Day 3 – And another early start with a 8am pick up. At 8:30,
our hotel manager asked for the agent’s phone number and called them to confirm
everything was OK, informed that they were on their way. By 9, J and I were
cursing not having more time for breakfast and a few more zzzzz’s. But they finally
arrived and we were at the Tablamu pier quickly and on our boat not long after.
The tour company we were with had three boats doing the same multi-stop
snorkelling tour. But there were over a dozen boats. They couldn’t all be going
to the same place – surely.
Arriving at the first snorkelling site at Koh 9, we saw a
few other boats around – but they were a fair distance apart. Grabbing our
snorkels, masks and fins, J and I were first in and exploring the reef in no
time. Colourful fish were plentiful, but the coral was mostly bleached and
damaged. That was the same in most of the sites we visited in the Similans. In
places there were signs of recovery with some patches of blue or white corals.
For me, I enjoy watching the fish, spotting as many species as I can, trying to
recall their common names. Many fish were accustomed to all us visitors,
following behind your fins hoping to get some scraps; some even swam right up
looking as if they were going to attack.
Just before midday we arrived on Koh 8 Similan island after snorkelling at another spot. Famished from all the activity, J and I mused at the crowd of people from all the tour boats, herded off, into food queues, then herded back onto boats. Each tour company had their own food pass with curries and stir fries to help yourself. Pity they were mostly cold but hit the spot anyway.
Seeing how many people had walked to Sail Rock lookout, J and I decided
to head off to the least crowded part of the beach to do some more snorkelling.
It was gorgeous to be there just the two of us in the clear warm water. Visibly
was so good it felt as though you could see for miles.
On the way back to Khao Lak, most people dozed, rocked by
the motion of the boat over the waves. We reviewed some of the great shots J
snapped with his underwater camera, with a couple of great shots of the sea turtle
that was swimming around with us at one point. We were back at Lah Own by 4:30.
Showered and refreshed, we now a mission to complete: find
‘The Rusty Pelican” Mexican restaurant. This time, we asked the hotel to order
a taxi to take us over to Bang Niang town to check it out by night and search
for our prize. A fair way down the side road, we finally found it, and we had a
very memorable and delicious meal (reviewed in the restaurant section
separately).
Back on the main road, a market with lights and children’s
rides caught our attention on the other side from the town, so we went for a
look. Very few tourists were over there, with local families enjoying a
carnival-like atmosphere. A band was playing and people were relaxing at tables
with jugs of beer. Children were nagging their parents for money to go on the
rides, or play the games, or to buy a treat (like children the world over).
I
stopped to talk with some kids and their mother, the girls loading pop guns to
play an arcade game where they had to shoot their desired prize. With looks of
serious concentration on their faces, they took aim with air rifles almost as
big as themselves to claim their treasure. J wouldn’t let me go on the giant
jumping castle :( !
Leaving with a few pairs of sunglasses (from a stall that
had exactly the same ones seen all over Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak but for a
fixed price of 50 bhat each), and a few crazy/amusing tee-shirts for my
daughter, we crossed the road, enjoying a cold beer before heading back to the
resort. The local cat come to sit with us on the porch while we un-wound after
our big day, and tomorrow would be equally big.
Day 4 Another early start and prompt pick up at 7:15am. From
what I’d read, it was a lot further to Kuraburi pier for the trip out to the
Surin islands, but I don’t think it took more than about half an hour from Lah
Own. A small pavilion provided a staging area for Baracuda tours to sort out
who was going to which islands. Two boats were off to Ko Ta Chai, and just our
boat to Surin. Mr Big was our tour leader who ran through the day’s plan,
dropping in lots of jokes through his explanations.
It took an hour to get out in the twin-hull boat with barely
a bump the whole way. Approaching the islands, the colour of the water was an
almost unbelievable shade of aqua-marine making us feel as though we were
entering into a postcard picture. J and I had gear in hand ready to jump in as
soon as the boat had anchored.
Below, corals provided a vibrant backdrop to all
the lively fish of all colours and sizes. There was some bleaching, but at the
first site it wasn’t that bad, and was the best snorkelling we did during our
entire trip. One of the nicest touches of the tour was the staff being ready
with towels and cool drinks as soon as we came in from the sea. It just made
the day so enjoyable and relaxing, and we certainly felt well looked after.
