Home Again

Our flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong was an easy and uneventful 3 hours.  It left at 6:30 am so we slept most of the way. We managed to fritter away the layover in the Hong Kong airport-we got to the gate as the passengers were boarding, just in time to get on it. Then we had the gruelling 15 hour flight.  The plane was packed: there wasn't an extra seat anywhere.  This flight felt very long and we didn't get much sleep.  It felt great to stretch out on our own bed after being cramped in for so long.

Angthong National Marine Park

Angthong National Marine Park is a collection of 42 uninhabited tiny islands dotting the Gulf of Thailand.  They are the tree covered peaks of a flooded range of limestone mountains.  These islands have a rugged limestone rock face and beautiful, white mica sand beaches and they are a perfect destination for a day trip since they are only 31 km from Koh Samui.

Beach at Angthong National Marine Park

For this trip our boat was much larger than our snorkeling speedboat and we were happy to see its size after the rough ride we had the day before.  It was a slower ride and we settled in for the 1 1/2 hour cruise in the sunshine. 

Our slow boat to the National Marine Park

At our first island stop we hopped into a sea kayak and toured around the sheer limestone cliffs.

 Erosion has carved interesting shapes into the limestone and we paddled into and around these areas. 



We kayaked under these overhanging rocks



If it's there, it must be climbed

We were all called back onto the boat in time for lunch, which was traditional Thai food.  Lots of rice with green chicken curry (spicy) and stir fried vegetables.  Thai people tell you if the food is spicy but their idea of spicy is vastly different from the Canadian definition of spicy.  All Thai food is spicy by our standards and if the Thai menu says "spicy"  then know you will need the fire hose later. 

After lunch we sailed to another little island, Mae Koh.  It was very picturesque, with a beautiful beach and a hidden lake to hike to.  This hike was 500 m high, tucked into the middle of the island.  As with some other aspects of Thai tourism, there were few safety standards in place.  For most of the hike we had to climb stairs.  They were steep, almost ladderlike. Very difficult to maneuver, and very scary.

The steep staircase up to the hidden lake

Once at the top, the view of the lake is beautiful.  Its colour changes depending on the tide-at low tide it is green and at high tide it is blue.  We were there at low tide so our pictures are green.  The lake contains barracuda and sea snakes so we didn't swim there.

We made it to the top

The hidden lake



 After the hike we were sweaty messes and we needed to cool off.  We snorkeled around for a bit.  The island isn't surrounded by coral so the fish weren't as plentiful or colourful as the ones we saw yesterday.  The swimming was nice-the water was warm and the sun was bright.  All too soon we got the call to head back to the boat.  It was moored offshore so we were loaded into traditional longtail boats to be ferried over to it.



Boat People



Long boat tenders to shore

After eight days on Koh Samui it is time to begin our homeward journey.  Our flight back to Bangkok was on Bangkok Air-the boutique airline of Asia.  This plane was a real jet this time and the flight was very quick.

The Koh Samui airport is our favourite airport, ever!  It has 3 gates, all of which are outdoor.  The waiting areas are covered in the traditional Thai style with thatched roofs, and the furniture is rattan.  Free refreshments and light snacks are offered. Travellers reach their gate via an outdoor promenade and all the airport shops are located along side it.

Outdoor airport walkway lined by shops

Al, on one of the outdoor lounge chairs at the airport

View from the plane of our hotel

We're spending our last days back in Bangkok and making the most of our time there at the MBK shopping centre and the Patpong outdoor market.  We'll be back in Canada June 16th.  We fly from Bangkok to Hong Kong at 6:30 am Bangkok time on June 16th.  Then, after our six hour layover, we leave Hong Kong at 3:10 pm and arrive in Toronto (15 hours later) at 6:05 pm Toronto time. 

Snorkeling the coral reef off Koh Tao (Turtle Island) and Koh Nang Yuan

We're at the Bhundhari Resort on Koh Samui. 

Ah, the pool

The view from our balcony as a thundercloud moves in



Tri-level pool



They have a beach-side ping pong table.  Al needs a drink to cool off.

Beautiful beach

Breakfast at Bhindhari

Koh Samui is the largest island in the Gulf of Thailand and it is known for its beaches.  It is a quieter island than Phuket and people come here to relax and explore the surrounding islands.  Two of the smaller islands, Koh Tao(Turtle Island) and Koh Nang Yuan, are renowned for their diving and snorkeling and we wanted to get in on that.

At 8:30 a.m. we boarded a 26 passenger speedboat, powered by three 200 horsepower motors and settled in for the 1 1/2 hour jaunt across the Gulf of Thailand.

Our speedboat

 It was a fine morning for a sea cruise.  The sun was shining, the breeze was balmy and the sea was calm.  The tour director offered all of us some sea-sick pills and nobody took him up on them.  We enjoyed the ride, getting to know our fellow passengers.  People were from all over the globe.  There were Australians of course, and also Britains, Germans, Chinese and people from Hong Kong, and us, the lone two Canadians.

Lighthouse bay

Our first stop was at Lighthouse Bay (named for the lighthouse!).  The water was so clear that we could see fish from the boat.  We geared up and snorkeled around for an hour.

Us, snorkeling

 It was worth it to haul our snorkel gear from Canada because we were first in the water and we knew where our masks and mouthpieces had been!  We snorkeled smart this time, too, with both of us wearing old t-shirts so our backs didn't fry in the blistering sun.

Al, on Turtle Island

In the bright sunshine there were coral formations that were blazing with colour-brilliant blues, purples, oranges, yellows and greens.  The fish were abundant.  We saw vast varieties, most of which we can't identify.  They were curious, swimming up to us to give us the hairy eyeball.  We tried to touch them but they were too quick.  Occasionally, a fish would nibble us. 
We can't claim these pictures as ours, but we did see these fish.

