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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Koh Tao 1991 Hard copy scans. Mini thread.

    I'm getting a handle on scanning and editing my hard copy photos so I'll do a mini thread on Koh Tao back in the very early 90's. This is Mae Had the main port. You will notice there is only one Jetty in this pic now there are 4, this bay is chock full of boats coming and going full of tourists. Ah the good old days where good on this Island.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    This is the first decent boat purchased to be used as a dive boat. It was owned by Ban Diving which was the second dive operation on Koh Tao after Koh Tao Divers.
    I was a partner in this operation and sold out after 7 years. Today its the largest operation on the Island and is worth Millions of dollars. Glad I sold out though as running a dive shop is all hard work, much better just to Dive for fun. Anyway the boat in the picture was used to ferry punters from Samui through Koh Phan-Gan and onto Tao. It was a bloody slow trip especially if the weather cranked up. 6 hours was the norm. Before this boat was purchased all diving was done from long tails even out to the deep Dives at Chumphon pinnacle. To move on to a large dedicated dive boat revolutionized the Dive industry but it cost a fortune to keep them running which added pressure to get the punters in. Low season was hard going in those days. In the back ground is Sensie resort which has now morphed into a Mega resort pulling high end punters paying top dollar for very beautiful bungalows in an awesome setting. I stayed here with the family when they had piss all, just a few wooden huts which I payed a 100 baht a night for.
    Last edited by terry57; 14-07-2013 at 01:55 PM.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    This photo is looking down the beach at Saree. I know it was taken in 1991 as the boat wreckage was left over from Cyclone Gay which hit the island in December 1990 and devastated the Island. It came across the Gulf from Chumpon and took out nearly every structure that was not concrete. In 1990 there was not many concrete building so the damage was massive. killed a heap of people in Chumphon and a few on Tao.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    The Monsoon Gym with the Thai boxing ring at the back, still there and just got bigger. I was a very lucky guy to experience Tao from 88 on as it truly was something special in those days. Today its gone nuts with 45 plus dive shops and Backpackers fire twirling and knocking out the techno music. I have no probs with that as If I was a young scank BackPacker again I'd more than likely be right there with them. Progress innit, cant stop it so go with it I say and concentrate on the good aspects of it. Still a great spot for a dive on a good dive with very good prices compared with the real world. Actually last time I dived there the coral was in Quite good condition and growing nicely in many places. Conservation of the Coral is high priority on Tao and the dive shops all do a good job trying to look after it. many very professional operation on that island. Competition is fierce which has ensured a high standard of operation and Equipment.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    These Bungalows where consider luxury back in the early 90's, if you had one of these you where King shit.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    This is the real deal. Put A/C, hot water and a decent Internet connection in there and I'd book straight in. Back then most of those luxuries weren't even thought off. When I first rocked up there was only one telephone at the post office, no electric and no Police Station. Happy days indeed.
    Last edited by terry57; 14-07-2013 at 08:48 PM.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Another nice little Bungalow which rented by the month cost piss all. Hard work in April though. Hot season in the early days was always hard work, those days are gone for me, give me the A/C, hot water and Internet as the absolute minimum for survival.I got dengue fever one time and had to tough it out in a hut with nothing in it. These days I'd die for sure.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    As time went on the concrete bungalows started to be the go.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Ive had this little ditty for maybe 25 years, found it amongst my shit the other night. Nice innit. Some spiritual dude wrote it one night when we where banged up on some nice gear. Must of been some good shit EH.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Since this a practice thread on my new found talent for scanning and posting hard copy I'll add this note that has been with me for 20 odd years. This little note means quite a lot to me as it was from a random Balinese guy I helped over 20 years ago on a trip to Bali. I've had it tucked away and found it the other day. The poor guy was working in a shop and had this wicked injury to his Jaw. I asked the girl in there what had happened, she told me he had fallen from his scooter and hit his head on the road. Poor bastard had a broken jaw but could not afford to get it fixed. Anyway I could not bear the thought of this poor young guy working like that so I give her a hundred Aussie dollars and packed him off to the hospital, told her I'd be back in two days to check him. Fok, when I went back the staff where so friggin happy as he now had his Jaw wired up and was on the mend, I was dam happy to see him fixed and he had wrote me this nice little note and gave me a photo album his family had made. I always help people that cannot help themselves, makes me feel good.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    This is the real deal. Put A/C, hot water and a decent Internet connection in there and I'd book straight in. Back then most of those luxuries weren't even thought off. When I first rocked up there was only one telephone at the post office, no electric and no Police Station. Happy days indeed.
    I love the woodwork on this house, thanx for sharing..

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by terry57 View Post
    This is the first decent boat purchased to be used as a dive boat. It was owned by Ban Diving which was the second dive operation on Koh Tao after Koh Tao Divers.
    Nice one Terry!

    I got my dive tickets on that boat in July '09.

    I was with Easydivers and at the time they apologised about the boat as their usual one was in for a service or whatever.

    About 9k for open water and 7k for advanced. And got these mozzy pits thrown in for free.



    Climbed a coconut tree

    Lang may yer lum reek...

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    A sleepy morning on Tao 1991, our dive boat in the for-ground.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Looking back onto Mae Had town on a misty early morning.

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Not like this now. The world changes.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    I've posted this earlier in the thread but I've cut it down, this was Tao.

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    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    The main market 1990. The building on the right with the wooden shutters is where we first set up our dive shop. We had our compressor pumping away in the shitter. Water front real-estate with a captive audience.

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    I lived in this bungalow when first setting up shop. 30 baht a night on the hill with a blinding view over the main bay. This place is Now called Sensi Paradise. Another Multi Million dollar operation. The local owner joined forces with the Dutch owner of The hash museum in Amsterdam. I met the Dutch guy in 90 and a few times after. He financed the operation. Google it up.

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    This was maybe 91. They started building shitters on to the bungalows. Before that they had a toilet block. A mate of mine from Perth having a coldie.

  20. #20
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    One of the first restaurants on Sari Beach.

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    One of the guys who worked for me all those years ago is still living on Tao and has established himself as a major player. This is his gaff, he built this many years ago.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    Really nice gaff this one, he don't piss around, he has all the toys to go with it.


  23. #23
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    These two people owned the bungalow complex I first stopped in on Tao. Well his mum and dad did. Kim and Jim was their names, not married but living together way back then. Today they are Multi millionaires with a world wide clientele coming to their resort. Sensi paradise is quite simply incredible. Back then they had a few bungalows on the hill renting out for 30 Baht.

  24. #24
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    A nasty crew right here.

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    This photo is showing where we set up our dive operation when we first set foot on Tao. The Thai partner had done a deal with the owners and we shared the restaurant. Brilliant move, everyone that came to the restaurant walked through our dive shop. Remembering we were No 2 shop on the Island and only had 4 tanks and a shitty old compressor. Happiest days of my life I recon even though the owners were not all that impressed with the compressor pumping away in the shitter.

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