia strongly objected to any hiking on the itinerary, so I settled on the John Suwan Viewpoint, easily accessible via what I’d refer to as a seven minute walk from the parking lot, but which I quickly learned some people may, in fact, consider a hike.

Maybe I’ll consider adding it to my series.

The best part about the strenuous journey to John Suwan? When you stumble down that treacherous mountain, you can recover from the enormous exertion on the shores of Freedom Beach, famed for its white sand and the shade of the unique pemphis acidula trees.

And okay, yes, I am giving my sister a hard time, but what else are sisters for?

Hiking and beaches aside, we made time for plenty of sunsets…

Nights out at our beloved Banyan Bar…

and crazy field trips around the island! One day, I braved the scary drive to Sai Daeng Resort (honestly, after all these years I’m still a baby when it comes to tackling Koh Tao’s hills on my motorbike) to investigate a rumor I’d heard — that there was an enormous waterslide ripe for the sneaking into on Koh Tao.

It was true, and Olivia and I and our friends who also had a sister in town, spent hours shrieking our way down the slide. Needless to say it was a permit-less built and it only lasted a few months before authorities ordered its removal. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

And then, suddenly it was Christmas in paradise. We might have palm trees instead of pines, but Koh Tao has such a fun and unique way of celebrating the holidays, you really do get into the Christmas spirit without a snowflake in sight.

Christmas Eve kicked off with a big, joyous barbecue at Ian’s house, where I learned an invaluable lesson about trying to frost a cake with buttercream in the tropics. Note to self: next time, bring a cheese board instead.

We might cobble the decor together with goodies stashed in suitcases from home and handmade creations crafted from old greetings cards and random bits and bobs found in 99 Baht shops around the island, but dang it if we don’t know how to rock some serious Santa hats… and, apparently, Santa Mankinis.

Christmas Eve ended, as Koh Tao Christmas Eves tend to, on the beach, watching sunset with a drink in hand. And, if you’re lucky, a little sister to twin with.

Well, it didn’t really end at the beach. Christmas Eve is one of the biggest nights out of the year on Koh Tao, so it usually ends dancing on a table on a bar on the beach somewhere, more accurately.

The next morning, I defied the odds and made it to my beloved annual tradition, my friend Cynthia’s Christmas themed yoga class at Ocean Sound Yoga. Between the incredible holiday playlist, the joy of starting the day with a practice in my home studio, and the fun Christmas costumes spread around the mats, it’s one of the best parts of my Koh Tao Christmas.

And then it was time to cool down with a girly gossip by the pool.

Christmas night was a little more low-key, we stuck close to home with Christmas dinner and a family dance party at Banyan Bar. Dang, I miss that place. I’m not crying, you’re crying!

Post-Christmas, we took a few days to recover — AKA work from bed, one of the greatest joys of self-employment — because New Year’s Eve was right round the corner.

I’ve often waxed poetic about the joys of New Year’s Eve on Koh Tao. There’s no drama, no bouncers, no lines, no admission fees — just slightly more people than usual, better dressed than usual, crowded barefoot on the beach to ring in a new year.

Plus, Olivia surprised me with her Christmas gift — custom A+O necklaces designed together with our talented friend Amy. Honestly, this crying has to stop.

And then it was time to party like it was 2017! Believe me, I definitely see the ridiculousness in a blog post about the 2016 holiday season coming out in the summer of 2018. Let’s just roll with it.

I’ll be honest — it was a tough Christmas. Between the then-current state of the US, my sister still trying to figure out what what going on with her life and the ill-timed delivery of some tough news from home, we had a hard time. But we were together, and with every passing year I’m taught a lesson from the universe about how little matters beyond that.

And then, we leapt into the new year.

Next up: a sissy goodbye in Bangkok

Heading to Koh Tao and want to know the best restaurants, beaches, dive shops and beyond? Check out the Wanderland Guide to Koh Tao!