Krabi
Sunday June 22.
After leaving the yacht in Phuket, we travel by mini bus to Krabi. It takes about one and a half hours through small settlements and palm oil plantations. We decide to go to AoNang for the night which is a nice beach a bay around from Krabi. It is strange being on land now without the boat as we can see the Phang Nga Bay and all the islands we have just explored. We find a bungalow for about $20 a night which has a really nice restaurant attached and we enjoy a very tasty Thai meal ashore, the first since Koh Phi Phi. We then go for a walk along the beach and take a motorbike taxi into town to look at the shops. Maddy and Kate do some shopping while we enjoy a coffee.
The bad weather has caught up with us and it has been raining pretty heavily overnight. We decide to get a long tailed boat around to Railai Beach we had heard so much about. This beach is only accessible by boat and has a small settlement attracting rock climbers and those looking for some solitude. It is a beautiful bay flanked by amazing, tall rocky cliffs. There is a really interesting group of traditional Thai houses at one end of the beach to rent which look great. The wind and seas have really picked up now and we have to get back in that long tail! The boatman fights to get out of the bay with the wind onshore so Larry and Al help him, off we go into the waves with Maddy screaming at the top of her voice! Liz and the girls feel safer with life jackets on as we round the headland and safely get into AoNang very wet.
Koh Samui
Tuesday June 24.
We flew to Koh Samui from Krabi in a fairly small, propeller plane. The landing was a bit scary for the girls who haven’t really experienced small planes before. We bus into Chaweng beach to AKWA guest house. Larry has stayed here before and knew we would like the funky furniture and extra touches this guesthouse offers. We were very disappointed though to be met by the owner having a very bad day who was drunk and very rude to us. The bookings had been messed up and he only had small cramped rooms available. Allan and Helen decided to try elsewhere and we took the standard rooms. After 2 days we then moved into Seascape apartments which were great. It has a pool and is right on the beach.
The next 6 days we spent on the beach swimming, walking, reading, eating and drinking. We hired scooters for a couple of days and explored Lamai beach, the Big Buddha Choneung Beach, Namung falls where we swam and saw elephants and the saw the mummified monk, complete with Ray Bans on. We had some great meals with Allan and Helen, on the beach watching fireworks and lanterns and in the main street, the best being at Eat Sense on the beach.
Monday June 30 Larry leaves early to catch the ferry to Surat Thani then to fly to Bangkok to greet Louise. It takes him as long as it does her flight from Melbourne. They stay the night in Bangkok staying at D and D Inn on Khaoshan road and decide it is not the hotel for us when we all go to Bangkok!
Today we say goodbye to Allan and Helen who have to return to cold Melbourne. It was great having them, especially on board Alissa! We will miss the sunset drinks at The Lighthouse Bar.
Tuesday July 1 we wait all day to see Lou, looks like the trip via Surat Thani is a bit of a marathon. They finally arrive and are keen for a swim and a sunset drink at the lighthouse bar on the sand.
Wednesday July 2 we leave for 2 days at Koh Phanang which is an island close to Koh Samui famous for their full moon parties for 20 year olds. We have booked at Salad Hut on a beach NW. It is a beautiful Thai style resort with only 10 bungalows right on the beach and a nice pool to use when the tide is way out. It is very quiet here but everyone is happy reading and swimming while Lou catches up on some sun. The food is great and there are hammocks to lie in and relax. Koh Phanang must be what Samui used to be 20 years ago, no traffic and very laid back locals.
Friday we get the last ferry back to Koh Samui and stay at Baan Sukreep. We have 2 bungalows which are brand new with a kitchen and very helpful owners. It is in Chaweng Noi, a bit out of the way for shopping but has a nice beach with very friendly cafes right on the sand offering comfy deck chairs and umbrellas. Maddy is not feeling well today and is having a day in bed with a book and the a/c. Larry has hired a motorbike and has gone to the hospital to have his stomach looked into which has been bothering him for a while. Turns out he has a bladder infection, not very pleasant!
Sunday we moved back to our favourite beach at Chaweng, staying in the family room at Samui Beach Apartments which is huge, it has 2 bedrooms, and a large kitchen/lounge and is 30 seconds from the pool and beach. We had a fantastic sunny day swimming, finishing off with sunset drinks and a nice Indian meal in the main street. Tomorrow, Monday is our last day in Samui before we head off to Phnom Penh via Bangkok, everyone is really looking forward to Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat complex.