Before lunch, we stopped at a Moken village not far from the
snorkelling site. Though interesting, it really felt as though our visit was an
intrusion. Walking through the simple huts, the villagers stayed away from us
as Mr Big told us about their history and customs. During the 2004 tsunami, the
villages quickly understood the changes in the sea, running to warn as many
people as possible to get to higher ground. In the entire Surin island area,
only 3 lives were lost, with over 1500 surviving due to the warning relayed by the
Moken people. It was also heartening to see a community centre and school so
the whole ‘sea gypsy’ community could receive an education that would well
equipment them for future opportunities.
Ko Surin Nam island (or the North island) was our stop for
lunch, the absolute epitome of a tropical island paradise. A few bungalows
stood under the shady trees looking very inviting, while the tents paled in
comparison. I immediately pencilled in an overnight stay on my ‘to do’ list if
we ever returned to this part of Thailand. Even though there were other tour
groups on the island, it was so well managed that each group’s lunch time was
staggered to be half an hour apart, making it feel much less crowded. The food
was OK and very similar to the others we had on other snorkelling trips: big
platters of not too exciting stir fries and curries, but it was plentiful and
hit the spot.
J and I wondered to the other side of the island, which is only a
hundred metres or so. Soaking in the gorgeous scene, we waded in the clear blue
water splashing along the sandy shore. Soon we were called to board our boat,
leaving behind the stunning island.
As much as I wanted to stay in the island, I was keen to see
more and snorkel. We stopped at two more places all fairly close together, where
there were more jellyfish than the other site, both the pink ‘moon’ jellies and
the tiny stingy ones. I was grateful I was wearing a rashy and shorts to block
out most of the annoying stingers. The corals were more bleached than the first
site, but there was plenty of colours and fish to make for a lovely experience.
I was fortunate enough to have a black-and-white banded sea snake swim right up
to me from the bottom, surfacing right beside me. I watched as it took a
breath, it’s nose poking out from the water, it’s long body suspended in the
water. By the time J came over, it slithered away quickly returning to a rocky
ledge on the sea floor.
With fresh fruit and cold drinks in hand, we headed back to
the main land much too early for me, but on schedule. I would have been happy
to stay our until dark! The time went so fast. On the journey back, we chatted
about what we had seen. A few others had seen turtles and a huge potato cod. Mr
Big said he saw a big shark, right near us, but he chased it away. The twinkle
in his eye quickly gave his tall tale away.
Dropped back to our hotel by 5, we rinsed off all our gear,
showered and prepared to get packing. It was our last night in Khao Lak. For
our last dinner we chose Sky restaurant that was at the end of the street
(reviewed in the restaurants section), and it was absolutely delicious! Highly
recommended. Then the last night of shopping on the strip, not that I wanted to
buy anything. But J was addicted to the jam filled biscuits that were served on
the boat on our snorkelling trips. So we traipsed through the local stores and
finally found a large bag of them to take away and snack on during the flight
home. Apart from some more snacks and drinks, we didn’t buy anything else. We
had a few beers at one of the cafes and headed back, pretty tired from our full
day. Neither one of us were looking forward to leaving. At least we had our
room until 4pm the next day so could sleep in, enjoy one last day, and pack at
our leisure.
Last day was a reasonably lazy one. After a big breakfast,
we walked the length of the beach, down past the lighthouse, wading in the
clear waters along the way. It’s such a pleasant walk but pretty sweaty in the
hot late morning sun. A last dip in the ocean, followed by a rinse in the pool
before lunch at one of the beach shacks near Lah Own. Taking our time relaxing
gazing over the water and watching the world go by, we enjoyed our last cold beers
before the final pack.
All our gear had dried under the hot Thai sun, and we were
on our way to the airport far too quickly. I wasn’t ready to leave. And as it
turned out, we had a bonus extra day in Phuket, after Jetstar cancelled our
flight and put us up in a hotel in Kata for a night. Sure it was a bit of a
drama, and the mis-communication and long time waiting on the plane waiting to
find out our fate frustrating, but J and I enjoyed another day in beautiful
Thailand. But the following day, our flight finally took off (after another
three hour delay), and we arrived home; the cold Melbourne air hitting us like
a slap on the face. Before we left the car-park on the drive home, we resolved
to return to Khao Lak ASAP.
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