Bangkok, Ko Yao Noi, Koh Lanta and Koh Jum
Bangkok was very hot and humid. I was lucky to have two of my friends visiting at separate times to enjoy Thailand. Vanessa and I stayed in Ko San Road, in the heart of Bangkok, which has a myriad of restaurants, beer houses, shopping and ping pong dens. I fell for “the palace is closed” line and took the alternative expensive river (canal) boat much to the annoyance of Vanessa who was sure it was a con. We whizzed along keeping our mouths shut through the stinking canals. There were very impoverished houses on bank of canal and all the rubbish went into the canal. We took a taxi to Pat Pong Road. It was much smaller than I remembered. As expected we got offered to view a ping pong show and of course we refused!
We partied on Koh Phi Phi island with a full moon party.
Ko Yao Noi (and Koh Yao Yai which Vanessa and I took a scooter to travel round)– is equidistant from Phuket and Krabi, and easy to reach from both by boat – lies on the edge of striking Phang Nga Bay and is one of Thailand’s most laid-back islands. The beaches may not be breathtaking but the lack of development, easygoing locals, pristine forests and bird life and fishing make it infinitely more appealing especially with it’s spectacular sunsets. Driving the scooter was fabulous fun and the first time for Vanessa and me so there were lots of laughs and hairy scary moments. We were crazy enough to take it on a small boat with us and I had to sit astride the scooter so that it didn’t fall over.
Koh Lanta was big island, but still relatively unspoiled in bits. It is the island where the Royal family and the well off Thais holiday. The beach near our accommodation was rocky so Shirley and I walked for ages to find a better place. Relax Bay resort had nice little wooden cabins with a verandah and hammock. There was a small swimming pool, beach bar, yoga on offer, lots of palm trees and foliage for our jungle like accommodation. It was a steep climb to the main road.
Ban Saladan the main town of Koh Lanta had lots of touristy shops, travel agents, a nice little pier and massage places. The sunsets were gorgeous here especially near the pier where there is a sandbank. 1st May we sheltered in the market under tarpaulin, monsoon had started. We went on snorkel trip to Koh Rok where there was fabulous clear water. The boat from Koh Lanta to Koh Jum stopped in middle of the Andaman sea to send us with our bags to a smaller boat. Koh Jum is almost a deserted island. We stayed at the Golden Pearl Resort which had lovely wooden buildings with verandahs with table and chairs outside but there were lots of mosquitoes and a terrible smell of drains so it was hard to sit outside. We had great long empty beach walks to a lovely restaurant called Beach Villas run by Koh Jum Divers and ate like kings (totally best food ever). The food combinations were amazing. The grounds are sumptuous and the furniture was so comfortable we didn’t want to leave. We had wonderful cocktails as the sun set. The sunset was stunning and seemed to go on forever as the afterglow was fabulous. The head waiter was lovely but could not allow us to swim in there big pool which was a shame as the sea seemed a bit cloudy maybe because the village is on stilt houses and all the waste goes into sea. Koh Jum village seemed very impoverished. There was a one track road and hardly any cars. Everyone drives motorbikes even very young kids.The village has only a few shops selling same the same things and not enough variety if you self cater. The northern part of the Jum Island is mountainous and called Ban Island and also Pu Island. The southern part is called Ban Jam Island and is flat and covered by the natural vegetation of the Andaman Sea Coast consisting of towering Casuarina trees. We were only there a short time as there was nothing to do. Although it was lovely relaxing and reading books we wanted more adventure. It was a long journey from Koh Jum to Koh Samui. The boat from Koh Jum met us in the middle of Andaman sea as, being monsoon weather, there was not enough depth in jetty. Then we were transferred to a bigger boat to Krabi.We crossed Krabi to the Gulf of Thailand. It took two hours and three changes of transport from one side of the island to the other. We travelled to Koh Samui land of massages and greenery and vegetarians. We ate at my favourite vegetarian restaurant that cooks mainly with raw vegetables and relaxed on the lovely white sand reading books.
The months in Thailand were really special as I had very good friends travelling with me.
