Today we decided to do something other than just lay around on the beach! We decided to lie around on a boat! There was a boat trip that offered snorkeling, lunch, fishing and a fish farm all for 400 Baht, a pretty good deal. We had to return the moto so we booked our trip from one of the many tour desks near Silver Sands. After booking the trip we had a little over an hour to have breakfast. We both had the Mexican breakfast at Silver Sands, which came with an omelet with ham, cheese, and salsa, and French fries. It was good, nothing special. We went back to the tour desk to catch the taxi to the pier.
Once at the pier we boarded the boat. The passengers sat on the top deck of the boat in little lounge chairs. For a while we just tooled around and stopped at a few beaches to pick up more passengers.
It was so nice to be out on the water. The weather was perfect! After a while we stopped somewhere for some swimming and snorkeling. I was very excited to snorkel. I had never done it before and I had been looking forward to trying it throughout the whole trip. So Kyle grabbed us some gear and we jumped in. I always get that panicky feeling in my chest when I first jump into deep water, even with a life jacket on. So once I felt comfortable we made our way farther away from the boat to where other people were snorkeling. Before we got out there I freaked out because I saw something large and round below us. I immediately brought my feet up. Kyle used his snorkel gear to look to see what it was. He made me look before telling me what it was. It was just coral. The water wasn't that clear and I was not that interested in looking at the coral. Besides feeling as if I was going to suffocate because the mask covers your nose, I also didn't like not knowing what was beneath me. So I went back to the boat while Kyle stayed and snorkeled a bit more. When I got back to the boat there were two girls that we all scraped up and bleeding, right away I thought it was from the coral, and I was really thankful I had gone back to the boat when I did. Later when Kyle got back on the boat he said he thought their scratches were from the barnacles on the boat, either way I was happy I didn't get scratched.
They moved the boat to another location and we had lunch. They made it right on the boat! We had fried rice and kabobs. For a lunch made by the boat workers it was really good. We then moved to another location to swim some more. This area had a floating platform that I swam out to while Kyle did some more snorkeling. After an hour we left to do a little fishing.
The fishing equipment consisted of a plastic water bottle with fishing line wound around it with a weight and a hook. The boat anchored and everyone grabbed a bottle and dropped a line over the side. The boat was really bouncing around. At this point I made my way down to the bottom level to sit towards the center of the boat since I was really feeling sick. Many people we throwing up over the sides. It was all I could do not to puke. Finally, the men on the boat told us to pull up our lines and we set off again. I had taken a generic Dramamine so I feel right asleep. When I woke up we were pulling up to a fish farm.
Both Kyle and I enjoyed the fish farm. We got to feed some of the sharks and turtles and other fish. It was a little scary since the "tanks" were just large nets hanging down from two 2x4's attached to floating barrels. The visitors walk along the 2x4's. So if you loose your footing or trip you could fall in with the fish and sharks. This was the last stop on our boat tour. We got back to the pier and took a taxi truck back to our hotel. With just enough time to have a couple of cocktails on our little porch and then make our way to watch the sunset on the other side of the island. It was very beautiful. Kyle took many photos! On our way back from the sunset, I found a restaurant to have dinner while Kyle ran back to the room to grab something. I picked the Apache restaurant and we ate out on the pier. I ordered before Kyle got back and he guessed what I had ordered. He didn't get it right, but I ordered a steamed fish with chilies and garlic, sautéed vegetables and a noodle dish with chicken and vegetables. It was all very good, and the fish came on this little hot plate thing with a little burner under it. So yummy! After dinner we just went back to our room and went to sleep. It had been a busier day than we were used to. Only 1 more full day and then we have to head home. Kyle's sad about it but I am excited.
