Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Ko hopping

So haven't had much internet access the past week, but it has been wonderful to get away from city life for a while. We started our ko ("island") tour in Ao Nang Beach, Krabi where the weather was surprisingly nice (sunny days, cool nights). The beach at Ao Nang was ok, but kind of ordinary so we decided to go to one of the supposed "best beaches in Thailand" called Railay Beach. Wow were they right! We took a long tail boat (kind of like a large canoe with what looks like a car engine attached to the back) to the beach and it was the most amazingly beautiful white sand and clear WARM (like bath temp) water. It was a paradise beach and it was mostly empty, which was awesome! This area is filled with karst limestone hills that jut out of the water everywhere and we took a nice kayak ride around the little bay and between the cliffs. The water was so clear we could see straight to the bottom! Also forgot about the equatorial rays and got a little sunburned- oopsy!

Next we took a ferry ride to Ko Phi Phi Don and stayed in these nice beach bungalows on a private little beach(Ao Koh Toh Beach). The beach was nice, but not as warm and it was quite rocky. But it was a quaint private little place (the only hotel on the beach) only accessible by long tail. Oh and there was only electricity available from 6pm to 6am- so different from other places we stayed. While we were there we took a day trip to Ko Phi Phi Le (google this to see pics), which is the smaller island famous for its beautiful secluded beach which was the set for the film "The Beach." We took another long tail to the island in stormy weather and when we got there we saw no beach! But our boat driver pointed to a ladder going over a rocky ledge and we jumped in the water and swam to the ladder. First it led to a little cove, then we walked through a small jungle path (no one lives here btw) to Maya Beach. It really was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and even in the stormy weather, that made large waves in the otherwise calm cove, it was so gorgeous I found it hard to peel my eyes away. After that we went snorkeling in a lagoon on the island, which was also incredible and we saw a ton of tropical fish (which were not that afraid as you approached them), and sadly lots of dead coral. Later that day we climbed a long jungle path to a viewpoint of the entire island and the surrounding area. It was absolutely amazing (wish I could post pics)! We hiked over to the other side where the port is and walked around the town, had some delicious street food and got "The Beach" so we could watch it. :) That night was clear and beautiful and you could see lots of stars above and lightning over the see in the distance.

The next day was non-stop rain. Welcome to monsoon season in Thailand! Despite this, we foolishly decided to take the ferry to Phuket island. It was by far the worst 2 hr boat ride I have ever been on. I can handle sea sickness pretty well, but this was a true test. The boat was rocking back and forth the entire time and people all around us were sick. It was a long ride and when we finally got to Phuket we passed out in the taxi to the Marriott Phuket Beach Club. This place is amazing (and could not be more opposite from where we have been staying)! We have a whole little villa to ourselves with two bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen, and washer/dryer (the best of it all!)- thanks to mom and dad's timeshare points! Luckily we were staying in such a nice resort because it rained incessantly the next 2 days. That didn't stop us from exploring the beach and swimming in the many pools though. It is nice to have a week of relaxation. We also got to cook a Thai meal in our little kitchen! Today we went to Patong beach (about an hour away from our hotel), which was again, beautiful, but FULL of tourists. I like our little Hat Mai Khao beach at our resort. We are starting to look pretty tan and thinking about going to another ko after this. :)

Sorry no pics to post. Of course internet is very expensive in the hotel so we haven't had a chance to post any yet. Perhaps soon...

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