Cappuccino in Koh Tao

Life on Koh Tao is a lot slower and a big part of my day – when I’m not seasick on a boat or 75 feet below the ocean’s surface – is spent eating, talking, and thinking.

My favorite place is a French café right off the main street in Mae Haad called Cappuccino. Like almost everywhere on the island, it has an open-air patio and is way too big for the number of customers it ever has at any point in time. Music from Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Maroon 5 wafts lazily from the interior of the café and is occasionally interrupted by raucous bursts of song from the caged birds on either ends of the patio.

Lined on the street below is an endless row of motorcycles and mopeds – a constant reminder that I’m in Thailand. And just beyond that are the kids weaving their motorcycles at 30mph between the cats, dogs, and people walking on the road. It’s never quiet here. Thankfully, my brain has learned to filter out the symphony of choking engines that seems to permeate every inch of this country.

I usually order a double latte – which is slightly smaller than a Starbucks “tall” and is served in a glass mug on a glass platter with a packet of sugar (why?). There is no option for the type of milk (“non-fat?”). For the longest time I was stumped over how to order straight coffee because the only options are “Expresso”, “Latte”, and “Americano”. I learned today that Thais refer to any coffee without milk and sugar as an Americano. Good to know.

Life here is simple. It’s a great place to think.