Normally the tour operators would get us back on board the speedboat, which would take us in to a beachside restaurant for lunch.  We couldn't do that because it was too shallow at the restaurant's pier. They drove us to the main pier and disembarked.  Then, we all piled into the beds of 3 pickup trucks and rode to the restaurant on benches bolted to the truck's sides.  No seat belts, no helmets, no safety what so ever. 

This pick-up is loaded with people, driving along the streets

We're in the back of our pick-up
The guy with the hat is from Los Angeles

The lead pick-up enroute to the restaurant

Then, we had to repeat the trip back to the pier to reboard the speedboat.  We found our boat double parked at the busy pier, which required us to shimmy down the wharfside, cross a barge and leap over the widening chasm on to our deck.  Challenging.

Kim waits her turn to shimmy down to the barge and across to our speedboat

Overall, Thailand does not subscribe to the safety standards we are familiar with in North America.

For the afternoon, our boat sped us to Koh Nang Yuan.  These are three islands linked by sandbars and surrounded by coral.  Here, we did some more snorkeling and lazed around the beach.  Tough day.

The call came to reboard for the 1 1/2 speedy return to Koh Samui.  We started out rough, hitting the waves with a bang.  We thought the waves would recede once we got going.  Nope.  Nor did the driver slow down.  It was a very rough ride.  We passengers were not talking to each other like we were on the outward journey.  Most were trying to keep lunch down.  Many were regretting not taking the seasick pills offered at the start of our voyage.  We all made it back, lunch intact, but every one of us was glad to see shore.  Even those of us who weren't green were black and blue from the bouncing off the seats and ceiling.

Thai Isand of Koh Samui

We've travelled to the upscale island of Koh Samui from Phuket.  This island is in the Gulf of Thailand, on the east coast.  The beaches are everything you've ever pictured on a tropical island.  The daily temperature is 35 C (95 Fahrenheit) and the water seems just as warm. 

Our hotel room is the top balcony, left of Kim, overlooking the pool

Pool and landscaping

For the eight days we're staying on this island we have booked a Centara Resort in the middle of the most popular beach, Chaweng, for four days and then we go north to another resort, Bhindhari.  This is a mountainside resort, overlooking the beach.

Lush gardens

Endless pool

Hot tub

Our balcony view

 
Our resort on Chaweng Beach is gorgeous.  The grounds are beautifully manicured.  It is a very popular resort, with lots of European guests.  So far, we are the only North Americans here.  We've met lots of Australians and had a great time with them.

Palm tree beside our balcony-it comes complete with a green snake

We found this resort as a result of Air Asia's website.  They have a Mystery Hotel program where you don't know which hotel you will be staying at but you get a 5 star hotel at 3 star rates.  We've done this 5 times now and each hotel has been stellar.  This Centara Grand Resort is no exception.  The breakfast buffet is endless, the lunch spread is vast and the happy hour is truly jolly. Plus, the games area has a ping pong table.  We have been spending HOURS beating each other.   One of us has a killer spike and the other has a mean spin.

Sir Spins-a-lot

Ms. Spikes-a-lot

 
The town of Chaweng Beach is bustling.  In the daytime, there are endless blocks of shops; shoe shopping is to die for.  Scooters are everywhere on the streets and the entrepreneurial people convert their scooters into a rolling restaurant. 

Converted scooter restaurant

At night, the streets really come alive.  It is still hot at night, and loud, pumping music plus throngs of people make the streets vibrate with life.

Night market with food stalls and lots of shopping

There is a small night market where the locals shop and it has free entertainment (jugglers who juggle liquor bottles, and flaming liquor bottles.)

Volkswagon conversion to a bar

There are many Thai and European restaurants.  Because it isn't high season, many of the restaurants are not filled to capacity so the deals are everywhere.  A tasty Thai meal is cheap by North American standards.
We've enjoyed the resort life-the pool, the beach, the sun, the nightlife.  It's been nice to relax.  Next, we're headed north to Bhindhari where we're visiting the National Marine Park for some ocean kayaking and then to the island of Koh Tao for some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world.

Thai life

Thai menus are sectioned into the standard categories of appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts, however, upon delivery, everything comes at once and the courses are all the same size. Food is very reasonably priced and for 200 baht ($6.80 Cdn) we've been getting a 5 course lunch.  What a deal. 
Patong is the oldest resort area on the island of Phuket and it has had lots of time to establish itself as the hub of nightlife.  Our area, Kata, was much more reserved than Patong but we still wanted to see it for ourselves.  Our hotel offered a shuttle and we hopped on.

Even though Patong is only 20 minutes north it is completely different.  There were so many open air bars that all you could see for blocks were bar stools. 

We saw this funny sign hanging at a bar.  Then, we saw the name of the bar.

The Husband  Day Care Centre is at the Rock Hard A Go Go Bar

This bar extends for blocks

More bars along the road

We were really happy that we chose to stay at Kata Beach.  The actual beach itself was much bigger and cleaner, with fewer people. 

Patong Beach

Kata Beach

Al on Kata Beach

After 8 days on Phuket we packed up and cabbed it to the airport where our turboprop plane was waiting to Whisk us off to the island of Koh Samui.  This was our first time on a tiny little turboprop.  It was fine-quick and easy.  Total time in the air-50 minutes, tarmac to tarmac.  No boarding ramps necessary here. 


We'll be spending four days at the Centara Resort and another four a little further north on the island at the Bhindhari Resort.


Festive little turboprop



Yes, that's the propeller

Weather today is a steamy 34 degrees.  The ocean feels like it is the same temperature.