Time sure flies, it seemed liked yesterday we met Kristina and Lucy at the airport in Bangkok and so much has transpired since then. The jungle house was a definite highlight but the remaining 12 days we spent together were just as fun and exciting.
We arrived at our resort, Thai House Beach Resort at around 2:30 pm on the 21st and were treated to a Beach Villa upgrade x 2 for two nights so the resort could get us our Deluxe Family rooms adjoining each other two days later. We were hesitant at first. We didn’t want to unpack and re-pack but it worked out nicely and ultimately our rooms had a nice distant sea view and some breeze. It has been very hot here. 30+ C and 37 C with the humidity so the breeze was a saviour when sitting outside on our balconies. We spent 12 great days together with mostly beach and pool time but a few other extracurricular activities thrown in to breakup the non stop paradise beach and sea that surrounded us. It was such a chore, wandering down to the restaurant for breakfast, lathering on the sunscreen and then lazing on the beach or at the pool loungers watching the waves while we cooked under the tropical sun. So exhausting that after enduring this extreme relaxation we would hit one of the many bars for a few cool ones, alcoholic and non while Lucy kicked our butts at the free pool tables. This became a bit of a ritual and we had a good laugh when we asked Lucy what she wanted to do tonight and her reply was “ let’s go to the bar and play pool”!
Our first foray from our resort was by car. We rented a car, forgot what kind and we headed out to visit Big Buddha, Mae Nam beach and some waterfalls. Big Buddha is/was a revered site and I had the neat perspective of being on this exact spot 30 years ago. My how things have changed. The statue is located about 3 km from shore and is connected by a narrow causeway. When I was last here, at the end of the causeway was the “Big Buddha”, standing alone and looking quite stoic. Now access to this amazing statue is shrouded in small kitsch shops selling everything their neighbour sells and it has turned into a circus of sorts but this is tourism.
Most temple sites have signs telling you to “remove” your shoes before entering the temple areas. The sign we saw said ”Don’t remove your shoes between 9-5:00 pm”. This sign left several people confused including us so we took our shoes/sandals off and climbed the stairs to meet the Big Buddha. In all of our past experiences when visiting a temple, shrine etc., I guess except for a church, you take your shoes off. A simple act of respect.
Next stop was Mae Nam Beach which was not that easy to find. It’s very clear on the tourist map but the roads aren’t exactly easy to follow but we did figure it out and Lucy, Kristina and me (I?) had a dip, dried off and then continued on to, well, we weren’t quite sure what to do next so we drove on with the idea of visiting one of several waterfalls on the Island. We just weren’t quite sure which one would be best and, considering it was the dry season, which one would be worth visiting. I mean, where does the water come from if there isn’t serious rain? Long story short, we stopped at I think, Tar Nim Waterfall but to be honest, it could have been Wang Sao Thong waterfall but regardless, we were met by a couple of guys and for only 100 Baht each we could get a ride to what might have been a trickle instead of a fall of gushing fresh water and hiking to the falls was about 1 km and it was way too hot to entertain that idea so, we headed back to our resort. It was a great day and the evening was spent loosing pool games to Lucy (sharp-eye) Roberts at the local bar.
The next two or three days were spent basically doing nothing except of course eating, sunning, swimming, eating, playing in the waves with the gals, relaxing, drinking, eating and then sleeping. And repeat.
After a few days it was time to do another little adventure so we booked tickets on a speedboat and headed out with several other people, most of who were really not that friendly and spent the day exploring the islands of the Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park. The boat was great and even heading back to KS in fairly rough seas the ride was smooth although a little wet for some. The marine reserve hosts many idyllic beaches and coves but to explore the actual marine environment we only had about one hour of snorkelling in sub prime conditions. There was some nice coral although I have to say I am alarmed at the changes I’ve seen from my first trip to this part of the world 30 years ago but there were lots of fish and I think Lucy really enjoyed it. We departed on the next leg of our cruise which unfortunately didn’t include any more snorkelling. The island scenery was beautiful, we stopped at a fishing village for a lunch that lasted way too long and then hung out at a couple of very beautiful beaches. The area is truly stunning but I will save my final evaluation of the condition of Thailand’s beaches for a little later. It was a really fun boat trip back to KS through some great waves. Lucy slept most of the time and I can relate. When I fly, if there is turbulence, it lulls me to sleep.
The Big Buddha, Mae Nam Beach and the marine park were our only extracurricular activities. The rest of our time was spent doing the relaxing thing. Breakfast, beach, some beach walking and pool time, lunch beach side with some great chicken satay, beer in the late afternoon, and then hit the bar so Lucy could kick our butts at pool before finally heading off for dinner. All was not completely slow motion. We explored the Sunday night market, were entertained by a beach side fire show and had our share of long sunny days and cool evening breezes.
April 2nd arrived in the blink of an eye and we bid the ladies farewell and then spent a couple more days before our departure on the 5th.