Next stop Khao Lak and the snorkel boat

Today we flew from Chiang Mai to Phuket and then jumped in a cab that was waiting for us and travelled north up the coast for approximately 1.5 hours to our next destination Poseidon  Bungalows.  Good thing the driver knew where he was going because we were off the main road about 2km and then down a dirt road to the Bungalows.  The resort was very simple, there were about 15 bungalows along the bay with the main restaurant near the entrance.  Our bungalow was a larger one and was rather quaint, but we were only going to be there two nights.  There were two beaches; one on the lagoon and the other out on the main sea.  We decided to check out the main beach so walked down the little path through the jungle and out onto this amazing beach.  I think if we really tried we might have found 10 people on the entire beach.  There was no problem finding a beach chair.  There were a number of small places along the beach offering massages, cold beer and some food.

The next morning we were having breakfast and two elephants with their trainers wondered down to the lagoon in front of the restaurant to have a dip.  Guess what - no camera.  Later in the day Bill went for a walk and happened to find them walking down the road.

Our first day was spent lazing on the beach, reading books, and attempting to body surf in the waves.  I managed to get slammed into the beach and get a suit full of sand.  Later in the day we decided to try a beach massage.  It was very cool listening to the waves crash in while getting your massage.  Bill thinks this is wonderful a full body massage every other day.

As we were trekking back and forth to the beach we noticed this awful screeching noise that sounded like radio interference, but only in certain spots.  We asked about it and found out that is was actually bugs that live in the trees that make this awful sound.  We never did actually see them, but they screech all day long.  Luckily they were not in the trees around our bungalow.  We had to be ready to leave by 6:45 am the next morning so we were packed and in bed early that night.

The next morning all 17 of us loaded into the back of a truck (kind of like the red cab) and headed out to the marina.  We boarded our boat and found a bunk located on the lower deck.  19 people sleeping in one compartment!  Thank God it was air conditioned (sort of).  Once we had our packs put away we went back up top where a long table and benches, a sun deck and coffee were located.  Our guide Daniel went through some safety procedures and explained that it would take 4 hours to get out to the Similan Islands.  He showed us where the sea sick meds were kept, but the sea was fairly calm so no one decided to take any.  About 30 min. out we were served the first of many wonderful meals.  At this point some of us were reaching for the pills.  I am proud to say I made it 3 days aboard a small vessel without chucking my cookies.  My Dad would be proud.  We were on board with 15 Swedes, most of them under the age of 25, but they all spoke some English so things were pretty good.  Our guide Daniel was awesome, he was full of stories and spoke English the entire time.
.
The Similan islands consists of 9 different islands.  Similan is the Thai word for nine.  Island number 1-3 were closed to the public for rehabilitation.  So we started our tour up at island # 9.  They usually start the tour on a different island located north of the Similan but our captain had been on the radio and apparently there were no mantarays there today due to the currents so it wasn't worth going.
 
The first afternoon we did 3 different snorkels.  Each of them quite different.  Our first time in the water was in a small bay with no current just so see how comfortable every one was in the water.  All the youngins were like fish go figure, but Bill and I did just fine.  The water was crystal clear, fairly warm and our gear was working great.  According to Daniel the coral had been bleached in the last year due to the higher than normal temperature of the water.  This meant that for the most part all the spectacular colors were gone. But the fish were still amazing to watch.  There were so many different kinds.  After we got out of the water I realized our camera was not working.  Good thing we had backed up all of our photos so far.  My name was mud as Bill had suggested that we purchase another camera before we left, just in case.  I didn't think this was necessary so we didn't.  Ya did I regret that decision.  Never again will I go away with only one camera.  Luckily our guide was taking loads of pictures and told us that he was making a DVD that could be purchased at the end of the tour.  Phew, at least we would have some pictures.  Even better ones that we could have taken ourselves as he was diving way down deep taking shots of things we didn't see.

Our Captain and boat boy Tip took wonderful care of all of us.  The Captain would assess the conditions of each location determining how strong the currents were and then decide if he though it was safe for us.  Tip operated the dingy boat that was in the water when ever we were snorkeling.  At anytime if we got tired we only had to give a signal and he would come pick us up.  Every time we were in the water all 4 crew members watched us and a head count was done after each time we were in the water.  Every time we went into the water we were swimming with the current, which makes it was more enjoyable, you just basically float (which is really easy in salt water) and the current takes you along.the route.  Each time we went into the water we saw something new.  Daniel spotted a blue spotted sting ray on the bottom of the sand,  He dove down and we floated above.  The sting ray just kind of hung out, swimming away and then stopping.  It was incredible to watch.  Another highlight was on day 3 when one of the young boys spotted a sea turtle.  Bill and I had just gotten into the boat so we watched from above and most of our group actually swam the the turtle.  At one point they were right in front of the boat and the turtle poked his head up.  It was pretty cool to watch, but they were exhausted when they got back as they were swimming against the current and were in the water for a long time.  Tip was out with the dingy the whole time making sure everyone was OK.  Daniel got a great video, so we now have a copy.  The scenery on these islands was like nothing we have ever seen before.  The rock formations gave each island it's name.  Old man island, Donald duck bay, monkey island.  On the west side of each island the trees were completely bent over and it look like someone had cut the tops off at about a 45 degree angle.  This is due to the high winds they get during the raining season.  It's amazing what mother nature can due.

On day two we were dropped off on a beach on island #8.  The sand on this beach was like nothing we have ever seen before.  It was like a mixture of salt and flour.  Kind of like the texture of home made play dough.  As you stepped into it it felt almost like pudding.  It was extremely hot that day so I was thinking it would be smoking hot when I stepped onto it but is wasn't.  It was very cool.   We walked around for a bit and then decided to go and play in the waves.  They were perfect for body surfing and if you got slammed into the beach it was so soft it wouldn't hurt.  So off we went.  It was great fun.  I actually got Bill to body surf.  We caught the wave together and road it into the beach.  He had such a big smile on his face and was laughing so hard he couldn't get up so got slammed with the next wave.  It was so cool.  As the waves were cresting you could see a whole wack of fish being brought into shore.  It was like riding the wave with the fish.   I would have loved to bring some sand home, but the Similan islands are a national park and you can't take anything off them except photos.  Just before sun set we hiked up to a view point had a beer and waited for the sun to set.  The view and the sunset were beautiful. 

Sleeping on a boat is quite an experience.  The first night the sea was quite rough, so we climbed into our bunk ( I actually think is was like a coffin) and attempted to get some sleep.  At first I was on the outside but each time a wave came my body would rock and I started to feel sea sick.  We switched places and if I put my back up against the wall of the boat I felt better.  It was kind of like having the bed spins after a long night of drinking and you put your foot on the floor to stop the bed from spinning.  Lets just say it's been a long time since I had to do that and it wasn't fun.  Needless to say no one got much sleep that night.  The second night was much calmer and not so hot to we did manage to get some sleep.  That part of the experience I could have done without.

Again the food was incredible.  These two woman (mama Sue and her helper, Daniel called her mama because she took such good care of him and all of us) prepared the most delicious dishes in this small little galley.  No two dishes were served twice.  We were talking with Daniel about deep fried bananas and poof there appeared as our afternoon snack.  We had fresh fruit with every meal and they even managed to keep the beer cold for all three days.


Over all it was a great adventure, however this prairie girl was awfully glad to put her feet on dry land.  After being on a boat for three days and needing a camera we decided to head to Phuket instead of staying in Khoa Lak for another day.